Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1903 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS

After a brief session the adjourned Friday until the next Tuesday. The business was confined almost exclusively to the introduction of relief bills. Senator Daniel introduced a bill appropriating $5,000,000 for the erection of a patent office east of the capital, the site to cost $600,000. The Cuban reciprocity bill was laid before the Senate, but as no one expressed a desire to speak upon it Mr. Cullorn at 12:42 p. m. moved an executive session, nnd three minutes afterward the Senate adjourned. When the House convened a message from the President transmitting correspondence relative to Panama additional to that forwarded to the House in response to a resolution was received. Mr. Payne (N. Y.), the Republican floor teader, then moved that when the House adjourn it be until the next Tuesday. Thereupon Mr. Williams (Miss.), the minority leader, and Mr. De Armond (Dem., Mo.) twitted the majority upon dilatory tactics and asked for a definite statement of party policy. In the course of hit reply Mr. Payne said the Republicans would hardly care to take up the question of tariff revision and disturb conditions on the eve of a presidential campaign. He also said the time was not opportune to consider reciprocity with Canada. There was a party alignment on the vote adopting the motion to adjourn over, the Democrats voting against it, the vote being 81 to 63. Mr. Bartholdt (Rep., Mo.) by unanimous consent spoke briefly of the progress upon the St. Louis exposition. Mr. Patterson (Dem., Tenn.) introduced a bill to abolish slavery in the Philippine archipelago and to abrogate tho treaty with the Sultan of Sulu. Mr. Hepburn (Rep., Iowa) introduced the pure food bill which was reported to the last Congress by the committee on interstate and foreign commerce. Mr. Parker (Rep., N. J.) introduced a bill providing for a national military park commission to consist of five Civil War veterans and two from the Confederate army and a bill restoring the army canteen. Mr. Tawney (Rep., Minn.) Introduced a bill providing a special copyright procedure for the protection of foreign art and literary exhibits and musical works at the St. Louis exposition.

The Senate was in open session thirty minutes Tuesday. After receiving a number of bills, resolutions and petitions and after spending some time in executive session, the Senate adjourned over until Friday. A majority of the bills offered were for private pensions and most of the petitions for the expulsion of Mr. Smoot (Rep., Utah). As usual, Mr. Cullom (Rep., Hi.) called up the Cuban reciprocity bill, but ns no one manifested a desire to address the Senate on it, the bill went' over. The time in the House was chiefly consumed iu a tariff debate. When Mr. Payne had offered a motion to adjourn over until Friday, Mr. Williams, the minority leader, suggested that they would like about thirty minutes on a Ride for debate, whereupon Mr. Payne asked the consent of the House. The Speaker, announcing the request said: “The gentleman from New York, at the suggestion of the gentleman from Mississippi asks unanimous consent that there be thirty minutes talk on a side.” Mr. DeArmond (Dem., Mo.) in a humorous vein criticised the majority, while Mr. Williams (Miss.) and Mr. Gaines (Tenn.) dwelt on the tariff policy of the Republicans. On the Republican side Mr. Hepburn (Iowa), Mr. Grosvenor (Ohio) and Mr. Hemenway (Ind.) replied, defending tlie policy of their party, the latter two responding to charges of dereliction made by the minority against the majority. Representative Robinson, of Indiana, introduced a bill making the Chinese expulsion law applicable to the Japanese.