Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1898 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONGRESS

Late Thursday afternoon the Senate cleared the legislative decks for what may be the final action upon the Hawaiian annexation resolutions. The last of the appropriation bills that have been pending in conference were disposed of and was a law before midnight. After a debate lasting three hours the Senate finally receded from its amendment to the sundry civil bill and adopted the conference report on the Indian appropriation bill. Mr. Bate (Dem., Tenu.) and Mr. Tillman (Dem., S. C.) discussed at length the Hawaiian annexation resolutions. The latter discussed the race problem from the standpoint of n Southern man, / and was characteristically vigorous in his remarks. An attempt to secure passage of the bill to incorporate tbe international American bank met with determined opposition in the House. Filibustering was indulged in, but it was not effective in preventing the consideration of the bill. Adjournment, however, was forced before a vote upon the measure could be reached. The House adopted the report upon the Indian appropriation bill, insisted unanimously upon its disagreements to the Senate amendments to the sundry civil bill and sent the general deficiency bill to conference.

In the Sejiate on Saturday bills were passed as follows: Amendatory to the law regarding fraudulent affidavits in pension and bounty land cases; to pay the owners of the ship Achilles for expenses incurred in rendering service to the wrecked American ship Arabia. Mr. Pettigrew tS. D.) then resumed his speech upon the Hawaiian annexation resolutions. The Senate passed withnmeudment the House bill to increase the force of the ordnance department. Mr. Cockrell (Mo.), from Committee on Military Affairs, reported and the Senate passed the House bill fixing pay of volunteer soldiers from the date of enrollment for service. The bill was amended so as to include all officers. The Senate passed the House bill directing the enlistment of cooks in the regular nnd volunteer armies. Also a hill to change the times for holding courts iu the eastern district of North Carolina. Also the House bill to amend the statutes relating to the bonds of vice-consuls and the quarterly returns of business by consular officers and the Senate bill amending tbe laws relating to American seamen for their protection aud to promote commerce. The chief features of the bitter are the elimination of all imprisonment provisions in the coastwise trade, including Mexican nnd West Indian, tbe reduction of penalties in the foreign trade; the improvement of the provision scales, nnd the reduction of allotments to one month.

In the Senate on Monday Allen of Nebraska began his speech in opposition to Hawaiian annexation. At noon Turpie read the declaration of independence. During the session a large number of pension bills were passed. The debate upon the Hawaiian resolutions continued in the Senate on Tuesday. Three speeches were made. Mr. Hoar of Massachusetts in ndvocuting annexation made a notable appeal against any policy of general territorial expansion as a sequence to the war. Mr. Lindsay of Kentucky opposed the resolutions, directing his attack principally against their constitutionality. Mr. White of California resumed his speech iu opposition.

The annexation of Hawaii is now accomplished so far as the legislative branch of the Government is concerned. Quite unexpectedly the resolutions providing for the annexation of the islands were brought to a vote in the Senate late Wednesday afternoon, and they were passed liy the decisive vote of 42 to 21. Many amendments were offered by opponents of the resolutions, but ail were defeated." The House, after a debate of four hours, concurred in the Senate amendment to the 11 general deficiency bill, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior, the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury to settle, with the approval of the President, the indebtedness of the Central and Western Pacific roads to the Government. The amendment was concurred in by a vote of 90 to 86. An amendment was offered and adopted to the Pacific Railroad amendment providing that unless settlement was reached within one year the President should begin foreclosure proceedings to collect all money due the Government.