Show THEHA A AN TREAT I Its Friends Rather Apprehensive of the Outcome THE NECESSARY VOTES TWOTHIRDS NOT OBTAINABLE FOR RATIFICATION1 Hence Some Friendly Senators Consider Con-sider It a Sheer Waste of Time to Take the Matter Up at All Fifty Four Votes Are Pledged For the Treaty f Washington Dec 11The friends of I the Hawaiianannexation treaty have i definitely decided to consider the question ques-tion in executive session of the senate In order to do this it will be necessary for them to take up the annexation treaty rather than a joint resolution providing for annexation A few of those who support Hawaii in this matter mat-ter were at first inclined to believe that unless it became evident that the twothirds necessary to secure the ratification rat-ification of thetreaty was assured from the beginning it will be a waste of time to take the mailer up at all Upon Up-on the basis of the treaty bill they appear I ap-pear to have changed their minds and Ito I-to be at least disposed to deer to the I opinions of the majority who oppose this course I is now stated on behalf of the annexationists an-nexationists that to abandon the treaty at the present time would create the impression hat they had surrendered the fight entirely They think that the consideration of the question will serve to bind those who profess to be in favor fa-vor of annexation and hold at let a majority of the senate for a resolution if it should beCOme necessafy to resort to this measure There is also another reason for desiring desir-ing the consideration of the treatybe hind closed doors which actuates the committee on foreign relations This is the fact that Japans attitude toward annexation is such as to involve some delicate questions which the members of this committee think it not advisable to put before the public in the way they might be aired if the matter should be taken up for debate in the open senate The staunchest friends of annexation admit that it would be wellnigh impossible im-possible to secure the twothirds vote necessary to ratify the treaty but they contend that they will comevery near reaching the necessary number Of the 60 votes necessary they claim to have 54 pledged and they claim that i is possible that they might secure two or three more votes Their plan however contemplates a full debate of the question I ques-tion on the treaty in executive session and a subsequent transfer of the matter mat-ter if necessary on a resolution similar simi-lar to that by which Texas was annexed nexed and the pressing of this resolution resolu-tion to a speedy vote The resolution will require only a majority of votes but to be effective it will be necessary that it shall also pass the house where delay is feared I |