Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1898 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONGRESS

’ A bill providing for the taking of the twelfth census was passed by the Senate oo Wednesday after a debate which occupied the greater part of three days. * The House disposed of the Senate amendments of the sundry civil bill and agreed to further conference. The conference report upon the postoffice appropriation bill was adopted without debate. A bill was passed authorizing the construction of a high bridge across Rock river on the Illinois and Mississippi Canal in Illinois. After five hours devoted to the consideration of the bill to enable volunteer soldiers to vote in congressional elections, the conference report upon the war revenue bill was presented to the House on Thursday. Consideration was interrupted by a recess to 8 o’clock in the evening, when the report was taken up again, and after three hours’ debate, involving a wide range of subjects and some sensational features, it was voted upon and adopted—--154 to 107. The Senate passed without division a bill providing American registry for the steamers Olympia, Victoria, Tacoma. Columbia, Arizona and Argyle of the Northern Pacific Steamship Company. The “omnibus claim bill,” carrying over $9,000,000, forty private-pension bills and several measures from the general calendar, were passed. Bills were passed as follows: Permitting Col. Anson Mills, Third United States cavalry, to accept and exercise the office of boundary commissioner between the United States and Mexico; to amend an act establishing a court of private land claims, requiring claims to be filed before March 3, 1901; to amend an act for the relief and civilization of the Chippewa Indians in Minnesota. Shortly after 4 o’clock Friday afternoon the conference report oa the war revenue bill was agreed to by the Senate, after a discussion lasting four hours. The debate upon the measure was without special incident and was entirely devoid of acrimonious features. It was a foregone conclusion that the report would be agreed to and the only question of interest involved was how soon a vote could be reached. The report was agreed to by the decisive vote of 43 to 22. The feature of the day’s session of the house was the securing of an agreement to consider and vote upon the Newlands resolution to annex Hawaii. The bill to enable volunteer soldiers to vote at Congressional elections was passed, and a number of minor measures, chiefly of a private nature, were considered. The session of the House on Saturday was devoted to debate upon the Hawaiian resolutions. The Senate amendments to the bill organizing the naval hospital corps was concurred in.

In the House on Monday the annexation of Hawaii to the United States was under discussion. Mr. Newlands (silverite, Nev.) introduced the debate with a speech in support of his resolution for annexation. For nearly two hours the Senate had under discussion the resolution of Mr. Lodge (Mass.), directing the Claims Committee to make an inquiry ns to the disposition of the money appropriated by Congress to pay the claim of the book concern of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. A heated colloquy between Mr. Chandler (N. H.) and Mr. Pasco was the feature of the discussion. A bill granting to the Cripple Creek Railroad Company of Colorado a right of way through the Pike’s Peak timber land reserve was passed. An act authorizing the appointment of a nonpartisan commission to collate information and to consider and recommend legisnhtion to meet the problems presented by labor, agriculture and capital was passed. The Hawaiian debate proceeded in the House on Tuesday. Mr. Grosvenor (Rep., O.) made the principal speech of the day. At the session of the Senate the resolution of Mr. Lodge (Mass.), directing tljat an inquiry be made into the disposition made of the Methodist Book Concern claim, which was paid recently by Congress, was adopted without division. In the course of the debate upon it Mr. Morgan (Ala.) charged that the resolution was insincere and had been drawn for political effect. This statement Mr. Lodge denied vigorously, saying his only purpose in offering the resolution was that all the facts concerning the matter should be laid before the people. The measure to incorporate the International American Bank was under discussion for three hours, the debate eliciting some interesting facts concerning the foreign trade of this country. Final action was not taken dh the bill. A bill to authorize a retired list for enlisted men and appointed petty officers of the United States navy was passed.