Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1902 — Congress. [ARTICLE]

Congress.

. Consideration,of the Hepburn isthmian canal bill began on Tuesday in the House of Representatives. The debate was of unusual interest and centered largely on the new phase of the question due to the offer of the Panama company to sell its property to the United States for $40.000,000. Mr. Cannon of Illinois and Mr. Reeves of the same State, one chairman of the committee on appropriations and the other a member of the committee on rivers and harbors, asked Mr. Hepburn a number of leading questions. Mr. Cannon wanted to know why the choice of a route should not be left to the President in view of the changed aspects of the Panama situation. Mr. Hepburn replied that the Panama route was wholly out of the question so far as Congress was concerned in the selection of a route for the canal. Mr. Morris of Minnesota gave notice that at the proper time he would offer an amendment to authorize ths President, if he could procure the property and rights of the Panama company for $40,000,000. if concessions could be procured from Colombia and if the Walker commission so recommended, to purchase and proceed to complete the Panama canal On Wednesday the isthmian canal bill was before the House for debate. All the principal speakers recognized the advantage of the Panama route and announced themselves in favor of .it. So strong had sentiment grown in favor of the Panama route that the most advanced advocates of its selection were talking of forcing a square issue between it and the Nicaragua route. The more conservative friends of the Panama route are urging a compromise—not that they are uncertain of their own strength, but to escape playing directly, into the hands of the Panama company. The debate was rather tedious. Several members who had been among the thirty who voted against the Hepburn bill when it was last under consideration announced they would give it their support provided an amendment is attached giving the President power-to make a selection." Mr. Burton of Ohio, chairman of the commit; tee on rivers and harbors, who voted against the bill, reviewed the objections by the minority when it was last before the House, to show that practically all had been removed. Representative Hill of Connecticut attracted attention by reading letters from expert engineers in favor of the Panama route. Representatives Bromwell of Ohio, Gillet of Massachusetts, Littlefield of Maine, Gibson of Tennessee, Lacey of lowa and other speakers advocated the Panama route. The only one to appear during the day squarely in favor of the Nicaragua route was Representative Cummings of New York. By a vote which was virtually unanimous the House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Hepburn Nicaragua canal bill. But on a test of strength between thie rival routes Panama mustered 120 votes against 170 for Nicaragua. Only two members of the House voted against the Hepburn bill on the question of final passage—Mr. Fletcher of MinneAOta and Mr. Lassiter ,of Virginia. Mr. Bishop of Michigan and several members from the Northwest refrained from voting, among them Page Morris of Duluth, who actively advocated the Panama route. Mr. Fletcher has several times announced his opposition to government construction of an isthmian canal, believing the work should be done by private enterprise.. The vote in favor of the bill was 308. The proceedings were enlivened by several passages between Mr. Cannon and Mr. Hepburn. The feeling between them is well understood by members of the House who are ever watchful for fireworks when they come together over a bill. As the members responded to their nnmes on the foil call on the passage of the bill they left the House and the chamber was practically deserted when the Speaker announced the result and adjourned the House. After an all-day debate in the House on the Hopkins bill to create a permanent census bureau the matter was recommitted on Friday to permit the addition of a provision placing the present employes under civil service so they could be transferred to other departments. The fight to recommit was made under the leadership of Mr. Burkett TJT Nebraska, the new member of the appropriations committee. What might be termed the first gun in the campaign for the re-es-tablishment of the pneumatic tube service was fired when Representative Roberts of Massachusetts introduced a bill providing for the introduction of this service in Chicago, St. Louis, New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Brooklyn. The bill proposes an appropriation of $355,000, to be divided among the six cities as follows: New York nnd Brooklyn, $126,000; Chicago, $84,000; Boston, $(10,000; St. Louis, $50,000; Philadelphia, $35,000. A bill was passed unanimously to give Mrs. McKinley the free mailing privileges during the remainder of her life. The House then adjourned until ) Monday.