Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 67, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 April 1904 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS

The Senate Tuesday listened to a two hours’ speech by Mr. Morgan on tho Panama canal question. He advocated the passage of his resolution requesting information from the Attorney General concerning concessions to the original Panama Canal Company and his talk in the main was on arraignment of the new company. In spite of his appeal the resolution was referred to the committee oii interoceauie canals. Several amendments to the postofflee appropriation bill were passed. The proceedings of the House were enlivened by speeches by Mr. De Armond nnd Mr. Grosvenor. Thei former attacked the Republicans for failure to order an investigation into the postofflee charges and to revise the tariff. The latter-vigorously defended the Republican party and landed President Roosevelt for the part he played in the postal investigation, the passage of the Cuban reciprocity law aud the treaty with Panama. The military academy hill was passed without amendment.

The Senate Wednesday passed a number of minor bills and a resolution authorizing the printing of 110,000 copies of a accent report on the beet sugar industry. Mr. Heyburn spoke in support of " the pure-food law, advocating the McCumber bill instead of the Hepburn bill. The Senate ndopted a resolution asking the Department of Agriculture to submit a report of the results of its investigation of drugs. Consideration of the postoffice appropriation hill wns resumed, nnd Mr. Quarles spoke for his amendment increasing the pay of rural carriers. Messrs. Money. Nelson and Larimer opposed nbolisning the parcel delivery privileges of the rural carriers. Finally the amendment by Mr. Quarles was rilled 6ut of order. The committee amendment to permit enrriers to receive newspaper and magazine subscriptions and deliver parcels was agreed to. In a five-hour session the House passed seventeen bills relating to the District of Columbia, including one incorporating the Carnegie Institute. It also passed the Bowman omnibus claims bill, carrying approximately $228,000 for the payment of small claims; agreed to the conferon the fortifications bill, and insisted on its disagreement to an amendment in that bill providing for the purchase' of a submarine boat. The Alaska delegate bill was taken up, and Mr. Cushman of Washington made a long explanation of the measure.

The Senate Thursday listened to eulogies of the late Senator Hanna. The galleries were well filled and the speakers were given close attention. Those who spoke were Messrs. Foraker, Scott, Cockrell, Platt (Conn.), Cullom. Blackburn, Elkins, Fairbanks, Daniel, Perkins, Depew, Beveridge, Dolliver, Kearns and Dick. Tho Swaj-ne impeachment proceeding was disposed of in five minutes by the House by the adoption of a resolution making the case a special order for Dec. 13 next. In tho meantime the judiciary committee is to take additional testimony in the case. After disposing of a conference report on tho army appropriation bill, the House took up the bill extending the coastwise laws to the Philippines. By a vote of 122 to 100 a special rule was ndopted rt*-vote on the bill after a debate of two hours. This was exhausted save five minutes, when the session ended.

The contracts for the canceling machines in the Postofflee Department wore debated nt length in the Senate Friday in connection with the postofflee bill. An amendment by Mr. Culberson limiting the> rental of the machines to their cost wns defeated. The consideration of the bill was not completed. Tho first hour of the session was devoted to a discussion by Mr. Patterson of tho Chinese question, in which he maintained that the exclusion laws would be ineffective after Dec. 7 unless there was additional legislation. The House passed the Philippine shipping bill, the only amendment being to extend the time when the law shall become operative until July 1, 1906. The bill appropriating $475,000 in aid of the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition to be held in Portland, Ore., was passed without division.

In the Senate Saturday Mr. Spodner replied to the Democratic strictures on the conduct of the Postofflee Department. He defended the course of the Postmaster Genernl nnd charged that the effort on the part of the Democratic Senators to secure a congressional inquiry was in the interest of party politics. lie also defended the President against attacks. No progress was made on the postofflee hill. The conference report on the Indian appropriation bill was partly read, but further consideration was postponed on the suggestion that the conferees had inserted provisions that had not been passed upon by either house. The hill for the aid of the Portland, Ore., exposition wns passed, as wns the Philippine shipping bill. In the House Mr. Cockran spoke on bis resolution directing nil inquiry by the judiciary committee as to whether there wns authority in the law for, the recent executive order relating to pensions for nge disability. The committee on rules had reported an order db rerting the resolution 4o lie on the table. Mr. Cockran’s remarks were his first since bis entry into the Fifty-eighth Congress. lie said his resolution wns offered solely to vindicate the dignity of the House, nnd charged the executive branch with usurping the powers of the legislative. He declared that the House hnd lost caste and urged the members to stand up for their rights. Messrs. Dal* zell and Grosvenhr replied. The resolution wns laid on the table by a recapitulated yea nnd nay vote of 103 to 100.