The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-02-16
WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent.
Washington. Feb. Il

Washington, Feb. IS, 1905
Democratic Senators, with the
aid of few Republicans, admins
tered signal defeat to the Repub.
lican leaders i'll the upper House
this week and passed statehood
bill which, if accepted by the
House, will admit two new States
to the Union and leave Arizona in
a position to apply for statehood
later on. The final fight over the
statehood bill lasted for nine bours,
during which every tactical advant-
age was seized upon by both sides,
the result being a contest such as
has seldom been witnessed in the
Senate. With the Republican
leaders defeated and Senator Bev-
eridge i'll the depths of despair,
what Senator Bailey declared to be
trade" was affected and the
tables turned, only to be turned
again by the departure of the de-
crepit Senator from New York, Mr..
Platt. The trade" referred to by
Senator Bailey consisted of the
adoption 'of a previously rejected
amendment offered by Senator
Kearns, of Utah, whereby 1000
square miles of Arizona are annexed
to Utah, despite the solemn pledge
contained in the enabling act of the
former territory guaranteeing that
the territory should never be in
creased or diminished without con-
sent of majority Of its population.
In return for 1000 square miles,
Mr.. Kearns changed his allegiance
aud voted with the Beveridge fac
ton, but the departure of Senator
Platt later made it possible for the
Foraker phalanx to win out.
~
Despite the specious arguments
advanced in the Senate against
granting separate statehood to
Arizona and New Mexico, the real
reason for its being opposed by the
Republican leaders was the fear
that proposed States might increase
Democratic representation in the
Senate. Intense interest now pre-
walls regarding the fate of the "a
mended measure in the House.
There is clear majority in favor
of the bill as passed by the Senate
in the lower chamber but it is made
up of the entire Democratic minor
ity and a number of Republicans,
and under the autocratic powers
granted to the Speaker it is alto
gether possible that the measure
may fail, despite the fact that a
majority fayors its adoption. The
measure, which contains All appro-
priation, will have to 60 to a COM
mittee before the Senate amend
ments can be agreed to and the
possibility of its being left in COM
mittee is not remote, while the fact
that the Speaker can refuse to rec
ognize any member who desires to
make motion unacceptable to the
| Republican leaders makes the fate
of the measure especially dubious.
XXI
The House has determined to
pass the Townsend-Esch railway
rate bill and vote will be taken
to-day at which the success of the
bill is assured, but it is almost
certain that no action will be taken
by the Senate. That this is the
situation is regarded by earnest
advocates of railway legislation as
not altogether an unmixed evil and
even the President appears to be
resigned to the prospect of the
Senators failure to act. The reason
for this is that the House bill ha:
been demonstrated to be entirely
inadequate to correct existing evils
and in view of the crowded con
dition of the Senate calander il
would be physical impossibility
properly to amend the bill at this
session. That this is the case is
largely due to the fact that certain
Republican Senators, closely alliet
to railway interests, would persis
in killing time were amendments
calculated tc make the bill more
effective offered, but the Prcsiden
believes that by letting the mattel
go over until next fall he will Sc
cure really efficient and compre
hensive remedy for the evils t.