Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 December 1905 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS

Whether the Senate is warranted in ignoring a Senator convicted in the courts on charges of misconduct and in not assigning him to places on standing committees, yet leaving his name on the roll, was discussed for two hours Monday and then dropped without a ruling. The matter came up when the list of standing committees was presented and it was stated that the name of Senator Burton of Kansas had been left out at his request. A resolution providing for adjournment from Dec. 21 to Jan. 4 was adopted. The message from the House disagreeing with the Senate amendments to the canal appropriation bill was laid before the Senate. A motion that the Senate insists on the amendments and agreeing to a conference was adopted. The ship subsidy bill was taken up, which makes it the unfinished business. A resolution calling on the Secretary of the Treasury for the names and locations of national banks and the amount of deposits of United States moneys from June 30, 1901, to 1905 was adopted. Insurance, hazing at West Point and Annapolis, the sufferings of the Russian Jews and immigration were the topics of discussionjjjn the House under a general leave or talk. The only business done was to send the Panama canal appropriation bill to conference.

The Senate Tuesday accepted the report of the conference committee on the Panama canal emergency appropriation bill, which incorporated the Senate amendment as article 1, making the canal bonds available as a basis of national bank circulation. There was a brief discussion of the restoration of this provision and of the attitude of the House in resenting the Senate’s aption, in which speeches by Messrs. Spooner, Aldrich and Teller. All expressed the opinion that the Senate had not exceeded its prerogatives, but the finance committee was asked for an opinion. A bill was passed establishing a fish culture station in Illinois, $25,000 being appropriated. The House continued debating topics of local or national interest, under the guise of referring the message of the President to committees. Federal control of insurance was the main feature in the remarks. A plea against the destruction of the old frigate Constitution was made by Mr. Sulzer (N. Y.). When the conference committee reported on the canal appropriation bill Mr. Williams, the minority leader, objected to action on it and the report went over a day.

The only notable feature of the open session of the Senate Wednesday was a brief discussion of railroad legislation by Messrs. Foraker and Culberson. At 12:57 p. m. the Senate went into executive session and adopted a motion calling on the President for the return of the notification of the Senate’s confirmation of the nominations of the Panama Canal commissioners, for reconsideration. The House continued the general debate, and it is understood that the discussion of the President’s message, which has been in progress for seven days, has-been concluded. A feature of the oratory was a defense of the Agricultural Department by Southern members, who indorsed the government cotton statistics. The House agreed to the conference report on the Panama Canal appropriation bill and passed a bill for the relief of the Council City and Solomon River Railway Company of Alaska. Mr. Payne reported from the Ways and Means Committee the Philippine tariff for consideration Jan. 4. A controversy over the credentials of John M. Gearin, the newly elected Senator from Oregon, occupied the brief open session of the Senate Thursday, his certificate finally being accepted. The bill extending for one year the time allowed the Council City and Solomon River railroad to Alaska to complete its line was passed. At 12:36 p. m. the Senate went into executive session, and nt 1:10 p. m. until Jan. 4, 1906. The House was in session only ten minutes. Two speeches, one attacking and the other defending the cotton crop estimates of the government, were to have been made, but permission was given to print them in the record. Speaker Cannon then announced the House adjourned until Jan. 4, 1906.