The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-12
STATEHOOD FIGHT OVER AGAIN
SPEAKER CANNON DETERMINED
TO OPPOSE SENATE bill.

lie says the WIN Of the House Must Prevail.
Even II the Territories Are Kept Out
OF the Union Another iear-Adnlinls'
tratiOn VIII Aid the House Leaders.
WASHINGTON, March l~1,-Speaker Cannon
is determined that the House shall fight the
Senate to a standstill on the Statehood bill.
He takes the position that the prestige OF
the lower branch of Congress is involved
and that it's will must prevail in his matter.
even though the southwestern Territories
are kept out Of the Union for another year.
at least, as a result.
President Roosevelt has communicated
with the Speaker since the aotion of the
Senate in striking out Of the Statehood bill
all reference to Arizona and New Mexico.
The Administration will give the House
leaders every aid and encouragement In
their endeavor either to pass a bill creating
two States out OF the four Territories or
defeating the measure az " comes from the
Senate.
Speaker Cannon has long been a stickler
for the rights Of the House, and he Is willing
to make an Issue with the Senate on State
hood. He had IA long conference to-day
with Representative Watson OF Indiana,
the Republican whip Of the House. Mr..
Watson and other lieutenants of the Speaker
will go to work at once to line up the forces
behind the leaders.
There Is good reason to believe that an
effort will be made by Speaker Cannon to
have a caucus on the Statehood question.
This was suggested to-day by Mr., Watson.
The insurgents, headed by Representative
Babcock, will oppose the movement for u
caucus. and they expect to defeat it.
In accordance with an agreement made
yesterday the Statehood question will not
come up in the House until the return to
Washington of several Representatives
who are away on leave. The real fight
between the joint Statehood forces and the
insurgents will come over the motion to
disagree to the Senate amendments and
send the measure to conference. The be-
lief is quite general that If the measure
goes to conference it will not again be con-
sidered in either House at this session Of
Congress.
The sentiment in the House is undoubt-
eddy in favor Of the admission of Oklahoma
and indian Territory, and had a bill been
brought to a vote in the House in the first
instance such as has come from the Senate
it would nave been passed, The real weak
ness Of the leaders lies in the fact that there
is practically no opposition from any source
in either House to the Senate bill for the
admission of Oklahoma and Indian Terri
tory, whose claims are recognized gen.
orally, but their desire il to dispose also Of
New Mexico and Arizona once and for all
by yoking them together. They are there
fore using the desire Of all parties for State
hood for Oklahoma and Indian Territory
as a club to force the ~jointure of New Mex
leo and Arizona.
The position OF the two houses was de-
scribed to-day as not unlike that Of the
two mutes that met in the middle OF a plank
stretched across a yawning chasm. Each
eide Is equally determined and neither will
give way to the other. 1t Ia known that on
the Senate side, for example, II the State
hood bill goes into conferences none Of
those in that body who favored the ~jointure
of Arizona and New Mexico will nave a
place on the conference committee. Only
these who are in sympathy withthe measure
as it passed the Senate will be named as
conferees. The indications are, therefore,
that unless the insurgents can muster a suf-
cient humber Of votes in the House when a
motion to concur in the Senate amendments
is made that Statehood for the Southwest
Territories will again be defeated.