Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1897 — SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS. A Week's Proceedings in the Halls of Congress—lmportant Measures Discussed and Acted Upon—An Impartial Resume of the Business. The National Solons. Most of Wednesday was devoted to District of Columbia business. The conference report on the bill to define the rights of the purchasers of the Atlantic and Pacific Hailroad under the foreclosure sale was adopted. Attention was recalled to the Cuban question in the Senate by the presentation of three resolutions on that subject. One of these came by unanimous vote from the Committee on Foreign Relations and called for the immediate and unconditional release of Julio Sanguily, held at Havana. Another resolution by Mr. Allen, of Nebraska, calls on the President to effectively protect American citizens in Cuba, and for that purpose to send battleships to Cuban waters. A third resolution, by Mr. Hill, of New York, was agreed to, requesting the Secretary of State for the correspondence with Consul General Lee relative to Americans imprisoned in Cuba. A sensational episode occurred late in the day during the consideration of the Indian bill. Several of the New England Senators had criticised various items. This aroused Mr. Pettigrew, in charge of the bill, to some caustic recitals of barbarities practiced against Indians in Massachusetts in the early days. Mr. Hoar defended his State, and amid impressive silence arraigned Mr. Pettigrew, a New Englander by birth, for “befouling the nest in which he was born.” Little progress was made on the Indian bill, and Mr. Allison warned the Senate that the status of appropriation bills was most dangerous. Representative Sulzer, of New York, Thursday introduced a bill in the House declaring war between Spain and her colonies and the United States. A resolution calling on the President for all information concerning the treatment of American prisoners in Cuba was adopted. The Senate was storm-swept by such passionate debate, such extraordinary demonstrations in the crowded galleries and such frantic personal exchanges between the conspicuous figures of the Senate as to make the day one of the most memorable in the annals of the upper branch of Congress. Cuba was the theme and it seemed to call forth all the pent-up emotions of months. It brought about the complete displacement of appropriation bills, threatening their failure, and the advancement of the Cuban question to the very front of Senate business.

Cuba was again a topic in the Senate Friday, from 1 to 4:30 o’clock; but the debate upon the Sanguily and Agguirre resolutions was comparatively spiritless, and resulted in no definite action. The first half hour of the evening session was given to private pension bills, the pension calendar being cleared. Among the bills passed was that pensioning Gen. Cassius M. Clay of Kentucky at SSO a month. At 8 o’clock the consideration of the Indian bill was resumed, the amendment relating to the five civilized tribes being discussed at great length. The amendment as finally agreed to gives the United States exclusive jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases, abolishing the native courts. Two additional judges are provided for the territory. The bill was then passed. The House passed the Senate international monetary conference bill by a vote of 279 to 3. It was supported alike by Republicans, silver Republicans, gold Democrats and silver Democrats. Bills were also passed to provide for the arbitration of differences between the carriers of interstate commerce and their employes (known as the Erdman bill), and the Senate bill to prevent the importation of impure tea. There was a majority of three to one against ticket scalping when a vote was taken in the House Saturday on the bill reported from the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. Mr. Sherman, chairman of the Committee on Indian Affairs, moved that the House nonconcur in the Senate amendments to the Indian appropriation bill and agree to a conference. The motion was carried and the bill was sent to conference. In the Senate Mr. Daniel presented certified copies of the naturalization papers of Julio Sanguilly, and had them printed, with extracts from the law showing their regularity. Mr. Chandler made a statement as to the Loud bill, saying the committee had concluded that it was impossible to have any legislation on the subject at the present session, and that a commission should be created to investigate secondclass mail matter. The usual Sunday quiet of the capitol building was disturbed by a session of the Senate, made necessary to pass the appropriation bills. The attendance of Senators was even greater than that through the week. By a parliamentary fiction the session was a part of the legislative day beginning Saturday, a recess having been taken at 2:30 o’clock in the morning until 3p. m. The sundry civil appropriation bill received its finishing touches, and was passed. The Senate, by unanimous vote, has added an amendment to the bill, counteracting the President’s recent order withdrawing 21,000,000 acres of land from the public domain and establishing it as forest reserves.

When the naval appropriation bill first came up in the Senate Monday afternoon Mr. Chandler stated that he would move later to increase the appropriation for torpedo boats or decrease the number provided. All the other items were agreed to without comment except that relating •to cost of armor, establishment of Government armor plant, etc., which occasioned extended debate. The Chandler amendment reducing the price of armor plate to S3OO a ton was adopted without a division. Another, to reduce the total of contracts authorized to $2,407,500, to correspond witii the reduction per ton, was adopted. The amendment authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to establish a Government armor plate factory at a cost of $1,000,000 if he failed to make contracts was lost. The naval bill was passed at midnight, and although Mr. Chandler tried to call up the international monetary conference bill the Senate adjourned. In the House the bill to prohibit the transmission of detailed accounts of prize fights by mail or telegraph led to a very lively skirmish, iu which prize fighting was denounced on all sides. But the bill met with most strenuous opposition on the ground that it would tend to establish a censorship of the press, and was finally sidetracked. A bill was passed to provide for the transmission to Washington of presidential election returns by mail. The bill abolishes the system of messengers now employed.

In the Senate Tuesday the fortification bill was passed, as was also the deficiency appropriation bill, after amendment to keep the $1,310,427 claim of the Southern Pacific Company in the treasury until final adjustment of the Government lefci upon that corporation. The House amendments to the international monetary conference bill were agreed to, and the bill sent to the President. The President sent to the House a veto message upon the immigration bill, his principal objection being to the educational clause; the President holds that the worse class of immigrants is not found among the illiterate. The day in the House was one of routine work.