Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 June 1897 — SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAW. MAKERS. A Week’s Proceedings in the Halls of Congress— Important Measures Discussed and Acted Upon—An Impartial Resume of the Business. The National Solons. The Senate made rapid work cn the tariff bill Wednesday. Thirteen pages were disposed of, carrying the Senate through the agricultural schedule and up to schedule H, relating to spirits, wines, etc. During the day the paragraphs on dairy products, farm products, fish, fruit and nuts, meat products and miscellaneous agricultural products were acted on. The Finance Committee proposed many changes, in the main advancing rates somewhat over those heretofore reported. The committee was sustained on every vote, although a contest was made on almost every paragraph. Mr. Vest’s motion to restore salt to the free list was rejected—yeas, 24; nays, 31. The important paragraph proposing a tax on tea went over at the suggestion of Mr. Allison, who expressed hope that this duty on tea might be dispensed with. The Senate met at 11 a. m. and will continue to meet at that hour until the bill is disposed of. The treaty for the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands reached the Senate chamber at 5 o’clock. The Senate at once went into executive session, and as soon as the doors were closed the message of President McKinley, accompanying the treaty, and the treaty itself were read to the Senate. The Senate made greater progress Thursday on the tariff Kill than any day since the debate opened. Two entire schedules, covering twenty pages, were completed namely, schedules H, on spirits, wines and beverages, and schedule I, on manufactured cotton goods. The portion of the bill passed is substantially the same as that reported, all committee changes being unimportant, while the opposition amendments of Mr. Jones of Arkansas and Mr. Vest were systematically rejected by majorities ranging from five to ten. Mr. Allison secured-the addition of a new paragraph to the cotton schedule, with r. view to compensating the cotton manufacturers for the recent action of the Satiate in placing raw cotton on the dutiable list. The House was in session an hour and a half, most of the time being taken up with roll calls. The bill for the relief of the residents of Greer County, Oklahoma, was passed. The tariff bill came to a halt in the Senate Friday, less than one page of the flax schedule being disposed of. The debate drifted into political channels. Date in the day Mr. Morgan proposed a sweeping amendment to place a 10 per cent ad valorem duty on all articles now on the free list, with a few stated exceptions. In supporting the amendment Mr. Morgan called attention to the singular fact that the income tax feature of the Wilson bill is not repealed and can be enforced by a change in the personnel of the Supreme Court of the United States. Bills were passed for public buildings at Cleveland, 0., to cost $2,700,000, and at McKeesport, Pa., to cost $200,000. Owing to the interest in the Hawaiian annexation treaty Mr. Davis of Minnesota secured an agreement for the printing of 5,000 copies of the treaty and other documents. In the Senate Saturday the Finance Committee failed to secure adoption of its report fixing the tariff schedule upon matting, bagging, jute fabrics and burlaps. The effect is to restore floor mattings manufactured from straw and other vegetable substances to the free list. These include the Japanese, Chinese and Indian mattings; also burlaps, jute grain bags and cotton bagging. This result was reached by Messrs. Carter and Hansbrough. Republicans, uniting with the opposition. The Senate made giant strides on the tariff bill Monday, covering fifty-six pages. The last two schedules of the dutiable list, covering paper and manufactured sundries, were completed, with the exception of the paragraphs on hides, gloves, coal and some lesser articles. which went over. This advanced the Senate to the free list, which was completed in three hours. Early in the day the wool and silk schedules went over with an agreement that wool would be taken up Tuesday. After that the tobacco schedule, the reciprocity provisions and the internal revenue portions of the bill as well as the many isolated paragraphs passed over remain to be considered. The progress Monday was so marked, however, that for the first time there was a feeling that the end was not far off. The House, after the approval of the journal, adopted a bill appropriating SIOO,OOO for the repair of dry dock No. 3 at New York. Mr.'Dingley of Maine, from the Committee on Ways and Means, presented a favorable report on a joint resolution providing that foreign exhibitors nt the Omaha exposition in 1898 may bring to this country laborers to prepare and have charge of exhibits. Two amendments provide that the Secretary of the Treasury shall fix the number of laborers to enter the country and that they shall leave the United States within three months from the termination of the exposition. An exciting debate marked the consideration of the wool schedule in the Senate Tuesday. It led to a warm personal exchange between Senators Carter of Montana and Foraker of Ohio on the one hand and Mr. Allison of lowa, in Charge of the bill, on the other. Mr. Foraker asserted that an agreement concerning rates on certain wools was being violated and that under sueh circumstances every Senator would be free to act for himself. Mr. Allison declared he could not be driven by threats. Mr. Carter, who had aroused the storm, endeavored’ to have the paragraphs relating to carpet wools go over, but Mr. Vest objected. Mr. Teller of Colorado also spoke against delay. Aside from this interruption fair progress was made on the wool schedule. The duty on first-class wool was agreed to at 10 cents per pound and on secondclass wool 11 cents, which is between the House and Senate rates in each case. The rates on third-class wools went over. Most of the other amendments related to the classification of wools. Mr. Jones of Arkansas spoke against the entire schedule as severely oppressive on the consumers of woolen goods.