Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 February 1901 — WASHINGTON LETTER. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON LETTER.

From Oar Regular Correspondent: By standing together in their opposition to the Ship Subsidy bill, the democratic and populist Senators having forced the republicans to change there tactics. They began the fight last week by blustering and Dragging about how easy they would tire out the opposition by flight sessions. After holding two night sessions, at neither of which a republican quorum was maintained, they abandoned the uight sessions, and are now seeking to cajole the opposition into agreeing to set a time for voting on the bill. While it is impossible to say with any degree of certainty what the result of this change of tactics will be Senator Jones, who is leading the opposition, says the bill will not be voted upon at this session, and that if the republicans are determined to pass it, they most do so at an extra session of the next Congress. Mr. McKinley is pulling for an extra session, provided, of coarse, that a valid excuse can be put forward for calling onq. and the republican leaders in the senate are palling to avoid an extra session, by leaving no valid excuse for one. An amendment has already been offerrd to the army appropriation bill, by Senator Spooner, giving Mr. McKinley authority to establish a civil government in the Philippines and one is being prepared setting forth the conditions and that Cuba must comply with to get the U. S. troops withdrawn. Three of Mr. McKinley’s nominations to be Brigadier Generals— Wood, Bell ana Grant—may be held up permanently. All the other nominations for Generals, including that of Miles, to be Lieutenant General, have been favorably reported to the Senate and will at once be confirmed, but the committee on Military Affairs after several members baa expressed the opinion that these three officers had not seen sufficient services to entitle them to promotion over many older and more experienced officers, decided to delay action upon the nominations, until a further investigation could be made of their military records. Wood was promoted over more than five hundred officers and Bell over more than one thousand, while Fred Grant, although he is now serving in the Philippines as a Brigadier General of volunteers, is regarded as practically a civilian. Representive Richardson, the Democratic leader in the House, has received many compliments on his victory in the Ways and Means Committee, in securing the adoption of a resolution by the committee, in favor of a report to the House, against concurring in the Senate amendments to the bill reducing war taxes, and asking a coference theroon, after a mnjorty of the republican members of the committee had decided simply to non-concur without asking a conference. The republicans of the committee were divided, and Mr. Richardson quickly took advantage of the opportunity and scored a democrat ie victory. There is a republican scheme to kill this bill. Senator Bacon tells an amusing and instructive story of the methods of legislation in the Mexican Congress —ir etluids which the republicans have to an extent already introduced in one branch of our congress. Speaking of his visit to the lower House of the Mexican Congress, Senator Bacon said: “I went there day after day and never saw a member rise and Hddress the chair. Bill after bill was passed without a vote in the negative and without a word of discussion. I became very much interested in this state of affairs, and not being able to speak Spanish, I inquired of a geutleman-at the door who spoke English, to explain the situation to me. ‘Oh,’ he replied, ‘there is no need of any debate. These bills are sent to us by the President aud he tells us that he wants them passed. When he lets us know that he is in favor of the bills, we are in favor of them, too.*” A proposition to make Cuba pay the expenses incurred by this country during the war with Spain, has been put forward by Representative Levy of New York, but probably with more desire to fuddle the situation than to seriously push the idea of trying to make Cuba pay our war expenses. The adminstration received a broadside from its own ranks, when Representative Brown, of Ohio, a republican, made a vigorous attack upon the present Philippine Policy, aud offered a resolution declaring that “it is the purpose of the U. S. ra retaining possession of the Philippines islands to aid their inhabitants when they submit to the authority of the U. 8. in establishing a capable and stable free government and when this purpose shall

be fully accomplished, the U. S. under such reservations and Conditions as may be wise and just, will relinquish sovereignty in those islands. ” Incidentally Mr. Brown referred to the idea held bv some of our breaking our pledge given to Cuba as the “climax of greed and the doctrine of freebooters and pirates.”