Middletown transcript., 1903-02-07
WASHINGTON LETTER,

RI WASHINGTON LETTER
WASHINGTON, Feb. I'd, 1903.
THE Statehood fight in the Senate ha
= grown into one of the bitterest par
] liamentary contentious of recent years
Senator Quay announces that he vii
stop at nothing to win his struggle fo
statehood for Oklahoma, Arizona ant
New Mexico and Senator Hanna and th,
Republican leaders pronounce tht
1. methods OF the Pennsylvania senator re
dictionary and almost revolutionary an6
| say that they will not hesitate to precip
/ itate an extra session of Congress if that
i becomes necessary TO prevent the success
of Senator Quay's program. At this
writing there is every indication thai
notliing short of an extra session will
accomplish the defeat of the carefully
laid plans of the willy Pennsylvania,
and his accomplished co-worker, Senator
Foraker of Ohio.
*.*
Senator Quay's latest move has been to
attach the Statehood bill to the agricul-
tural appropriation bill, which was ac-
complished Saturday, but he has also
given notice that he will attach it to the
sundry civil and the post-office appropria-
ton bills. So long as he maintains his
majority in the Senate, which now mum
bers about twelve, there will be,no pos
sibility of defeating him except by talk
ing to death those appropriation bills to
which he attaches his obnoxious measure.
This Senators Aldrich, Lodge, Hanna, and
Platt of Connecticut, and other leaders
of the party, assure your correspondent
they are prepared to do, if no other
method Of preventing the admission Of
the territories presents itself.
80
So absolute has been the Statehood
blockade in the Senate that no other leg
islation has been even considered. Sec
retary Hay has secured an extension of
two months on the time for the ratifica-
ton of the Cuban treaty and that conven-
ton will be considered, it is hoped, at |
an early date. 1t is possible that some
general legislation may be considered to-
day as Mr.. Quay has said that he would
not press the Statehood bill further, as
measure. The Elkins antitrust
bill is now on the Senate calendar, hav-
ing been favorably reported by the COM
mittee. The bill establishing Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor has been
sent to conference by the Senate with in
structions to its conferees to provide the
publicity features recommended by the
Attorney General for the proposed bureau
of corporations. This now bids fair to
be the first antitrust legislation partici-
pated in by the Senate.
*x#
The negotiations between Venezuela
and the foreign powers, which have been
conducted in Washington, have not SO
far accomplished any material results and
the present prospects are that the diff
culties will have to be referred to the
Hague Tribunal eventually. Minister
Bowen has conducted the case of Vene-
zuela with great ability but the desire of
The Allies to have their claims regarded |.
IS preferred, has thus far checkmated his
efforts. 1t is now expected that the cred
tors of Venezuela who have not resorted
% war methods will protest against
my system which would afford an ad-
'antage to Germany and Great Britain.
The United States is in hearty sympathy
With this position as many of its citizens {
ire interested in the settlement which is
|,
~ II
There are indications that the Immi-
ration bill will be passed at this session,
,ut not without the sacrifice of the clause
for an educational qualification. =
enators Fairbanks, Lodge and Penrose :
leld confidential conference on the
ubiect and decided that the only way to
ave the bill was to permit the educa- f
ional clause to go by the board As the b
i'll now stands it will meet with no op- r.
osition and it is believed can pass With
ut objection. o
80 a
The House enjoyed lively if not very T
nportant session on Saturday when pri-
ate claim bills were before the COM
littee Of the whole. After favorable &C. =
on oil forty-fve bills, the committee II
as retired in favor of the House and, N
J an attempt was made to pass the
'easures just approved, Representative fl
ayne of New York raised the point of h
0 quorum A roll-call showed the abb al
nee of quorum but the members, bent
] getting their claims through, refused Sc
adjourn and sent the Sergeant-at-Arms di
1T to arrest and bring in the absent | b
embers. For two hours the persistent to
embers awaited the arrival of the miss
representatives. a sufficient number of of
hom were rounded up after two hours, in
ID at s P. M. the passage of the bills was N,
gun and the entire number rushed 6s
rough.
~
BY contretemps of fate, the famous sit
leboard presented to Mrs. Hayes, wife in
President Hayes, by the young ladies un
Cincinnati as mark of their approval de
Mrs. Hayes prohibition of the use OF
ne in the White House, was recently ;.
'coyered in Washington bar-room, -,
red with wines and liquors. At the - -,
ction OF Old White House furniture =;
t week the side-board was knocked -
wn to an unknown bidder for $85.
arning Of the use to which it was being co,
t, Col John R. Mclean offered $3.50 vol
the side-board but was refused. Then Fo
!. Webb Hayes, a son of the late Pre- tai
ent, who by the way, bears a remarka- =
resemblance to President Roosevelt %,