Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1898 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONGRESS

The debate on the bankruptcy bill opened in the House on Wednesday, but it attracted little attention, the interest of the members being entirely absorbed by the disaster to the Maine. At times the hall of the House was almost deserted, the members being congregated in the lobbies or cloak rooms discussing the accident and speculating upon its probable consequences. Just before the House adjourned Mr. Bontelle, chairman of the naval committee, presented a resolution, which was unanimously adopted, expressing regret for the disaster, condolence with the families of those who lost their lives and sympnthy with the injured. A discussion upon the coast defenses was the interesting feature of the Senate. Many Senntors took the ground that the appropriations should he for the full amount of the estimates by the War Department instead of some $4,000,000 less. Seuators Perkins and Hale said that it was the policy of the Appropriations Committee to make an annual expenditure of $10,000,000 for fortifications. Senators Stewart. Hawley, Chandler and Lodge spoke in favor of increases. Senator Teller also advocated liberal expenditures. and during his remarks made significant allusions to Cuba and Hawaii. In the early part of the day there was a discussion of the Kansas Pacific Railroad sale, but no action was taken. In the House the debate on the bankruptcy bill continued on Thursday. Messrs. Moody (Rep., Mass.), Alexander (Rep., N. \\), Broderick (Rep., Kan.), McCall (Rep., Mass.), Knox (Rep.. Mass.), Crum-pat-kor (Rep., Ind.) and Dollivor (Rep., Iowa) spoke for it, and Messrs. Little (Dem., Ivy.), Smith (Dem.. Ivy.), Wilson (Dem., S. C.), Maddox (Dem., (ia.), Sparkman (Dem., Fla.) and Bartlett (Dem,. Ga.) against it. In the Sennte by a vote of 34 to 29 the resolution of Mr. Turpie, declaring the Senate’s opposition to the confirmation of the sale of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, was agreed to. The Corbett senatorial case was discussed by Mr. Pettus and Mr. Honr. An agreement was reached to take a final vote upon the case Feb. 2S.

Aside from adoption or the resolution giving the Secretary of the Navy permission to use $200,000 in the work of raising the battle ship Maine, Friday in the House was devoted to a continuation of the debate on the bankruptcy bill. The speakers were Messrs. Sulzer (Dem., N. Y.l, Strode (Itep., Neb.), Connolly (Rep., Ill.), Ilixey (Dem., Va.), Grosvcnor (Rep., O.), Sayers (Dem., Texas) and Ray (Ilep„ N. Y.) in fnvor of the bill, and Messrs. Kitchins (Itep., N. C.), Linney (Itep., N. C.), Love (Dem., Miss,), Ball (Dem., Tex.), Henry (Dem., Miss.), Maguire (Dem., Cal.), Bland (Dem., Mo.), Ball (Pop,, Colo.), De Arrnond (Dem., Mo.), Wheeler (Dem., Ala.) and Lloyd (Dem., Mo.) against it. In the Senate the Maine disaster and the Cnban question occupied the entire day.

After four days of consideration the House on Saturday passed the bankruptcy bill reported by the House Committee on Judiciary ns a substitute for the Nelson bill passed by the Senate at the extra session last summer. The bill is known as the Henderson bill, and contains both voluntary and involuntary features. It is considered loss drastic than the measure passed by the last House by a vote of 157 to 87. The involuntary feature, however, had hut 10 majority. On Saturday a motion to strike out the involuntary feature was defeated by a majority of 19, and the bill was passed by a majority of 23, the vote standing, nays 125. Eighteen Republicans voted ugainst the bill and twelve Democrats for it. The Populists, with one exception, voted against it. Monday was private bill day in the House. The feature of the day was a spirited contest over the bill to pay Newberry College, a Lutheran institution In South Carolina, $15,000 for damagea by Federal troops. It was finally passed. On motion of Mr. Bailey, the Democratic leader, the House voted—sß to 35—to observe Washington’s birthdny by adjourning over until Wednesday, but Mr. Dingley raised the point of no quorum nnd before further action could be taken the House recessed. For three hours the Senate lmd under disenssion the bill providing for the taking of the twelfth and subsequent censuses. It was amended so as to place the census bureau undo! the Secretary of the Interior, but tlie-ex-tended discussion which followed disclos. ed so wide a divergence of views as to the various features of the measure that no further action was taken. A resolution offered by Mr. Aliev, directing the Committee on Naval Affairs to make an investigation of the Maine disaster, was adopted without debate. In the House on Tuesday Mr. Johnson of Indiana made a sensational speech opposing the annexation of Hawaii. Political speeches occupied the rest of the day. The sundry civil bill was before the’ House. The debate was finished. In the Senate a bill was passed increasing the army by two artillery regiments. In exexutive session the Cuban question was discussed.