Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1908 — WORK OF CONGRESS [ARTICLE]

WORK OF CONGRESS

- The bill revising the criminal Iswb of the United States was taken up as unfinished business in the Senate Monday, and its discussion occupied the greater part of the session. A letter was received from Secretary Cortelyou explaining his delay in giving the financial figures which had been.asked for. Unrest mined opportunity to express views on the immigration question was afforded members of the House by the decision, soo% a f <er convening, to take up and bill appropriating $250,000 for an immigration station in Philadelphia, and so many took advantage of it that the code of laws bill, which the managers of the House had planned to take up, was also sidetracked for the day. The entire session was devoted to a consideration of the bill, which was passed. • *"7 *“ The Senate Tuesday discussed the propriety of authorizing one of its committees to investigate the circumstances connected with the issuance of an injunction in the case of thgw-pitchman Coal and Coke Company versus John Mitchell, by Judge Alston G. Dayton of thP United Slates Circuit Court of the northern district of West Virginia. Senator Culberson asked to have a resolution for that purpose adopted, and Hale thought it should not harass judges in their decisions, and he did not favor such a resolution Unless there was considerable ground for believing that a judge had exceeded his authority. Considerable time was spent in considering the bill to revise the criminal code. At the close of a day of excitement in the House of Representatives an amendment was added to the penal code bill making It a criminal offense' for any officer or employe of the government to give out advance information regarding any crop statistics authorized by law to be prepared. The original amendment was by Mr. Burleson of Texas, who made a strong plea for its passage, but a substitute by Mr. Sherley of Kentucky, with a brief addition by Mr. Olmsted of Pennsylvania, was accepted. Earlier in the day interest attached to a ti.lt between Mr. Daiziel of Pennsylvania and Mr. Randell of Texas over the latter's amendments prohibiting Senators or members from being employed by public service corporations. The Senate spent over anNiour Wednesday in discussing a resolution offered by Senator Hansbrough of North Dakota directing the Department of Commerce and Labor to suspend its investigation into the affairs of the International Harvester Company, which was ordered t>y a resolution over a year ago. During this discussion Senator Hansbrough declared that the “harvester trust” is attempting to control the selection' of delegates to n®xt KepubllcanTnational convention and Is especially plotting to defeat him for re-election to the Senate. The resolution finally was referred to a committee. The criminal code bill was again considered for over two hours. Rapid progress was made in the House of Representatives in the consideration of the bill to codify and revise the penal law 3 of the United States. The only amendment of any importance which got through was one by Ollie James dt Kentucky, making it a criminal offense, under heavy penalty, to falsify government crop, statistics*. the Object of the amendment being to protect the cotton and tobacco growers from speculators. Over fifty pages of the bill were disposed o^.

In the Senate Thursday Senator Stone presented statistics of government deposits in national banks to show that the distribution of money during the recent currency stringency was not/“e<iuitable,” as contemplated by the law governing the Treasury Department. He declared that the West and South were discriminated against, while New York and Boston were favored, „ Senator Teller followed with brief comment upon the action of the Secretary of the Treasury, declaring that the placing of money in New York City during the pauic was fully justified. The Senate devoted the latter part of the session to a consideration of the bill to revise the criminal code, and adjourned until Monday. The urgent deficiency appropriation bill occupied the attention of the ilouse to the « exclusion of all other business. A surprise was sprung when Chairman Tawney of the appropriations committee wanted the members that the country was confronted with the certainty of a $W»9,000,000 deficit unless the estimates for the next fiscal year should be cut down materially. A discussion on tariff revision was injected into the proceedings, in which leaders on both sides of the llqyae tried to commit one another to a deflmte announcement as to whether, if successful at the November elections, there would be tariff legislation. The Senate was not in session Friday. Although the urgent deficiency bill was technically up for consideration in tbe Ilouse, not a word pertinent tb the bill was spoken. Under the privilege of general debate several members addressed the llonse on a variety of subjects, but the speech which attracted most attention was a criticism by Mr. Hitchcock of Nebraska „of a political forecast by Gen. Charles H. Grosvjjaor of Ohio. Th» debate brought to Uwir feet numerous I)emocrats, who sprang to the defense of Mr. Bryan, while Gen. Kelfer of Ohio, supported by several other Republicans, undertook to refute all the arguments concerning Mr. Bryan's two campaigns. Adjournment was taken until Monday.