Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 56, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 March 1904 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS

In tlie ,Senate Tuesday Me-srs. Bacon , of Georgia. Berry of Arkansas an l Tel ler of Colorado spoke on the Panama canal treaty, after which the Senate went into executive sessidm When the-opeu session was resumed the agricultural appropriation hill was taken up, and an amendment providing for an addition .1 $50,000 for stock breeding experiments was opposed by Mr. Lodge of Massacliu sedts and Mr. Bailey of Texas. Alder some controversy the amendment was agreed to. The ’naval appropriation bill was taken tip in the House and two amendments providing for additional appropriations of $30,000 and $1,500,00(3 for the New York navy yard were defeated. Both were offered bj Mr. Fitzgerald of New York. An amendment offered by Mr. Hitchcock of Nebraska providing for the enlargement of the government gun factory at Washington was defeated. Mr Legare of South Carolina secured an amendment to the biff providing a total increase for the Charleston navy yard of $650,500. Most or Wednesday was spent in the Senate discussing an nmcnduient to the agricultural appropriation hill, striking out the House provision giving tlie Secretary of Agriculture authority to inspect imported food products when misbranded or suspected of impurity. J-’inal • ly the Senate ngreed to substituting tlie act of 1900 bearing upon the same point, but amended to make tlie provision applicable to impure food only, leaving out all regulations relating to misbranded and falsely labeled articles. Final action o:t the biff was postponed until Thursday. The great lakes training station went out of the naval appropriation bill after a wordy battle in the House. Mr. Burton of Ohio moved to strike out the provision for the single battleship authorized, ami his motion was left pending at adjournment. Mr. Cooper continued his. light against the great lakes training station, and was opposed by Mr. Foss and Mr. Crumpacker. Mr. Stafford of Wisconsin spoke in favor of Milwaukee as the site. Various amendments were disposed ol' as not in order, and finally Mr. Cooper insisted upon Lis point of order that the hnval station be ruled out of the bill. Mr. Burton then injected his motion to strike oiit the provision for one battleship, which brought forth a lively debate on tlie size of the world's navies—by Mr. Grosvenor and others.

When the Senate convened Thursday the agricultural' appropriation bill was taken up again, and after a number of minor amendments were made it was passed. An amendment offered by Air. Heyburn authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to prohibit interstate shipments of misnamed and misbranded fruit trees provoked a long discussion, in which Messrs; Ileyburn, Clark of Wyoming, Tillman, Lodge, Hale, Teller, Proctor and Bailey talked at-length -Oil economy of government. The legislative, executive and judicial appropriation bill also was passed. Air. Meyer of Louisiana opened the debate on the naval appro* priatiou bill in the House, leading a campaign by the minority to reduce the number Of ships authorized. He wauled the bill recommitted wjth instructions to eliminate two cruisers, hut his amend,ment was defeated, as well as that offered by Air. Burton of Ohio to do away with the one battleship authorized, Air. Bishop of Michigan was the only other Republican to support Air, I»w«sal*, amendment. The Senate Friday considered at soma length the bill requiring the use of American ships ill carrying government - supplies, but took i»o action, as a quorum was not present. 'Jlhe bill was criticised _by Democratic. Senators as being in the nature of a subsidy, but Air. Hale, in charge of the measure, defended it against this attack, and championed it as being in the interest of American shipping. The House passed the naval appropriation bill after having it under consideration for a week. There was a party contest on a number of propositions while the body sat in committee of the whole considering The bill. The minority members made a special effort to secure an amendment to fix the price of armor plate at the figure bid by the Alidvale Steel Company. Several amendments were ruled out on points of order and the matter of armor plate was left to the discretion of the Secretary of the Navy.

In the Senate Saturday a motion by Mr. Carmack to recommit the bill requip ing the use of American vessels in transporting government supplies was defeated. An amendment by Mr. Hale to provide that the government be relieved from enforcing the operation qf the pro: posed law in where the charges by American vessels exceed thoso of foreign ships to the extent of 10 per cent was tabled. Efforts to fix the figures nt 15 and then nt 20 per cent also were defeated, ns was an amendment extending to 1909 the time for the law to take effect. An amendment excluding from the benefits of the hill American vessels employing Chinese other than those en- . titled to reside in the United States was offered by Mr. Patterson and defeated. Mr. Halo, in charge of the bill, consented to strike out the section authorizing tlio President to suspend the net and also consented to amend it so that in case of excessive charges the matter may be settled by existing laws. An amendment by Mr. Hoar, striking out the section giving the secretaries of war and navy the right to enforce the act, was adopted. Unanimous agreement was reached to yote on the measure the next Tuesday. By agreement the House considered pension bills, of which 209 ware pnssed.