Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 January 1906 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS

Mr. Bacon succeeded Monday in securing an open discussiowof the" ’Moroccan question in the Senate. It came up through the introduction of a resolution making a general declaration against interference op the part of., the United States iu any controversy among European nations* concerning tljeiT internal affairs. At Mr. Bacon’s request the resolution vu referred to the committee on foreign relations. The merchant iharine bill was laid before the Senate. Mr. Galliqger offered a number of 'amfeircrments, relating principally to the naval militia proposed by the bill, which were adopted. General debate on the Philippine tariff bill- was concluded in the House. Mr. Babcock (Wis.), the leader of the Republican insurgents, took the floor own' question of personal privilege to explain his attitude on the statehood measure. —■A"" discuFsion'-of'the railroad-tgte question was precipitated in the Senate Tiles-' day when Mr. Fulton took the. floor to explain an aniendmeUT'fo the Dolliver •bittr offered by him, giving courts of justice, authority to modify orders of the Interstate commerce commission imposing an unreasonable rate. Mr. Scott made a in support of the merchant marine shipping bill. The bill appropriating $500,000 for a memorial bridge across the Potomac river at Washington was passed. The Philippine tariff bill was passed by the House substantially as it came from the ways and means committee. The vote was 25S to 71. Rice was' made subject to the same tariff as sugar and tobacco, 25 per cent of the Dingiey rates. Many amendments were hmnehed only to be defeated after a strenuous debate. Tlie Democratic substitute found support only with the minority and was defeated 231 to 106. An effort to commit the Unified* States to the policy -of granting independence 'to the Philippines as soog as the natives can be prepared for self-government was lost. The House agreed to a resolution asking fife Secretary of State to transmit to the House all the correspondence and dispatches: between this eoun--try and Austria-Hungary concerning the arrest, detention and fine of Marcus Braun, special immigrant commissioner of the United States.

The recent forcible removal from tha White House of Mrs. Minor Morris was made tljgJ.sabjcct of an emphatic denun"'CTafion by Mr. Tillman 5 in the Senate Wednesday. His remarks called out remonstrances from Messrs. Hale, —opkins and Daniel, and led to a sudden adjournment. Previously a resolution calling on the Secretary of War for information as to whether any member of the Philippine, commission or any officer of the army or navy owns any land in the islands, particularly with reference to the location of proposed railroads, was adopted. The Philippine tariff bill was received from the House and sent to the committee on Philippine Islands. The House took favorable action on 10(5 pension bills. Forty-two of the beneficiaries are blind and sixty-eight paralyzed. ~

In the Senate Thursday Mr. Tillman presented Tils resolution directing an investigaton into the removal of Mrs. Minor Morris from the White House. It was laid on the table by a vote of 54 to 8, without debate. The rest of the day was devoted to speeches by Mr. McCumber advocating tho pure food bill and by Mr. Mallory opposing the shipping bill. The House ordered an investigation to ascertain the amount needed to preserve the frigate Constitution and paid a tribute to the old ship. Nearly all the rest of the session was devoted to the perfection and passage of a bill arranging for the final disposition of the affairs of the five civilized tribes in Indian Territory. It provides for concluding the enrollment of Indians of the tribes and allotment of lands to them. Many restrictions are imposed. Mr. Littauer reported the urgent deficiency bill and gave notice that it would be called up for consideration Frida; The House discussed the urgent* deficiency appropriation bill Friday, much of the debate relating to the necessity for curbing the department heads in their demands for additional money. Mr. Perkins (N. Y.) made a short speech favoring free hides. There was no session of the Senate. Abuses in the expenditure of appropriations was the text of the discussions in the House Saturday during the consideration of the urgeift deficiency bill. Little progress was made with the bill. The $2,615 Knox portrait was again a topic of unfavorable comment and department heads generally came in for criticism. The most animated debate took place on the amendment to increase the amount for the transportation of silver coins. One argument advanced was that to cot this appropriation meant diatress to the interior sections of the country, where silver money is used, but the opponents of the amendment declared that the appropriation was abused by the express companies, for whose benefit, it was stated the appropriation was made. The amendment was lost by a vote of 70 to 74. A bill was passed providing for the holding of a Federal court at Grand Island, Neb. There was no session of the Senate.

National Capital Notes. An oil pipe line across the isthmus of Panama will be built if Secretary Taft's recommendations to President'Roosevelt are accepted. Representative Ringer Hermann of Oregon will be tried in the courts of the District of Columbia for complicity in the land fraud cases in Oregon, beginning the last week in March. The trials of F. A. Hyde. John A. Benson, J. H. Schneider and .11. P. Diamond will follow. Secretary Bonaparte’s letter of reprimand to Commander Lucien Young, which waa ordered by the court martial as the result of the explosion on the gunboat Bennington, is mild in tone, and not altogether uncomplimentary to Coast antler Young.