Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1898 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONGRESS

The House disposed of thirty additional pages of the sundry civil appropriation bill on Thursday. Tfie fact that the Government is preparing for contingencies was recognized when Chairman Cannon, who has been laboring to keep down appropriations, accepted without n word of protest an amendment to increase the appropriation to care for the unused machinery at the Springfield arsenal. Resolutions which were objected to a few Weeks ago for the appointment of two extra naval cadets to positions in the engineer corps of the uavy were also adopted 1 . One of them will till a vacancy caused by the death of Lieut. Merritt of the Maine. A feature of the Senate’s session was the speech of Mr. Spooner (Wisconsin) on the right of Henry W. Corbett to a seat in the Senate from Oregon under appointment of the Governor. Mr. Spooner made a constitutional argument in favor of seating Mr. Corbett. An effort was mnde to obtain consideration of the Alaskan homestead and railway right of way bill, but on a parliamentary technicality it went over. The resolution offered on Wednesday by Mr. Allen (Nebraska) to appoint a committee of five Senators to investigate the Cuban situation was withdrawn by its author when it was laid before the Senate.

In tbe House on Friday a long and somewhat exciting debate over tbe question of river and harbor appropriations was precipitated during the consideration of the sundry civil appropriation bill. It was practically agreed by all those who participated that there would be no river and harbor bill at this session of Congress. The item appropriating $400,000 for San Pedro harbor, California, was passed, and the Oakland harbor appropriation remains in the bill by a vote of 118 to 10. An unsuccessful effort was made to secure consideration of the bill passed by the Senate for two additional regiments or artillery, but on objection from Mr. Cox (Dem., Tenn.), it went over. In the Senate Henry W. Corbett’s right to a seat in tbe Senate from Oregon was under consideration for five hours. A bill permitting tbe building of a dam between Coon Rapids and the north limits of Minneapolis, across the Mississippi River, was passed. Early in the session an attempt was made to get up the Alaskan bill, but it failed. The House did not complete the consideration of the sundry civil bill on Saturday, but Chairman Cannon held the floor with it until adjournment, refusing to yield to Mr. Boutelle (Maine), the chairman of the naval committee, who was anxious to secure consideration for the bill reported by his committee for the relief of tbe victims and survivors of the Maine disaster. About twenty pages of the sundry civil bill were disposed of. Many efforts were made by different members to inject river and harbor items into the bill, three of successful; amendments appropriating $300,000 for Cleveland harbor, $200,000 for Wilmington. Del., and increasing the appropriation for Boston harbor from SIOO,OOO to $250,000 were adopted. As contracts for thbse works were authorized, they were in order under the rules. During the greater part of the Senate session the right of Henry W. Qorbett to a.seat from the State of Oregon! was under discussion. Mr. Thurston (Nebraska), in aij extended speech, opposed the admission of Mr. Corbett, while Messrs. Foraker, Kyle and Mantie supported Mr. Corbett’s claim. The pension calendar was cleared by the passage of several private pension bills. A few bills of a general character were also passed.

Henry W. Corbett was on Monday denied admission to the Senate as a Senator from Oregon on appointment by the Governor by a vote of 50 to 19. The Senate began consideration of the Alaska homestead and railway right of way bill, and had not concluded it when it adjourned. The House passed the sundry civil appropriation bill after four days’ debate. The appropriation for representation at the Paris exposition was eliminated on a point of order. The sudden change of sentiment which is often witnessed when members go on record was twice illustrated. On Friday the House, in committee of the whole, where there is no record of the vote, knocked out a provision in the bill for an appropriation to pay those who furnish the Government with information leading to the conviction of the violators of the internal revenue laws, and in committee 'an extra month’s pay was voted the employes of the House. When the members voted on roll calls in the House, however, both of these propositions were overwhelmingly defeated. The House 'entered -upon the consideration of the Loud bill relative to -secondclass mail matter, on Tuesday. The bill is identical with the measure passed by the* last Congress, but Mt. Loud gave notice of an amendment permitting the transmission at pound Tates of sample copies up to 10 per cent, of the bona fide circulation of the newspaper periodicals. This amendment removes much opposition to the MIL Mr. Loud made an exhaustive speech in its favor. Mr. Moon (Dem., Tenn.) spoke in opposition to the bill, and Mr. I’erkifls (Rep., Iowa) in favor of it. The Senate passed a resolution for erection of a bronze tablet to the memory of the victims of the Maine. The bankruptcy bill and the Alaska homestead and right of way bill were debated.