People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 April 1896 — A SPECIAL MESSAGE. [ARTICLE]

A SPECIAL MESSAGE.

CUBAN QUESTION MAY BE SO DEALT WITH. Expectation That the President Will Communicate to Congress His Views as to the Recognition of the Insupgents —Po. tofflee Appropriation Passed. Washington, April B.—The senate concurrent resolutions on the Cuban Question were ‘delivered to Private Secretary Thurber Tuesday by Mr. Platt, one of the executive clerks of the Senate. Later in the day they were Sent to the state department, as the law requires that such resolutions shall be printed in the book or' laws annually published by the department. Secretary Olney called early at the White House and rem, ined in close consultation with the- president, undeterred by the noti.e that had been sent to the other members to the effect that there would be no cabinet meeting. There was a story current, and It is believed well founded, to the effect that the two were engaged in the preparation of a special message to congress. Of course this was immediately assumed to relate to the Cuban situation and to be an exposition by the piesident of the actual state of affairs on the island, as revealed in the reports of t).‘ d S'cres consular officers and o.hw trusted 'sou-rci-* of information. There is a r. -elution before the president, passed at the instance of 3ei:.itor Hoar of Massachusetts, call ng for this information. It is rea. ;;in d that the president may feel it his ditty, in view of the overwhelming majority by which the Cuban concurrent resolutions passed both branches of congress, to come out with a plain statement of the reasons that Influence hint in preserving unmoved the position he has assumed toward the insurrection in. Cuba, showing from the fest obtainal.de it formation that has reached him that regardless of the sympathy he may feel personally for the insurgents he is absolutely bound b. the facts as he sees them by precedent, and by the dictates of international law to persist in his attitude. This view of the matter of course applies only so long as tiie president is left free to decide upon the course to be followed by the government, since it may be that he would take an entirely different view of the matter if congress should send to him a joint resolution embodying the features of I these concurrent resolutions, and as- j sumed that bv so doing the legislative, branch had taken the direction of the! matter out o' Lis hand,.

postoffi e appropriation bile.' Spirited Debate Continued on the Queetion of Consolidation. Washington, April B.—The postoffice appropriation bill, which has engrossed the senate for almost a week, was passed by that body just previous to adjournment Tuesday. The entire day, with the exception of a fe»z minutes at the beginning of the session, was devoted to debate and voting upon, the amendments proposed to the bill, the Wolcott amendment for the consolidation of smaller offices with larger ones receiving the greater share of attention. The ‘discussion on this proposition again took the form of a debate upon the merits of civil-service reform, and was participated in by Messrs. Vilas, Wolcott, Allen, Hill, Hoar, Gorman, Stewart and others. There were some rather spirited dialogues between Messis. Vilas and Allen and between Messrs. Wolcott and Hill. Mr. Wolcott criticised Secretary Smith for his participation in the Georgia campaign, and vas replied to by Mr. Hill. The amendment was defeated by a decisive vote, receiving only seven votes in its support. Proceedings in the House. Washington, April B.—The house spent Tuesday debating a bill to fix the standard of weights and measures by the adoption of the metric system on and after July 1, 1898, and a proposition that the government share with the District of Columbia the expense of creating and maintaing a public library in the city of Washington. The latter was defeated—ll 3to 127—and the fate of the metric system bill still hangs in the balance. On a rising vote it was defeated— 6s to 80—but C. W. Stone of Penns: Ivakin, chairman of the committee on coinage, weights and measures, who has given the subject much attention and who warmly supported it, secured the yeas and nays, and pending the roll call the house adjourned. Would Limit Veto Power. Washington, April B.—ln the senate Tuesday Mr. Butler (pop.) of North Carolina introduced a joint resolution providing for sn amendment of the constitiftion to limit the veto power of the president so as to make it competent Tor the two houses to pass bills over a veto by a majority vote. Speaking of the resolution, he said the idea of requiring a two-thirds vote was due to the fact that when the constitution was adopted the American people were not far removed from English ideas. In his opinion the power vested in the president was too great and should be limited. Information of Mr*. Maybrick. Washington, April B.—A resolution was introduced in the house Tuesday by Representative Underwood of Alabama calling on the secretary of state for information in regard to Mrs. Maybrick, who is imprisoned in England op a charge of poisoning. Mrs. Maybrick was formerly a resident of Mobile, Ala. Woodard Hold* His Seat. Washington, April 8. — Elections committee No. 1 by a unanimous vote de-

elded contested election case of H. P. Cheatham vs. Fred A. Woodard, from the Second North Carolina district, in favor of Mr. Woodard, the sitting member. Cheatham is a colored republican and has represented his district in the house. Honor for Gen. Mlle*. Washington, April 8. —The house committee on military affairs decided to report favorably to the house the resolution to bestow the rank of lieu-tenant-general on Gen. Nelson A. Miles. The vote was 8 to 4in favor of the resolution. Cabinet Meeting Postponed. Washington, April 8. —The meeting of the cabinet Tuesday was postponed without date, mowing to the sudden appearance of the measles in the president’s household, little Esther Cleveland being stricken with it.