Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1899 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONGRESS

The Committee on Interstate and Fore eign Commerce had the right of way .in the House on Wednesday and succeeded in passing quite a number of bills of minor importance, most of which authorized the*' construction of lighthouses, fog signals,, etc. Then the bill to grant the PacificCable Company a subsidy of SIOO,OOO <* year for twenty years sot the construction, and operation of a cable was called up and' a very spirited debate, which consumed' the remainder of the day. followed. The opposition was headed by Mr. Corliss (Rep.. Mich.), who advocated the construction of a Government cable. Noconclusion was reached at the hour of adjournment. and as the special order under which the House was operating expired with the adjournment, and as objectionwas made to fixing another day for itsconsideration, it goes over indefinitely. The feature of the session of the Senatewas a speech delivered by Mr. Bacon (Dcm.. Ga.) in support of his resolutions declaring that the United States would' not assume sovereignty over the Philippine Islands. Following Mr. Bacon’s; speech the Nicaragua canal bill was taken up and remained under discussion until 6o’clock. The Senate listened further on Thursday to a discussion of the policy of expansion. Mr. Turner (Wash., Pop.) delivered a carefully prepared speech on theVest resolution. The speech was for the most part a constitutional argument inwhich Mr. Turner took issue with Senator Platt and Senator Foraker upon their recent utterances. At the conclusion of. Mr. Turner’s argument Mr. Foraker took some sharp exceptions to statements made' in the speech, especially those referring: to him personally. The Nicaragua canal bill was under consideration nearly three hours. After much debate a substitute presented by Mr. Morgan (Ala.) for the bond amendment offered by Mr. Allison was adopted. It provides that bond payments shall not exceed $20,000,000 in any fiscal year. The amendment as amended was then adopted, 41 to 10. The last, hour of the session was occupied in discussion of several amendments offered byMr. Caffery of Louisiana, all of whichwere defeated. The House practically decided the Brown-Swanson contested election case from the Fifth Virginia district in favor of the sitting member, Mr. Swanson, a Democrat, by declining toconsider the case. The postofflee appropriation bill wns then taken up. Thegreatest surprise of the day was the adoption of two amendments striking out of the bill the appropriation of $171,000 for the fast Southern mail and $25,000 for special mail facilities from Kansas City to Newton, Kan. The proceedings in the House were enlivened on Friday by a wordy duel between Mr. Grosvenor of Ohio and Mr.. Lewis, Democrat, the member from Washington. It occurred during the debate on a private bill to refer to the court of claims the claim of Cramp <fc Sons, the Philadelphia ship builders, for damages from the Government for delays incident to the building of the warships New York, Massachusetts, Indiana and Columbia, due to the failure of. the Government to deliver armor plate and other materials, for these ships on time. The postoffice appropriation bill was passed. At 4:30 p. m. the House recessed until S o’clock. The evening session was devoted to privatepension legislation and adjournment was taken to Monday. The Senate was in session for five hours and a half, but the session was practically , barren of results. Two notable speeches were delivered, oneby Mr. Nelson (Rep., Minn.), in opposition to Mr. Vest's anti-expansion resolution, and the other by Mr. White (Dem. v Cal.), a personal explanation of his position with respect to the instructions giventhe California Senators by the Legislature in that State as to voting on thepending pence treaty. At the conclusions of the speeches the Senate resumed consideration of the Nicaragua canal bill, but it was not completed. Senator Morgan’s Nicaragua canal bilb passed the Senate Saturday afternoon bya vote of 48 to 6. As a matter of fact, it was passed twice, once by a viva vocevote and the second on a roll call. The opposition had been dwindling away for several days. Friends and foes of the anti-scalping bills were also lined up in, the Senate the same afternoon. The supporters of those measures won their first victory. By a vote of 33 to 21 they succeeded in having the Senate bill taken upfor consideration. Discussion of the policy of expansion, occupied nearly all the time of the Senate in open session on Monday. Mr. White of California addressed the Senate in support of the anti-expansion resolution introduced by Mr. Vest (Dem., Mo.') and another resolution offered by Mr. Bacon. (Dem., Go.) declaring that the Philippines, ought to be free and independent. The Senate at 2:10 p. m„ on motion of Mr. Davis, chairman of the Committee on * Foreign Relations, want into executive session. After the executive session Mr v Chandler called up tlie bill to restore totheir original status officers of the navy and marine corps who lost their status by reason of the promotion of other officers: by reason of conspicuous conduct in battle. The bill went over on objection. Monday was District of Columbia day in the House, and the major portion of theday was devoted to local legislation. Theonly action of public importance was the passage of the bill to extend the navigation laws of the United States tp the Hawaiian Islands. One of the provisions of the bill grants American register to alb vessels flying the Hnwaiian flag owned byHawaiian citizens July 7, IS9S.