The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-03-17
WASHINGTON.
Legislative and Gem
eral Topics from
the Capital.
March IL, 1905.

D
rush incident to the closing hours
of the Congress are coming to
light. Quater master Gen er a |
Humphrey has already left for
Porto Rico and other Caribbean
points on the army transport,
Sumner. General II um hrey
takes with him number of mem
bers of Congress, their wives aud
their sisters and their cousins and
their aunts. The men selected
for this junket are mem bers of the
House Committee on rivers and
Har ors. and of course, the Gov
eminent pays the freight. They
will visit Porto Rico, Santo Do
mingo and Cuba and other points
which may be determined on from
time to time as the jaunt progress
SEES.
Another iunket one of monster
proportions. is being arranged for.
1t will be a personally conducted
excursion under the supervision
of the Secretary Of War and the
Speaker of the House. and wall
compass the world. About four
teen members of he House, in adj
dition to the Speaker, expect to
take the trip and IA like number OF
Senators. They will sail from
San Francisco about the first of
July on a Pacific Mail steamer
and will stop at Hawaii, aud Guam
and finally land at Manila There
they will become the guests of the
Philippine Government which will
employ small transports and con
duet the party about the archi-
pelago. The members of Con-
gresS who are to be of the party
are insisting that the junket be
arranged to return by way of he
Snrz canal aud the Mediterranean
but Secretary Taft has thus far
opposed this plan on the ground
that he would hardly have the
nerve to take so round about a
way home at Government expense.
1t is probable that other junk
cts have been provided for. INIT if
so the appropriations for them
have yet To be detected. Its not,
perhaps. fair to call he summer
meetings of the Senate Committee
on Interstate Commerce unket,
although it is announced that II
the committee finds Was hingt"u
''to warm for comfort" it wi re
pair TO some pretty sea side resort
to finish it's work, al Government
expense of course.
The sudden death of Senator
William B. Bate of TennrS~tt a>
the result of cold contrar' "n
Inauguration day. has afforded
one more warning against hold
ing the presidential Inauguration
at so Indictment season. Sena
tor Bate became chilled on the
inaugural stand, there being IA
fierce North wind blowing across
the front of the Capirol. pueu
monia followed and although he
attended the session of the Senate
% Monday, on Thur>d ~ he
breathed his last. Democrats in
Washington were much pleased at
the courtesy shown the late Sena
tor from Tennessee, by the Presi
dent, who, with his cabinet, at
tended the funeral services of the
old Confederate Gen eral and
Southern Statesman. The Presi
dent is very busy these days, a
host of callers coming to the w hite
House each day. but he broke all
engagements to show honor TO the
deceased Senator from Tennes see.
The Senate il still debating the
San Domingo treaty, but will prob
able conclude the argument next
week. In fact it is freely predict
ed that it will be impossible to
hold quorum in Washington
after March II. 1t is proba BILE
that the protocol will be ratified
after having been very materially
amended. 1t would be impossible
to ratify it with Republican votes
alone and in order to secure a
sufficient number Of Democratic
votes it will be necessary to ma
terially modify the convention.
The treaty has been reported from
the committee on Foreign Re
lations after being radically revis-
ed. All reference to the Monroe
Doctrine has been stricken out,
more explicit provision for the
adjudication of claims against
Santo Domingo has been made,
it has been made evident that the
United States is taking the pro
posed course only because Santo
Domingo has requested it and not
to insure the payment of foreign
creditors. In fact, the changes
already made are such as to lead
some Democrats to believe that
they can, with propriety, support
the agreement without establish
ing a dangerous precedent or ex.
tending, beyond the dictates OF
caution and common sense. the
Monroe Doctrine.