Middletown transcript., 1902-04-12
WASHINGTON LETTER.

oleO, margarine bill, including the
Harris amendment. by a majority of
| eight votes On Friday Senator Mitchell
lof Oregon opened the debate on the
Chinese exclusion bill with carefully
prepared speech. This measure will
doubtless occupy sometime as there are q
variety of opinions as to the best method
of accomplishing the desired end, al
though there is none as to tie advisabil-
| ity of exclusion.
| ~
'sThe Question of an isthmian canal
will be considered at tIIis session, said
Senator Allison when asked him as to.
the chances for canal legislation. II am
not prepared to say what will be the de-
cision of the Senate" continued the Sem
ator, "but the bill will not be left incom-
mittee. The Senate will take some ac-
ton. Yes, it is possible that it will
adopt tine Spooner resolution. OF that
cannot say, but you may say for me that
the matter will be carefully considered. "
As Senator Allison is chairman of the
Republican steering committee his state
ment is particularly authoritative.
~
Senator Hale, whom saw later in the
day, remarked with twinkle in his eye,
"You newspapermen remind me of the
man WHO wrote to the justices of the Su-
prene Court, when that body was about
to consider the income tax law, and asked
each what would be his decision. The
steering committee is not public COM
mittee. 1t is private political organi-
zation, but you go first to one member
and then to another, a>tig g ea"h his
opinion, and before we know it, you
know more about the program of the
committee than the committee knows it
SELF" "But the case is not analogous"
replied. "The man had nine stern JUS |
tices to interrogate, while / have but one
genial Senator who does not propose to
give away any state secrets" the Senator
replied laughingly. However, notwith-
standing the Senator's incommunicatiye-
ness, the program now contemplated by
the committee, though not officially |
adopted, will, as predicted in former
letter, place the Philippine bill ilnmed-
lately after the Chinese exclusion bill.
1t in turn, will be followed by the Gu
ban reciprocity bill, and then the 18TH
mian canal will be considered. The var
ious appropriation have not yet been
placed but will be taken up as oppor-
tunity offers. The Indian appropriation
bill, having been considered during the
morning hour, passed Saturday.
~
Present indications are that the Cuban
reciprocity bill will meet with stormy
reception in the Senate The democrats
have formally notiiei Senator Plat of
Connecticut that they will oppose the
measure and one Republican Senator has
also given notice that he will move to
amend it so that the President shall be
authorized to make reciprocal concessions
to Cuba only after the negotiation of a
treaty with the new Cuban government
confirming the provisions of the Platt
amendment. The Senator who has given
notice of this amendment is one of the
most influential members of the Senate
and it is freely predicted, in the inner
circles, that he is the spokesman for a
small but powerful group of Republican
These gentlemen fear to trust
Cuba and would seek TO bind her by a
treaty which will be the voluntary act of
her own government and whose pro-
visions shall be unequiyocal Such an
amendment would, it is feared by the
friends of the Cuban movement, seriously
retard the application of relief of which
they believe the island stands seriously
in need. The opposition ol the Demo-
Gratis is matter of surprise as the House
Democrats have generally expressed
themselves as favorable to the concession.
Senator Patt is heartily in favor of the
hilI but would like to see all increase in
the amount of tariff reduction and an ex-
tension of the time limit.
~
When the Ways and Means Committee
adopted the Cuban reciprocity bill last
Monday it was by vote of IL to 5
with three Democrats voting 'sNay."
One of these, Mr.. NewIands, tells me
that his views are gaining strength on
the floor of the House and that there
will be found many Democrats who will
vote against the bill, which comes up for
to o-morrow. Little appre-
hension is felt, however, by the House
leaders, for the fate Of the bill, and they
predict that it will be passed within
three days. Representative Dalzell said
yesterday, II consider the success of the
measure in the House is assured. y
On Wednesday the House passed the
Sundry Civil bill and on Thursday the
Senate bill to promote the efficiency of
the Revenue Butter Service. Friday and
Saturday were devoted to consideration | 4
Ol bIl6 OHln6nc 6ACluelOu DLlle, majority i.
and a minority measure. The Demo- !,
crats have very generally alighted' them
selves on the side of the minority meas {
ure as have some Republicans. The diff 1
ference between the two is not great and :
consists chiefly in methods rather than
in p Irpo. e. Many of the Pacific coast c
members will support the minority meas q
ure which is the more drastic in its pro- s
visions. To-day should, by the rules of | I
the House, be devoted to the affairs of
the District of Columbia, but the Chair
man of the District Committee will pro-
baby waive his rights in favor of the
exclusion bill. There is some hope that +
this measure may be disposed of before
tomorrow so that it will not be neces-
sary to hold it over until after the con- :
sideration OF the Cuhan Bill. L
IL
The investigation of the secret report" :
of Captain Christmas, which cast refiec-
lions upon the honor Of Congress. has r
into farce and there is a t