Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-20
Indications Point to Accept
ance of the Speoner Bill.
FEELING IN THE HOUSE
DISINCLINATION TO LET LEGIS
I.ATIoN FAIL.
Strength Of Substitute Shown Whe,
the Hepburn Measure Was
Passed Last Winter

All indications today point to the accept
ance by the House Of the Spooner amend
ment to the Hepburn canal bill. 1t is not
probable, however, that this will be done
until after conference has been held on
the bill.
At a meeting of the House committee on
Interstate and foreign commerce this morn
ing the matter was discussed informally,
and Chairman Hepburn was requested to
make the motion acceeding to the request
of the Senate for conference without the
formalty Of having the bill referred to the
committee.
Sentiment in the House.
Chairman Hepburn is for a canal. He is
primarily for the Nicaragua canal, as pro-
vided in the Hepburn bill which passed the
House last January. However. the discus
sion in the committee this morning showed
clearly that its members do not favor
standing out against the Senate bill to the
extent Of defeating all legislation. The
Spooner amendment. which was adopted by
the Senate Yesterday, is regarded an i'm
peratfve mandate for constructing an 18TH
mian canal either at Panama or at Nicar-
aqua.
When the House passed the Hepburn bill
the $40,O0O,0O0 offer of the Panama COM
pany had just been made, and was not at
that time fully comprehended under
stood. The vote in the House at that time,
as indicated by division on an amend
ment offered by Mr.. Shallenberger accept
ing this $40O00,000 offer, was 1872 for the
offer to 40 against 1t.
A partial poll of members Of the House
this morning shows that out Of seventy-f1ve
members at least two-thirds Of that num-
Der will vote for the Senate amendment
rather than to have no legislation. Many
of these members, however, declare that
they are primarily for the original House
bill.
House Conferees.
The House conferees on the bill, 1t was
believed, would be Chairman Hepburn and
Representative Sherman. republican. New
York, and Representative Davey, democrat,
Louisiana. Mr.. Fletcher Is the ranking re-
publican member Of the committee, but Mr..
Fletcher 1t is understood is opposed to any
canal.
A motion to concur with the Senate
amendment would take precedence OF the
motion to nonconcur, and should some MEM
Der make the former motion the matter
might be brought to an immediate vote in
the House. The motion to nonconcur will
have unanimous consent A single objec-
ton would lay the bill back on the table
but II such objection should be made a
special rule could be brought in from the
committee on rules to make the motion
privileged.
The canal bill was transmitted to the
House from the Senate at 1:55 O'Clock this
afternoon. Chairman Hepburn was not In
his seat and no disposition was made Of the
measure at that time.
Confidence of the Cabinet.
There was a very sanguine feeling ex-
pressed at today's cabinet meeting as to the
success Of the canal proposition. Secretary
Hay had been in conference for an hour
this morning with Senator Morgan and
other senators, and all the advices that
had come to the White House before the
cabinet meeting went to assure the Presi-
dent that some canal legislation at the
pending session was a certainty, and al
most as strong was the evidence that that
legislation would be in favor of the Panama
project. The conference with the House
asked by the Senate will be granted the
House waving its right to pass upon the
Senate proposition directly.
So we'll assured Is the administration CO
the outcome that discussion has already
taken place Of the steps to be taken to
carry out the purposes Of the act and it is
understood that the State Department will
deal with the diplomatic features OF the
canal project, involving. of course, the con-
summation of the Colombian treaty, while
the Attorney General will pass upon the
question Of sufficiency of title to the Pana-
ma canal
Conference Agreed To.