Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 61, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1902 — Congress [ARTICLE]

Congress

For three hours on'Tnesday in the Senate the bill providing for the protection of the President of the United States and for the punishment by United States courts of those who commit assaults upon him was under consideration. Mr. Bacon opposed the bill and Mr. Hoar and Mr. Mason supported it. Earlier in the day a lively debate was precipitated by the effort of Mr. Rawlins to hnve printed as a document some Philippine correspondence. Eventually the matter was ordered printed as requested. Thirty-nine private pension bills were passed, the calendar being cleared. An executive session preceded adjournment. The general debate on the river and harbor bill was enlivened by Mr. Hepburn (Iowa), who majje his annual onslaught on the meas"ure. "The other speakers were Messrs. Ball (Texas) and Lawrence (Mass.), both members of the committee, and Messrs. White.(Ky.), Thompson (Ala.) and Burnett (Ala.), who spoke in favor of improvements of interest to their districts. April 20 was sot aside for memorial ser-' vices on Representative Stokes of South Carolina and Representative Crump of Michigan. During most of the Senate session Wednesday the bill providing for the protection of the President of the United States was under consideration. Mr. Culberson offered a substitute for the bill. It makes the assassination or attempted assassination of the President or VicePresident, or the sovereign of a foreign country within the jurisdiction of the United States, punishable by death; while those who shall counsel or advise the killing of the President, or who shall conspire to kill him or the sovereign of any foreign country, shall be punished by imprisonment not exceeding twenty years. Mr. Bacon introduced a bill for the deportation and exclusion of alien anarchists. It was the one which, introduced by former Senator Hill of New York, had been passed by the Senate but had failed in the House. A brief executive session preceded adjournment. In the House fair progress was made with the river and harbor bill. After the close of general debate, twenty-seven of the 110 pages of the bill were disposed of. Several members took advantage of the latitude allowed in general...debate, to discuss other topics. Mr. Snook (Ohio) spoke in opposition to ship, subsidies, Mr. Lewis (Ga.) favored tariff revision and Mr. Powers (Mass.) advocated irrigation in the West. Mr. Burton, in charge of the. bill, in closing the general debate, answered the criticisms advanced against it. Thursday in the Senate was devoted to consideration of the bill to protect the President. An agreement was reached to vote on the measure and amendments at 4 o’clock Friday afternoon. Mr. Aidrich, chairman of the committee on finance, reported the bill to repeal war revenue taxes, and gave notice that he would call up the measure for consideration Friday. In the House slow progress was made on the river and harbor bill, only thirty pages being disposed of, leaving Tifty pages still to be considered. "The* river and harbor committee succeeded again in defeating every amendment Offered, though none was of general importance. Mr. Bellamy of North Carolina during the debate took occasion to denounce the Cpdmpacker proposition to investigate Southern election laws as designed to stir up sectional strife. lie appealed to the, conservative Republicans to defeat the resolution. firthtr Senate cm FYidrry passn ge of the hill to protect the President by a vote of 52 to 15, and of the war revenue repeal bill, without division, occupied practically all of the session. A*i*ill appropriating $125,000 for a marine hospital at Buffalo, N. Y., was also passed. On motion of Mr. Froetor, chairman of the committee on agriculture, the oleomargarine bill was made the unfinished business. After an executive session adjournment until Monday was taken. In the House the river and harbor bill was passed without division. Mr. Sulzer (N. Y.) attempted to force a record vote, but only three members. Messrs. Smith (Iowa), Fitzgerald (N. YJ and Cochran (Mo.), supported him. Several minor committee amendments were adopted, one authorizing the Michigan Power Company, with certain restrictions, to take water from the. St. Mary river for use in its power canal. During the debate 11. C. Smith (Mich.) complained that the $20,000,000 charged to Michigan in the bill benefited the commerce of Chicago, Duluth, Buffalo and Cleveland, and not a single port in Michigan. Adjournment followed final action. Consideration of the contested election case of Moss versus Rhea from the,Third Kentucky District, occupied most of Saturday iu the House. The committee on elections divided on party lines, the majority sustaining the view that Mr. Moss had been elected and the minority that Mr. Rhea, the Democrat, was entitled to retain his seat. In the face of the returns Mr. Rhea had 156 plurality. Aecording to the contention of the majority certain votes rejected under the Goebel election law would transform this plurality for Rhea into a plurality for Moss of 71. Mr. Mann (111.) nnd Mr. Smith (Iowa) spoke for the majority, and Mr. Burgess (Texas) for the minority. An agreement was made whereby tie vote shall be taken on Tuesday. Before taking up this case tbe unanimous report of the committee in the case of Spears versus Burnett from the Seventh Alabama District, confirming the title of the sitting member to his seat, w as adopted. Several bills of minor importance wore passed at the opening of the Session, including one to authorize the Secretary of War to loan tents for the use 'of the Knights of Pythias encampment to be held at San Francisco.