Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 February 1898 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONGRESS

In the House on Monday a resolution calling for information as to the edneentrados in Cuba was adopted. Another resolution calling for the correspondence relating to the exclusion of American fruit, beef and horses from Germany was; adopted? The remainder of the day was devoted to District of Columbia business. A feature of the Senate session was a speech in advocacy of the free coinage or standard silver dollars by Mr. Allen. Mr. Harris introduced a resolution calling for information regarding the abandonment of the Government’s purpose to bid in theKansas Pacific Railway under n guarantee of the full amount of the principal of the debt. On Mr. Chandler’s objection it went over one day. In the House on Tuesday the time was devoted to the consideration of bills and joint resolutions and sixteen of more or less public importance were passed. An order was entered by unanimous consent for the consideration of the Loud bill relating to second-class mail matter, onMarch 1, 2 and 3, and the order for theconsideration of the bankruptcy bill was modified so that the final vote shall be taken on Saturday instead of Monday. The Senate bill amending the navigation laws was passed, as was the bill to make it lawful to transmit through the mails private postal cards with a 1-cent stamp affixed. In the Senate a resolution was passed, after a spirited debate, calling for information regarding the sale of the Union Pacific road. The debate on the bankruptcy bill opened in the House on Wednesday, but it attracted little attention, the interest of the members being entirely absorbed by the disaster to the Maine. At times the hall of the House was almost deserted, the members being congregated in the lobbies or cloak rooms discussing the accident and speculating upon its probable consequences. Just before the House adjourned Mr. Boutelle, chairman of the naval committee, presented a resolution, which was unanimously adopted, expressing regret for the disaster, condolence with the families of those who lost their lives and sympathy with the injured. A discussion upon the coast defenses was the interesting feature of the Senate. Many Senators took the ground that the appropriations should be for the full amount of the estimates by the War Department instead of some $4,000,000 less. Senators Perkins and Hale said that it was the policy of the Appropriations Committee to make an annual expenditure of $10,000,000 for fortifications. Senators Stewart, Hawley, Chandler and Lodge spoke in favor of increases. Senator Teller also advocated liberal expenditures, and during his remarks made significant allusions to Cuba and Hawaii. In the early part of the day there was a discussion of the Kansas Pacific Railroad sale, but no action was taken. In the House the debate on the bankruptcy bill continued on Thursday. Messrs. Moody (Rep., Mass.), Alexander (Rep., N. Y.), Broderick (Rep., Kan.), McCall (Rep., Mass.), Knox (Rep., Mass.), Crumpacker (Rep., Ind.) and Dolliyer (Rep., Iowa) spoke for it, and Messrs. Little (Dem., Ivy.), Smith (Deni., Ivy.), Wilson (Dem., S. C.), Maddox (Dem., Ga.), Sparkman (Dem., Fla.) and Bartlett (t>em., Ga.) against it. In the Senate by a vote of 34 to 29 the resolution of Mr. Turpie, declaring the Senate’s opposition to the confirmation of the sale of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, was agreed to. The Corbett senatorial case was discussed by Mr. Pettns nnd Mr. Hoar. An agreement was reached to take a final vote upon the case Feb. 28. Aside from adoption of the resolution giving the Secretary' of the Navy permission to use $200,000 in the work of raising the battle ship Maine, Friday in the House was devoted to a continuation of the debate on the bankruptcy bill. The speakers were Messrs. Sulzer (Dem., N. Y.), Strode (Rep., Neb.), Connolly (Rep., Ill.), Rixey (Dem., Va.L Grosvenor (Rep., O. Sayers (Dem., Texas) and Ray (Rep., N. Y.) in favor of the bill, and Messrs. Ivitchins (Rep., N. C.), Linney (Rep., N. C.), Love (Dem., Miss.), Ball (Dem., Tex.), Henry (Dem., Miss.), Maguire (Dem., Cal.), Bland (Dem., Mo.), Ball (Pop., Colo.), De Armond (Dem., Mo.), Wheeler (Dem., Ala.) and Lloyd (Dem., Mo.) against it. In the Senate the Maine disaster and the Cuban question occupied the entire day.