Middletown transcript., 1903-11-28
WASHINGTON LETTER

resolution, Which provides further that
Porto Rico shall become a county of the
State ofGubaa a1d thatthe president and
vice-president Of the Republic shall be-
come the governor and lieutenant goyer-.
nor, and the new loan which Cuba is
about to make, shall be raised by issuing
state bonds. The advantages to Cuba OF
joining the Union are evident. She
would have free trade with this country,
and the receipts from her exports would
be nearly doubled. She is now offering
$50, 100000 of bonds at 5 per cent. at
W, and finds difficulty in getting buyers.
Ii they are state bonds, guaranteed by
the United States, she could sell them
easily at per cent. Mr.. Newlands says
that the present is good time to make
Cuba the offer, as the condition of the
island is being discussed by Congress; and
that we should make it plain to her that
we invite her to join us on absolute
equality, as state. 1t would be union
rather than annexation, and she would
be one of us, and not subject to US. He
believes that the people of both countries
will realize that the argument for union
is irresistible. Texas might be cited as
a precedent.
| Nv
The bill enacting the Cuban reciprocity
treaty passed the House by vote of 1856
to 81. 1t is now in the hands of the
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
and if the Democrats do d not attempt te
filibuster, the treaty ought to be passed
in time to adjourn the extra session by
Thanksgiving. In the House the Demo-
Gratis voted for the bill although they
took advantage of the debate to make
many campaign tariff speeches which
they will soon be distributing to their
constituents. They denounced the "gag
rule'' which prevented them from intro
ducing host of amendments and pro-
longing the debate indefinitely, but after
they were reminded that, when in power
they adopted the same tactics, they
adopted the same tactics, they made
threats of what they would do when the
House was again Democratic. The bill
will of course pass the Senate, as two
thirds of that body voted for the treaty.
~
Although President Roosevelt hopes
that Senator Dietrich of Nebraska will
clear himself of the charges of bribery
and corruption for which he is indicted
by the Federal Grand Jury of Omaha, he
refuses to interfere in the Senator's be-
half, even to the extent of placing the
case in the hands of another district at
torney. Senator Dietrich is charged with
receiving $500 in money and property
as consideration for indorsing the ap-
pointment of Jacob Fisher to be post
master of Hastings, Nebraska. 1t ap-
pears that the Senator put up building
in Hastings and had the local Post Office
transferred to it, from building owned
by the Grand Army. He received less
rent that he thought he ought to get, and
the Grand Army regretted the loss of the
office as they had bought the Post Office
fixtures which were now useless to them.
A new postmaster was to be appointed
and Fisher promised that if he received
the position he would but the fixtures
from the Grand Army, and also pay Sem
ator Dietrich the difference between
what he asked and what he received as
rent for the Office. The payment was
made for several months until the Sena-.
tor, realizing the irregularity of the
agreement, refunded the money to Fisher.
The penalty for receiving illegal consid-
erations in making public appointments,
is two years imprisonment, or $4,000
fine, and of course expulsion from Office.
The Senator and his friends say that the
Indictment, is political conspiracy and
that he will waive his immunity from
arrest, granted by the Constitution, and
return to Omaha for trial. Last June an
indictment was about to be made against
the Senator, but the investigation was
suppressed by the District Attorney, w.
S. Summers, who wrote to Washington
for instructions and received reprimand
from Attorney General Knox for inter-
fering with case because United States
Senator was involved in it. He has now
been called to Washington to give the
Department and President Roosevelt a
full account OF the investigations.
x.*
According to the terms of the Hay
Bunau-Varila treaty, just signed by our
Secretary of State and the Panama min
lister, the United States is granted abso-
lutte sovereignty over strip of land five
miles wide on each side of the canal, pos
session of several islands in its vicinity,
with the right to fortify these as we'll as
the canal, the right to preserve public
peace in the cities of Panama and Cslon
and to prescribe their sanitary ordanan-
ces. When necessary we may use force
to accomplish these ends. In return we
guarantee the independence of the Re-
public of Panama, pay her $4,000, 900 at
first and $250,000 annually, beginning
nine years from date of treaty. We are
to have perpetual monopoly of all means
of transit across the isthmus, either by
railroad or canal. A few hours after the
treaty was signed the Panama commits
sioners arrived in Washington. They ex-
pressed satisfaction with the terms of the
document and one of them will take it to
Panama for ratification. 1t is expected
that the treated will be approved BY the
new Republic about December 10th. 1t
will then be sent to the Senate for ratif-
cation. The Republicans need two DEM
ocratic votes to get two-thirds majority
required for the approval of the treaty,
but as nearly the whole country, includ-
ing some of the largest Democratic pap
ers are supporting the administration.
and as the South especially is anxious
for canal, many of the Democratic Sem
ators will vote for the treaty, thus insur-
ing its ratification. Senator Bacon ex-
planned the position of the minority SER
of hx, &ho& x.,I,s A.