Free press., 1906-03-24
SPEAKER CANNON MAY YET
GIVE WAY ON STATEHOOD.
AN AGREEMENT is PREDICTED.
In the Meantime Every Possible Eff
fort is Being Made to Whip the In
surgents Into Line For Original
House Bill.

Washington, March 15.-While on
the surface there is no indication that
the speaker and his lieutenants, back
ed by the president, will back down
in their determination to carry the
Hamilton statehood bill in def1cce
of the senate there are sub-surface
signs that they will not let matters go
to the extreme and defeat any kind
OF statehood legislation rather than
yield TO the senate in any particular.
To an inquirer, Speaker Cannon said:
1--WE will agree. The bill will go to
conference and may remain there for
some weeks, but in the end there will
be legislation, and it will be before
the end of this session of congress"
One who knows the speakers views
said that the Foraker amendment
would be considered by the conferees
when the speaker amendment has
bound his following together to handle
the conference reports. 1t is known
that if the confereeS agree to restore
the two-state form of the bill, and in
clude the Foraker amendment, which
will refer the question of acceptance
of statehood to the people of the terri
tories, the speaker will not object. He
will probably suggest that, if this is
done, the referendum be made to in
clude Oklahoma and Indian Territory,
and these territories be permitted to
vote separately on the acceptance,
just as is proposed for the other two
territories. Word was quietly passed
over to some of the members of the
senate that this was a possibility. 1t
was sent to those senators who, as
members of the senate committee on
territories, are in absolute sympathy
with the position of the house. They
made careful inquiries, and found that
if this solution could be worked out
in conference, it would receive ap-
proval in that body. Even some of
the Democrats were ready to say that
they would vote for the approval of
such conference report. Such radi-
Gals and party men as Bailey of Texas
and Stone, of Missouri, were ready to
say that they would accept the house
bill with the Foraker amendment.
In this discussion of probable set
tlement of the statehood question it
should be borne in mind that such So
luton is in the distant future and is
not to come at once. 1t may not come
at all in that form, but this is the form
of proposal that is now under consid-
Grafton. The mere fact that it takes
such concrete shape indicates a spirit
Of tolerance and the probable arrival
at a solution of the present contro-
versy.
1t has been decided on the house
side to call caucus of republican
members for Thursday afternoon at 5
O'Clock The call was issued and met
with stubborn resistance from a num-
ber of the insurgents, who declare
they will not enter the caucus, but
will remain outside. Representative
Babcock is i'll and has been confined
to his house for several days, and
there has been no concentrated action
of his forces so far.
All the old tactics are being used to
force the insurgents to submit. They
are plainly given to understand that
they will share in no future benefits
at the hands of the organization un-
less they come into the fold.