Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 March 1901 — PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS.

Summary of Legislation in National Body. MEASURES IN BOTH HOUSES. The House Concurs la the Cuban and Philippine Amendment* to the Army Appropriation Bill Sunday Closing foe St, Lonl* Fair. Tuesday. February 16. Senate: Important amendment to Philippine amendment to army ap-

propriation bill was agreed to. It was amplification of amendment previously offered by Mr. Hoar, laying restrictions upon sale of public lands and granting of franchises and concessions in Philippines. During the afternoon Mr. Allen severely arraigned Rear Admiral Sampson for indorsements upon application of Chief Gunner Charles Morgan of the navy for promotion to grade of commissioned officer. House agreed to a partial conference report on Indian appropriation bill, and sent bill back to conference; defeated conference report on the naval bill on account of item creatiqg assistant chiefs in navy department. Adjournment taken in the midst of violent attack upon the speaker by Congressmen Lentz, Richardson and others because a speech by Mr. Lentz had been withheld from the Congressional Record on account of its offensive fiature. Wednesday, February 37. Senate; Day devoted to debate on the Cuban and Philippine amendments to the army bill, after which voting began on the minor amendments to the measure. All of them were offered by Democratic senators, and all of them were voted down by heavy majorities. Philippine amendment adopted by a vote of 45 to 25. Cuban amendment adopted by a vote of 43 to 20. House; Day spent in consideration of various conference reports. Reports on fortification, District of Columbia and military academy bills, the latter containing anti-hazing legislation, were agreed to. Naval bill was sent back to conference after defeat of a motion to concur in the senate’s provision for three more submarine torpedo boats. Thursday, February 28. Senate: An immense amount of

business was disposed of, but not « ■ingle point raised was sharply controverted. The river and harbor hill, carrying appropriations of more than *50,000,000, was passed without & word of discussion, and the senate adopted the conference report on the war revenue reduction measure without disturbing the smoothness of the proceedings. Friday, Marsh 1. Senate: During the greater part of the session the sundry civil appropriation bill was under consideration. An interesting and at times lively debate was participated in on a resolution to discharge the committee on interstate commerce from consideration of the •bill requiring railroad companies to make detailed investigations of ail accidents involving loss of life on their

lines and to report to the interstate commerce commission. No action was taken. The old question as to the reclamation of public lands in the arid and semi-arid sections of the country was brought up, but the effort to attach an amendment to the measure appropriating money for the work was defeated. The bills appropriating $500,000 for Buffalo Pan-American Exposition, $5,000,000 for the St. Louis Louisiana purchase exposition and $250,000 for the Charleston, S. C., interstate and West Indian exposition were attached to the bill as riders Saturday, March 2. The first Sunday session of the Fifty-sixth congress was held by the senate. It will not appear in the Congressional Record as a session of Sunday, as the senate was working under the legislative day of Saturday, and will continue so ti work until the session was declared adjourned finallly at noon Monday. Closing hours of house marked by exciting debates Sunday. 'Representative Hepburn assailed river and harbor bill. The house, still in the legislative day of Friday, was in session from 2 to 6 Sunday afternoon, and in the evening from B,o’clock it worked on into the night to dispose of the conference reports which crowded in upon it. Everybody was at high tension, and it only required a spark to create a scene. The confusion and din on the floor with the speaker’s gavel going was incessant. There was a big fight during the afternoon over the senate amendment to the sundry civil bill, which linked together the fate of the St.. Louis, Buffalo and Charleston exposition appropriations. Mr. Capnon, chairman of the appropriations committee, led the fight against them and defeated a motion to concur. Gold discovered~on7 island of Upola Samoan islands.