The Savannah morning news., 1904-12-03

tobacco, as well as other Philippine
products. In fact free entry of these
products has been recommended. The
sugar and tobacco interests We're
| strong enough in the past to defeat
any substantial reduction, and the law
now provides for a duty of IS per cent.
of the Dingley rates. a demand for
reduction to % per cent, has been
quite frequently presented to Con-
gress.
The Statehood Measure.
Another measure which received the
sanction of the House last session, but
which has never been pushed in the
Senate, is the statehood measure which
provides for two states, doubling up the
territories Of Oklahoma and Indian
Territory as one and Arizona and New
Mexico as another. This bill, like any
other which may encounter opposition
in the Senate, could be easily defeat
ed, and advocates of a separate state
hood for all the territories are likely
to pursue that course.
Should the House of Representatives
decide to impeach Judge Charles Swayne
of the northern district of Florida the
business conditions of the Senate would
be complicated. After an investigation
majority of the House Committee on
Judiciary in the last session recon-
of the resolution was postponed until
Dec. 10, the beginning of the second
week of the short session. Meanwhile
the Judiciary Committee was instruct
ed to take further testimony, a task
it began two weeks ago. Present in
dications are that the House will not
authorize an impeachment, or if it
does the action will be taken SO late
in the session that the real proceed
i'm x37flI 90 inf = IA no,
gress. There are presidents for such
action in other impeachment cases that
have been before Congress.
The SmoOt Case.
1t is somewhat doubtful if vote
will be reached in the Senate in the
case of Senator Reed Smoot of Utah
This case attracted a great deal of at
tenton last session, when the Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections
summoned the heads of the Mormon
church to tell what had been going
on of a polygamouS character in Utah
and thousands of persons petitoned
daily to have Smoot elected from the
Senate. A score or more of witnesses
are yet to be examined, and the de-
Tense has not even begun, so that it
is evident that before a report is made
to the Senate the session will be so
far spent that no serious attempt will
be made to reach a vote upon Senator
Shoots title. Some question has arisen
as to whether the case lapses with
the end of the present Congress. 1t
was the opinion of the late Senator
Hoar that the proceedings would end
with the Congress and an entire new
case would have to be commenced if
it was found desirable to continue the
case against Mr.. Smoot.
The Merchant Marine.
The last session passed a bill pro-
viding for a commission composed Of
I'VE senators and five representatives
to investigate and report a measure
for restoring the merchant marine of
the United States. The commission
was instructed to report on the first
day of the coming session, and it is
expected that this will be DONE There
has been "a great deal of anxiety
manifested by men of both political
parties to secure legislation of this
character and if any measure can be
agreed upon which will receive the
support of both parties it will no doubt
be speedily passed.
Some doubt exists among the mem
bers of both houses as to whether adj
ditional Chinese exclusion legislation is
necessary. 1t has been held that the
law would expire this month as it was
founded upon treaty which also ex-
pires. A new treaty is being negotiat-
ed and an exclusion law to meet it's
terms may be necessary. The people
Of the Pacific coast have been insist
ing upon more rigid exclusion than
that known at the Platt law, and if
the question is brought up there will
be quite a lengthy debate.
The hmm fsrru tim, nuo.fsou
Senator Dillingham; has reported