The Press., 1902-06-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.

means musical, voice was declaiming on the advantages of the Panama route for an isthmian canal, as contrasted with the Nicaraguan route. Close observation re- vealed the fact that the voice emanated from 8 round gentleman, with no neck to speak of, who was seated in the center of group of perhaps twenty senators. On the right of the speaker, who ire quently mopped his expansive brow, was young man who handed to him, from time to time, the papers to which he re- ferred in his speech. On his left stood a page with 8 glass of water and fan. The stout gentleman, who seemed to be laboring prodigiously, was Senator Mar GUS A. Hanna, and he was attempting to. refute the able argument which Senator Mitchell of Oregon had presented the day before in favor of building the proposed canal across Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Owing to his rheumatic leg he addressed the senate sitting. The debate on the canal was begun in the senate immedi- ately after the Philippine bill was dis posed of, and as yet shows no sign of abatement. The consensus of opinion seems to be that the Spooner resolution, instructing the president to examine into the title of the Panama company's prop erty and purchase it, If he deems the title good, will be adopted. The resolution further instructs the president, If he should conclude that the title to the property is not good, to begin work on the Nicaraguan route. What the house would do, should the senate substitute the Spoon- CT resolution for the Hepburn bill, passed by the former body, is hard to tell, but 1t is feared that the passage of the Spooner resolution would result in deadlock which would not be removed at this ses- sion. There is really no great enthusi- asm for canal legislation in the senate, and it is generally admitted that, had Senator Platt been ready to report the Cuban reciprocity bill when the Philip pine bill was passed, the canal bill would have been permitted to remain in com- mittee until next session.
 When the Philippine bill passed, one week ago tomorrow, by vote of AS to 30, Senator Platt was not ready to report a Cuban bill, and, in fact, he is not ready yet. Thirteen republican senators have allied themselves against any concession to Cuba which will cost the beet sugar manufacturers anything. These sena- tors, who have been nick-named "Elkins' boxers," have refused every inducement to recede from their position, and until they do there is no hope of reciprocal leg islation without democratic help, of which the republican leaders refuse to avail themselves. There is possibility that the president will send a special message to congress on the subject, for he regards the duty of the United States to so legis- late as to insure Cuban prosperity as equally binding with the pledge made by the United States to grant Cuba ultimate freedom. Any folm of rebate MT. Roose- welt believes to be unconstitutional, and he further states that such legislation would result in future complications which must inevitably end in annexation.
 The past week in the house has been devoted to the bill for the protection of the president. Numerous and diverse have been the opinions of the legal lights of the lower chamber on the provisions of the bill, but 1t Is deemed likely that when the final vote Is taken to-day it will pass without material amendment. Ii will be followed by Representative Lacey's bill transferring the care of the forest re. serves from the secretary of the interior to the secretary of agriculture, and it ie expected that the bill will be followed by the irrigation bill. There is little doubt that the irrigation bill will pass the house and if it does 1t will represent the most successful engineering of a legislative ac tion that the house has witnessed in many years. When the bill first came over from the senate 1t had few friends in the house, and it was generally predicted that it would fail, but Representative Mondel of Utah on the republican side, and Rep resentative Newlands on the democratic have accomplished wonders, and despite the opposition of the leaders have wo1 friends to the bill until now it's success is assured.
 The bill providing for the preservation | of the fur-seal herd of Alaska "by it's decimation," which has recently been re ported favoratly to the house by the | ways and means committee, Is not at tracting the attention which 1t deserves A gentleman who is familiar with thu conditions on the Pribilof Islands from actual experience assures me that the re | duction of the seal herd by the slaughter of all but 10, 900 individuals, which is pro
 vided for in the bill, cannot but resul
 disastrously, and he ayers that the mem | bers of the ways and means committe. have been misled by the representation of Professor" Elliott, who appeared a. the chief advocate of the measure. Per sons who are familiar with the condition, prevailing on the islands, and who agree | with my informant, should communicat, with the committee named before a stel
 has been taken which may prove thu death-knell of the seal herd.
 The association of military surgeons o
 the United States has been holding it
 annual convention in Washington thi
 week, and has resulted in bringing to gether many of the leading medical mel of the country, for there have been held in connection with the convention, a mum
 ber of annual meetings of specialists de
 voted to various branches of medicine ant surgery. The president, who was accom-
 panied on the platform by Secretarie
 Root and Moody and number of higl
 officials, opened the convention of sur geons with a few brief remarks. His ad
 dress was very complimentary, althougl
 some of his advice to the eminent repre-
 sentatives of the medical profession, whil