Rensselaer Journal, Volume 11, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 May 1902 — WEEK'S DOINGS IN CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

WEEK'S DOINGS IN CONGRESS

Business Transacted by the House and Senate in the National Capital. AID FOR VOLCANO SUFFERERS Senate Passes Urgency Measure Appropriating SIOO,OOO for Relief of Survivors of West Indies Holocaust —Sites for Industrial Plants. Tuesday, May 6. The Philippine question again occupied nearly the entire day in the senate. A house joint resolution making an additional appropriation of SIO,OOO for the dedication of the statue of Marshal de Rochambeau in .Washington was passed, as was a bill to apportion the term of office of senators elected at the first general election in the Territory of Hawaii. Ninqty private pension bills were also approved. The house adjourned shortly after convening out of respect to the memory of Congressman Salmon of New Jersey. WtdiMidty, May 7. In the senate the Philippine govern* ment bill again had a practical monopoly of the tim«. The bill making appropriations for the diplomatic and consular service of the United States in the Republic of Cuba, fixing the salary of the minister at $12,000, was passed. Mr. Culberson inquired whether the secretary of war had responded to his resolution concerning the orders of General Bell and General Smith. When informed that no response had been received, he offered a resolution directing the secretary of war to send to the senate copies of all orders, Instructions, letters and cablegrams relating to reconcentration in the Philippines, and also copies of all orders, instructions, letters and cablegrams relating to the order of Brigadier General Smith to Major Waller. Mr. Lodge said that, as a resolution of which the above was an amplification had been passed only five days ago, he wohld ask that the resolution go over, and it was so ordered. The customary executive session preceded adjournment Consideration was begun in the house of the bill to enable the people of Oklahoma, Arizona and New Mexico to form constitutions and state governments and be admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states. The conference report on the Indian appropriation bill was adopted after a vigorous but unsuccessful fight led by Mr. Little (Ark.), was made on the senate amendment to open up the Uintah Indian reservation in Utah. The senate amendments to the sundry civil appropriation bill were nonconcurred in, and it was sent to conference, with Messrs. Cannon, Hemenway and McRae as the house conferees.

Thurnday. May 8. The senate devoted the entire day to continuation of the the Philippines. A resolution/6ms adopted declaring that the senate had heard with profound grief of the death of Admiral Sampson, and Messrs. Perkins, Gallinger, Quarles, Martin and Mallory were named as a committee to attend the funeral. A short executive session preceded adjournment. The bill to plape three new stars on the American flag again had the right of way in the house. General debate, the feature of which was an extended speech by Mr. Grosvenor of Ohio in opposition to the measure, was closed at 3 o’clock, and the bill was then read for amendment under the five-minute rule. An amendment offered by Mr. Mcßae to consolidate the territories of Oklahoma and Indian Territory was defeated, 57 to 103. One offered by Mr. Overstreet (Ind.) to consolidate Arizona and New Mexico and admit them as the state of Montezuma was pending when the house adjourned. The only amendment adopted was one providing that nothing in the act should be construed to legalize polygamy. In opposing the bill Mr. Grosvenor said if it became a law it would add six senators to a legislative body of ninety and only four representatives to a legislative body of 356. Should New Mexico and Arizona, he asked, be given power in the senate equal to that of New York and, Pennsylvania? During the day a resolution expressive of the regret of the house over the death of Rear Admiral Sampson was adopted and a committee of seven .members was appointed to attend his funeral. The committee consists of Messr. Dayton (W. Va.), Payne (N. Y.), Grosvenor (O), Watson (Ind.), Meyer (La.), Hooker (Miss.) and Bartlett (Ga.). Friday, May 9. Again the debate on the Philippines had the right of way in the senate. A joint resolution was passed to permit steam railroads in the District of Columbia to occupy temporarily parts of streets for the benefit of the traveling public during the national encampment of the G. A. R. in October..

The resolution offered by Mr. Culberson calling upon the secretary of war for certain Information as to General Smith’s order in the Philippines was at the suggestion of Mr. Culberson himself indefinitely postponed. The resolution of Mr. Berry providing for the discharge of the committee on privileges and elections from further consideration of the resolution for the submission of a constitutional amendment providing for the election of senators by the people was withdrawn. The usual executive session preceded adjournment. The statehood bill for Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma was passed by the house. The rest of the session was devoted to private pension bills, eighty-seven of which were passed, twenty-eight original, fifty-four for increases and five to complete military records. Among them were bills to pension Elizabeth O. Getty, widow of General George W. Getty, at S3O a month and to increase the pension of Lieutenant Colonel Horatio N. Whitbeck of the Sixty-fifth Ohio from S3O to |6O a month. The latter bill led to a spirited debate in which it developed that Colonel Whitbeck had been three times wounded and carries in his lung a bullet received at Chickamauga. Saturday, May 10. The army appropriation bill was passed in the senate and also an urgency measure appropriating SIOO,OOO for the relief of the volcano sufferers in the French West Indies. Mr. Perkins reported the fortifications appropriation bill and gave notice he would call it up Monday. Mr. Proctor reported the bill making appropriations for the department of agriculture and gave notice he would call it up Tuesday. A bill for the sale of sites for industrial plants in Indian Territory was passed. A resolution offered by Mr. Harris calling upon the secretary of the interior for information as to the sale of Indian lands in Kansas was adopted. Mr. Proctor offered a resolution, which was adopted, calling upon the secretary of war for information as to how many Barbette carriages have been manufactured since July 1, 1893, and other information as to the disappearing gun carriages. A resolution by Mr. Patterson calling upon the interstate commerce commission for information as to safety appliances in use on various named railroads was also adopted. After passing a few pension bills the senatewent into executive session at 3 o’clock, and a few minutes later adjourned. The house transacted only minor business, including the passage of a resolution to print 5,000 copies of “Jefferson’s Bible,” and then laid aside public business to pay tribute to the memories of Representative Rufus K. Polk of Pennsylvania and Senator J. H. Kyle of South Dakota.