Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1899 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONGRESS

A notable sphech was made in the Senate oa Thursday by Mr. Spooner of Wisconsin. He took for his text the anti-ex-pansion resolution offered by Mr. Vest, but did not confine himself closely to that proposed declaration of policy. The executive session of the Senate was merely a continuation of the legal argument which started with Senator Spooner's speech, in the open Senate. The river and harbor bill, carrying slightly more than $20,000,000, passed the House by a vote of 160 to 7. A bill was passed to pay the heirs of John Smith SI,OOO in satisfaction of a judgment against Gen. John R. Brooke for trespass and false imprisonment while he was lieutenant colonel, of the Third infantry in 180). The controversy iu the Senate over the vote upon the various resolutions interpretive of the peace treaty took an acute turn late on Friday. The opposition to a vote first came from the friends of the treaty, who held to the theory that it could be ratified without compromise. Those who apparently were then willing that a vote should be taken that day, held an opposite view and absolutely refused to ngrfce to a time for taking a vote. The contest occurred in the executive session.

At the opening of Saturday’s session Mr. Allen (Pop., Neb.) offered a resolution declaring thafthe United States, in ratifying the treaty of Paris, does not commit itself to the doctrine that the islands acquired through the war with Spain are to be annexed to or become a part of the United States. Mr. Chilton (Dem., Tex.) addressed the Senate on Mr. Vest’s antiexpansion resolution. Senator Wolcott made a strong speech in favor of expansion. The Senate went into executive session without voting on any of the pending resolutions regarding expansion. . The time of the Senate behind closed doors was ccusumed almost entirely by Mr. Morgan. Aftec disposing of a few routine matters the House took up the bill making appropriations for the expenses of the military academy at West Point for the year ending June 80. 1900. It carries a total of $601,817. The bill was reported to the House and passed.

The treaty of peace with Spain was ratified by the Senate Monday afternoon, the vote being 57 to 27, only one more than the two-thirds majority required. Monday Was suspension day in the House and quite a number of bills were passed, some of them of importance. The census bill prepared by the House committee went through by a vote of 147 to 42. The bill differs in several essential features from the Senate bill, particularly in that it makes the census bureau entirely independent of any existing department. A bill was passed to extend the anti-con-tract labor Jaws over the Hawaiian islands, nnd another bill was passed to refer forty-four war claims for stores and-sup-plies to the Court of Claims.

In the Senate on Tuesday a bill granting a right of way through Indian Territory to the Choctaw* Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad Company was passed. Mr. Spooner of Wisconsin presented the credentials of Senator-elect Quarles. Mr. Tillman of South Carolina, in accordance with notice given, addressed the Senate on the McEnery resolution. Tuesday was the first of two days set aside for the consideration of public building bills. The committee had reported seventy-eight bills for buildings in thirty-five States, authorizing in the aggregate an expenditure of $14,060,900. Uttle or no opposition developed and bills were favorably acted upon almost as rapidly as they could be read. There was, however, more or less good-natured chaffing throughout the session. As a result forty bills, carrying or authorizing appropriations aggregating $11,364,000, had been laid aside with favorable recommendations before adjournment was reached.

In the Senate on Wednesday the Indian appropriation bill, which has been pending for several weeks, was completed and passed. The legislative, executive and judicial appropriation bill was taken tip, but after twenty-four pages of it had been disposed of it was laid aside for the day. A few measures of minor importance were passed. The net result of the work during the two days allotted for the consideration of public building bills in the House was the passage of a single bill providing for the erection of a building at Newport News, Va., at a cost of $75,000. Sixty-five bills in all, carrying or authorising the expenditure of about $12,000,000, wore favorably considered in committee of the whole wjien the committee rose, but because seventeen other bills reported had not been acted npon in committee all efforts to advance the bills favorably acted npon in committee were blocked. Mr. Corliss (Rep.) of Michigan called up the Senate bill to amend the law requiring ballots for members of Congress to be written or printed, so as to permit the use of maclyncs where authorized by the laws of the State. The Gill was passed—94 to 44.