The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-02-26
CANAL Is FIRST
erNATE TAKES IMPORTANT AC-
TON IN MATTER.
rnanimous Agreement to Dispose of
the Treaty Reached After Con-
siderable Debate in Caucus.
statehood Bill Is Protected in
Its Advantageous Position.

Washington, fcU. lS.-1uo ncpuDli-
con senator's held caucus during the
dav and decided to have the senate
oontinue consideration of the Panama
canal treatyfrom this time on until the
treaty. shall be disposed of. This re-
s,It was reached after a discussion of
the legislative situation in the senate
Lasting an hour and half. The con-
clusion finally reached was unanimous.
The understanding is that the statehood
hill does not lose its advantageous po-
s;tion in the odrer of bushes when the
senate is in executive session. The
Republican supporters of the statehood
hill agree net to antagonize a motion
for AN executive session to consider the
canal treaty, nor to make any objection
to the prolongation of such sessions to
anv extent necessary to secure ratifica
ton.
The caucus was opened by state
ment by Senator Allison, chairman of
the steering committee, giving it as the
conclusion of the committee that the
Panama canal treaty should be ratified
before the adjournment of the present
session. He added that the steering
committee, being responsible for the
order of business, should be followed
when it made suggestion as to the or
der in which questions should come be-
fore the senate.
Senator Cullom, chairman of the COM
mittee on foreign relations, presented a
motion declaring it to be the sense of
the caucus that the senate should go into
executive session Immediately after the
conclusion of the morning business. to
ratify the Panama canal treaty.
There were speeches both for and
against this course, Quay, Elkins, Gal
linger and Foraker being the principle
advocates of vote on the statehood
bill first.
Agreement Finally Reached.
Replies were made by Senators Hoar,
Hanna, Lodge, Aldrich and others, and
much stress was laid on the necessity
for securing ratification of the treaty,
and on the TACT that there VAS no in
tention to displace the statehood bill
as the unfinished legislative business.
Senator Hoar made an argument to
prove that the executive business of
the senate occupies a different plane
from legislative business, and that
courtesy toward other nations demands
that treaties have preferential consider
alton at the hands of the senate. This
view WAS accepted generally by the sem
ators, and was the view acted upon.
Some of the senator's present afterwards
commented on it as likely to form
new departure, and an important prec-
edent in the senate.
After further exchange of views,
during which some quite sharp remarks
were made as to the desirability and
the possibility of securing a vote on the
statehood bill, the senators on both
sides adopted more conciliatory tone
toward one another. The friends of the
treaty consented not to press the mo-
ton as such, and the statehood advo-
Gates yielded, one by one, Senator Quay
being the last to give in. Consequently
when adjournment was reached the an
nouncement was made that after the
close of routine business Senator Quay
should move to 90 into executive ses-
sion, and that none of the Republicans
should oppose the motion, and that
consideration of the treaty should con-
tinus until it was disposed of.