Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1901 — Congress. [ARTICLE]

Congress.

The Senate on Monday passed the naval appropriation bill and bill for an additional judge in the northern district of Illinois. The shipping bill was then taken up, and kept before the Senate during the remainder of the legislative day. The House disagreed with the Senate substitute for the war tax reduction bill and requested a conference by a vote of 233 to 38. Considered diplomatic and consular appropriation bill. On Tuesday the Senate had the agricultural appropriation bill under consideration during-the entire session, but the bill was little more than half completed. Debate dealt almost entirely with administrative details of Department of Agriculture, many commendations of department’s work being made by Senates oh both sides of the chamber. The House parsed army appropriation bill and began consideration of sundry civil bill, the last of the big money measures. The Senate during the greater part of Wednesday engaged in executive session*” and in the counting of the electoral vote for the President and Vice-President of the United States. Late in the afternoon consideration of the agricultural’ appropriation bill was resumed, but little progress was made. At a night session the District of Columbia code bill was read. The House devoted the day, excepting an hour and a half consumed in counting the electoral vote and promulgating the result of the presidential election, to the ■ sundry civil appropriation bill. General debate upon this measure was completed, hut little actual progress was made with the bill. On Thursday the Senate considered the agricultural appropriation bill during the day and the district code bill at a night session. The House considered the sundry civil appropriation bill. The Senate on Friday passed the agricultvral appropriation bill, with an amendment increasing from $170,000»to, $340,000 the sum for the distribution of seeds. Mr. Teller announced that he would refuse to agree to a vote on the shipping bill. In the House the entire day was spent in filibustering. Mr. Gannon of the appropriation committee wanted the sundry civil bill taken up. As this day was the last private bill day of the session friends of measures of that kind set up the filibuster. At the conclusion of the morning hour on Saturday when the unfinished busi-' ness—the sliippipg bill—was laid before the Senate, Mr. Spooner moved to proceed to the consideration of the oleomargarine bill. By a practically unanimous vote—only two Senators voting in the negative—the motion prevailed. Thus the subsidy bill was displaced as the unfinished business and the oleomargarine bill was placed in that order. After a little over an hour’s consideration of the measure it was laid aside in order that unobjected bills on the calendar might be considered. Nearly 300 bills, including 197 private pension bills, were passed during the day. The House made little progress with the sundry civil appropriation bill. The major portion of the time was spent in debating a proposition offered by Mr. Hill (Conn.) to strike out the appropriation of SIOfyOQQ for the free transportation of silver eolnT It was defeated, 61 —66. At 4 o’clock public business was suspended to allow the members to pay tribute to the memory of the late Representative Hoffecker of Delaware.