The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1905-03-18
WASHINGTON LETTER.

uenl 10 the Closing hours oil tile Con-
gress are coming to light Quarter
master General Humphrey has al
ready left for Porto Rico and other
Caribbean points ON the army trans.
port, Sumner Gen. Humphrey
takes with him number of mem
beers of Congress, their wives and
their sisters and their cousins and
their aunts. The men selected for
this junket are members of the
House committee ON Rivers and
Harbors, and, course, the govern
ment pays the freight, They will
visit Porto Rico, Santa Domingo
and Cuba and other points which
may be determined on from time to
time as the jaunt progresses.
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 Speak
er OF the House, and will COM
pass the world. About fourteen
members of the House, in addition
to the Speaker, expect to take the
trip and a like number of Senators.
They will sail from San Francisco
about the first of July on a Pacific
Mail steamer and will stop at Ha-
waii and Guam and finally land at
Manila. There they will become
the guests of the Philippine Govern
ment, which will employ smaller
transports and conduct the party
about the archipelago The mem
bers of Congress who are to be of
the party are insisting that the
juuket be arranged to return by
way OF the Suez canal and the Med
itterranean but Secretary Taft has
thus far opposed this plan on the
ground that he would hardly have
the nerve to take so round about Il
way home at Government expense
1t is probable that other iunkets
have been provided for, but if so the
appropriations for them have yet to
be detected, 1t is not perhaps, fair
to call the summer meetings OF the
Interstate Commerce a junket, al
though it is announced that il tile
committee finds Washington too
warm for comfort" it will repair to
some pretty seaside resort to finish
its work, at Government expense OF
course.
The sudden death OF Senator
William b. Bate of Tennessee, as the
result of Il cold contracted on inaug-
uration day, has afforded one more
warning against holding the presi-
Dental Inauguration at SO inclement
a season. Senator Ia became
chilled on the inaugural stand there
being Il fierce north wind blowing
across the front of the Capitol,
pneumonia followed and although
he attended the session of the Senate
on Monday on Thursday he
breathed his last. Democrats in
Washington were much pleased at
the courtesy shown the late Senator
from Tennessee by the President,
who, with his cabinet, attended the
funeral services of the old Confeder-
ate General and Southern states
man. The President is very busy
these days, a host of callers coming
to the White House each day, but
he broke all engagements to show
honor to the deceased Senator from
Tennessee.
The Senate is still debating the
San Domingo treaty, but will prob
ably conclude the argument next
week. In fact it is freely predicted
that it will be impossible to hold Il
quorum in Washington after Mar
II. 1t is probable that the protocol
will be ratified after having been
very materially amended. 1t would
be impossible to ratiiy it
with Republican votes alone and
in order to secure a sufficient num-
Der of Democratic votes it will be
necessary to materially modify the
convention. The treaty has been
reported from the committee on for.
eign Relations after being radically
revised. Adherence to the Monroe
Docruine has been stricken out,
more explicit provision for the adjudi-
cation OF claims against Santo Do
mingo has been made, it has been
made evident that the United States
is taking the proposed course only
because Santo Domingo has re-
quested it and not to inforce the
clnims of foreipn creditors. In tact