The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-02-18
TREATY,s PASSAGE ASSURED.
Given Right of Way In Senate UntiI
Disposed or


Washington, Feb. 17-The republican
senators held caucus to-day and
unanimously decided to have the senate
continue consideration of the Panama
canal treaty tomorrow and on future
days until the treaty shall he disposed
of. This result was reached after an
hour and half's discussion in the SEN
ate chamber. The understanding is
that the statehood bill does not lose it's
advantageous position in the order of
business when the senate is in execu-
tive session.
Senator Cullom, chairman Of the COM
mittee on foreign relations, presented
motion declaring it to be the sense of
the caucus that the senate should go
into executive session tomorrow, Feb
ruary IS, Immediately after the conclu-
sion of the morning business, to ratify
the Panama canal treaty" In a brief
speech he dwelt on the fact that the
option of the United States on the
rights and franchises of the Panama
canal treaty expires on the fourth of
next March. He said that other inter-
Colo anu olllCI IlllSII IlGSlIG W
control so important an enterprise, so
that it was altogether possible that we
would not be able to renew the option
at so low a figure as $40,00O,000, the
price which this country has agreed to
pay in case the bargain is consummat-
ed. AS only two weeks of the session
remain, and there was determined
though limited opposition to the treaty,
it was absolutely necessary that no
further time should be lost in getting
down to serious work on the treaty.
Several friends of the statehood bill,
including Senators Quay, Ell1ins, Gal
linger and Foraker, in speeches ex-
pressed the opinion that the chief pur-
pose of the motion was to track
the statehood bill. They agreed fully
with all that had been said as to the
necessity for the treatys early ratifica-
tion, but thought that the proper way
to reach a vote was first to take a vote
on the statehood bill BY pursuing
that course" said Senator Quay, you
can get the only obstacle to the treaty
out of the way and get it out of the
way by legitimate means" He called
oINSliIipii w liiS PIoiOLesotAoli III SbS oC-
bate, which, he said, all knew was far
beyond the necessities, and urged that
a. day should be named for vote on
the statehood proposition. All support
ers of statehood spoke in the same
strain, charging determined opposition
to the expression of the will of the ma
jority and dissenting from the opinion,
expressed by Senator Allison, that the
steering committee should determine
the order of business. Republican eau
cuses in the senate, they said, are in
the nature of conferences and are not
necessarily binding, except as republic
can senators may consider themselves
under obligation to follow the majority
of their party. They were emphatic on
this point, some of them going to the
extent of declaring that they would not
be bound if the question should be
pressed to vote.
Replies were made by Senators Hoar,
Hanna Lodge, Aldrich and others, in
which much stress was laid on the ne
cessity of securing the ratification of
the treaty and on the fact that there
was no intention to displace the state
hood bill as the unfinished legislative
business. Senator Hoar made an argu-