Middletown transcript., 1902-04-19
WASHINGTON LETTER.

THE Provisions Of Chinese exclusion
: still continue to monopolize the floor
OF The Senate, the length 81 the debate
having been matter Of surprise to all
concerned. The sacrifices which the
United States has made in its dealings
with the Philippines would go for naught
If the bill now under discussion were to
violate the treaty with China and, IS all
appreciate the value OF the Oriental
trade and are equally anxious that noth-
| ing shall disturb the sopen door," the
senators have felt obliged TO give the mat
ter the most careful consideration before
enacting new law. As the situation
now stands number are in favor of re-
enacting the Geary law. rather than the
bill reported by Senator Penrose Senator
Cullom is opposed to the bill because he
believes it violates the Chinese treaty and
Senator Gallinger has expressed him
self as opposed to exclusion. Senator
Hoar opposes the bill on the ground that
| It strikes at men because of their race
| rather than at vice and concluded brief
but forcible speech with these words y
| will not bow the knee TO this Baal. I
will not worship the God whom you
have set up.
*x*
/ As soon as the Chinese Exclusion bill
is disposed of, and 1T will be voted on
Wednesday at P. NJ, Senator Lodge
will call up the Philippine Government
bill. The bill is the result OF some OF
the hardest work ever performed by q
committee and while it does not go far
into the future, it aims to give the Filipi-
nos all that they can reasonably expect
for the present with the implied promise
that, in the fulness OF time, they shall
have a representative government. First,
however, they must demonstrate their
capacity for self government in local af-
fairs and learn by practical experience
the lessons Of self control and integrity
of administration which are essential to
every self-goyerning community. The
House Committee on Insular Affairs has
framed measure providing for civil gov
ernment in the islands along lines much
similar to those laid down by the Senate
committee, except that the gold STANDARD
is made the basis of Philippine currency
in place Of the silver standard provided |
by the Senate. The minority report of
the House committe is also similar to |
that of the minority report to the Senate, |
in that it provides more explicitly for
giving to the Filipinos complete inde-
pendence.
~
Ever since last Tuesday the House has |
been the scene of an interesting struggle |
between the administration and the beet
sugar forces and everything points to VIC
tory for the former. A prominent Re-
publican, who has vigorously opposed |
any concession to Cuba, said Saturday,
''The last gun has been fired in defence
of the Dingley schedules but am afraid
it has produced no material effect. When
such men as Payne and Grossenor and
Long abandon the ship there is little |
hope left and there now seems to be little |
doubt that the Speaker and the President
will have their way in the House. Our
plan OF taking off the differeutial on re-
fined sugar, which we realized would |
have defeated the whole measure, has |
been practically defeated by those men
whom We had hoped to protect. They |
did not understand it and to da, there !
are beet sugar producers in the Capitol I
protesting against it on the ground that |
they are producers Of refined sugar.
The Democrats have 10 hope either.
They appreciate that any onslaught they
may make on the general tariff schedules
will be defeated and they will make such
an attempt only in a half hearted way.
W.
The debate OH Cuban reciprocity has
been interesting and instructive. Gem
eral Grosvenor in very able speech gave
notice that the time was not distant when
general revision of some of the Ding.
Il
and grew eloquent in his peroration
when he announced that the principles
of protection we're greater than any sin
gle tariff bill and the acumen of the
party too great to be chained to duties
which had eutlived their usefulness. His |
speech produced great effect on the
younger members. The fate Of the bill
in the Senate is still in doubt but the
pressure from outside is increasing and.
while some of the opponents OF the bill
have been talking Of delaying legislation
until too late for consideration in the
Senate at this session, the warning has
come from the Senators that such acourse
would be met by their attaching Cuban
reciprocity clause to some appropriation
bill. I.
~
The House Committee on Agriculture
has reported favorably the bill providing
for the establishmentof the Appalachian
Forest Reserve. The bill carries an ap-
preparation Of $4,000, 600 Of which So
100000 win be Immediately available.
Representative Wadswortli, chairman Of
the Committee, recently returned from a Il,
trip through the region which the bill
proposes to reserve and he told me tina
he strongly favored the measure. "At
the same time, said Mr.. Wadsworth,
IT appreciate that it is hercuIean un-
dertaking. / am in favor of it and yet
1 am almost appalled, at the size of the
project Apropos of this bill, Mr.. Gif-
ford Pinchot. Chief Forester of the Gov
ernment told me some time ago that the
damage in the section which il il pro-
posed to protect by this reserve was al