Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-04-17
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent1

Editor Press
The provision of Chinese exclu-
sion still continue to monopolize
the floor of the Senate, the length
of the debate having been a 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, as all appreciate the value of
the Oriental trade and are equally
anxious that nothing shall disturb
the "open door," the senators have
felt obliged to give the matter the
most careful consideration before
enacting new law. AS the situa-
tion now stands a number are in
favor of reenacting the Geary law,
rather than the bill reported by
Senator Penrose. Senator Cullom is
opposed to the bill because he be-
lieves it violates the Chinese treaty
and Senator Gallinger has express
ed himself 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 for
cible speech with these words II
| will not bow the knee to this Baal.
/ will not worship the god whom
you have set up.
AS soon as the Chinese Exclusion
bill is disposed of, and it will be
voted on Wednesday at l p. m.,
Senator Lodge will call up the
Philippine Government bill. The
| bill is the result of some of the
hardest work ever performed by
committee and while it does not go
far into the future, it aims to give
the Filipinos all that they can
reasonably expect for the present
with the implied promise that, in
the fulness of time, they shall have
representative government. First,
however, they must demonstrate
their capacity for self government
in local affairs and learn by practi-
cal experience the lessons of self
control and integrity of admins
tration which are essential to every
self-governing community. The
House Committee on Insular Af-
fairs has framed d measure provid-
ing for civil government in the
islnads along lines much similGr to
those laid down by the Senate com
mittee, except that the gold stand
ard is made the basis of Philippine
currency in place of the siver
standard provided by the Senate.
The minority report of the House
committee is also similar to that of
the minority report to the Senate,
in that it provides more explicitly
for giving to the Filipinos complete
independence. r.
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
victory for the former. A promi-
nent Republican, who has vigor-
ously opposed any concession to
Cuba, said Saturday, "The last gun
has been fired in defense of the
Dingley schedules but l am afraid
it has produced no material effect.
When such men as Payne and
| Grosvenor 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 differen-
tial on refined sugar, which we
realized would have defeated the
whole measure, has been practically
defeated by those men whom we
had hoped to protect.a They did
not understand it and to-day there
are beet sugar producers in the
Capitol protesting against it on the
ground that they are producers of
refined sugar" The Democrats
have no hope either. They appre-
ciate that any onslaught they may
make on the general tariff schedules
will be defeated and they will make
such an attempt only in half
hearted way.
The debate on Cuban reciprocity
has been interesting and instruc-
tive. General Grosvenor in a very
able speech gave notice that the
time was not distant when a gem
eral revision of some of the Dingley
schedules would become necessary
and grew eloquentin his peroration
when he announced that the prin-
ciples of protection were greater
than any single tariff bill and the
acumen of the party too great to be
chained to duties which had out
lived their usefulness. His speech