Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1904 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS

The time of the Senate Tuesday wa< again divided between consideration of the Panama question and other subjects. Mr. Stone of Missouri spoke to a re: o lution directing the Senate committee »n foreign relations to make an investiga- " tion into the Panama revolt. Mr. Hey burn of Idaho spoke in support of aweso lution prohibiting railroad companies from taking up land in a solid body ini lieu of land in forest reservations. The resolution presented by Mr. Tillman ask ing for information from the Secretary o' War concerning the appointment of (Ini. Wood and other army Officers was taken up and passed without debate. Representative Boutell of Illinois addressed th • lloutD for nearly two hours in reply t> Mr. Williams’ “stand pat” speech, of ■ few days ago. Mr. Williams replied t • ■ Mr. Boutoil. In the Senate Wednesday Mr. Sim mons (N. C.) spoke in favor of the Pan ama canal treaty; being the first Democratic Senator to favor the measure oa the floor. A bill granting to the citiz.on.of Porto Rico and the Philippines the right- to take advantage of thc-nattrrn! ization laws of this country was passed, but Mr. Spooner moved to reconsider th vote. The resolution giving authority t-o the committee on privileges ami elec tions to proceed with the investigatioirm' the charges against Mr. Smoot was pased. A resolution authorizing tlie Secretary of State to open negotiations with Great Britain for a revision of the joint regulations for the fur seals of Aiask.i was adopted. In the House general debate on the urgent deficiency bill digressed to a discussion of political topics. the race question and aerial navigation. Mr. Sulloway (N. H.j, chairman of the committee on invalid pensions, iutrodiiced an age and service pension bill allowing $8 a month to each soldier who served ninety days and is nbw 02 years old, $lO a month if GO years old and sl2 a month if 70 years old. When the war service was two years an addition of $2 a month in all classes is provided. The time of the Senate Thursday was devoted to debate on the attitude of the United States toward the Panama revolution and the right of the President to withhold information called for by the Senate. The foundation of the con troversy was the Democratic caucus resolution calling on the President to state whether he had yet supplied all the papers in tlie archives bearing on the Panama affair. Messrs. Culberson, Gorman and Bacon spoke on the Democratic side nnd Messrs, Cullom, Spooner and Lodge on the Republican. At the conclusion the Senate unanimously agreed to vote on the resolution before adjournment Friday. The House for an hour was entertained by the maiden speech of J. Adam Bede (Rep., Minn.). Mr. Van Du.’.er (Nev.) was refused the consideration of a resolution calling oil the Secretary of War for information as to what articles manufactured for the department are made by convict labor. The House went into the committee of the whole and resumed consideration of the urgent ileii--tfiency bill, the discussion running into the Panama question and the nice problem.

The Senate Friday adopted the. resolution introduced by Mr. Culberson for the Democratic caucus, which calls on the President to state whether the Senate has been supplied all facts bearing on the controversy of Panama. The vote was unanimous, but there was a roll call on the amendment suggested by Mr. Cullom, calling for the information only in case the President should consider it not incompatible with the public interest to supply it. This amendment w.as adopted by 39 to 20, all the Republican Senators present voting for the amendment and sill the Democrats except Mr. McEncry (who voted with the Republicans) casting their votes against it. The Bacon resolution looking to the adjustment of our differences with Colombia by arbitration was considered, but not acted upon. The House considered whether members of Congress are entitled to two payments of mileage on account of the extra session, which merged into tlio regular session. An adjournment wns taken before a conclusion was reached. Consideration of the amendment increasing the appropriation for the expenses of the district land offices precipitated a discussion on the subject of alleged land frauds. Tire House Saturday passed the urgent deficiency bill. The clause providing double mileage for members of Congress was stricken out by a vote of 16” to 0. Representative Shafroth of Colorado introduced a resolution reciting the work that hns been done by the commission on international exchange and authorizing the commission “to agree subject to the approval of Congress, with other nations upon uniform laws, which will tend to preserve ns much of the gold product of the world for coinage and mpnctnry purpose ns possible. A concurrent resolution accepting the stntuc of James Marquette, missionary nnd explorer, and providing that it remnin in statuary hnll in the-capital, nnd extending the thanks of Congress to the people of Wisconsin, wn» passed. * Notes of National Capital. Representative Watson, Indiana, is de* ferinined to hnve Congress pass Ills -bill requiring an educational test for nil immigrants. Hoosiers may be end to know that the postoffice nt Zulu, Allen County, has been discontinued. Mai) should be addressed to Nails. Senator Beveridge enlightened President Roosevelt on the situation in the far East. The President sent a special invitation to the Senator. United States Consul Gowdy, nt Paris, has been notified by Secretary Hay to represent Panama in all consular matters. .Senator Galllnger Introduced a bill for tfio establishing and organisation of a corps of trained nurses in the United States navy. Bills have been introduced in the House by Delegate KalsnianoleOsf Hawaii appropriating 9150,000 for n building at Hilo, |1,000,000 for it building at Honolulu, $220,000 for a revenue cutter nnd authorising contests of election in Hawaii