Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-12-11
LIVELY CONTROVERSY.
The River and HarbOr Business stirs
Up the House.

/ The kANeE ana haFDOE DuSAncSs SSAES
Up the House.
Special Dispatch TO the Register.
WAsHrSeroS, December 1O.-For the first
time thiA session Saturdays debate In the
House livensd up into something like an
old.time controversy. Page, of California,
from the Commerce Committee, of which
he is chairman, introduced a resolution
asking the Secretary of War to inform the
House whether any of the moneys appro-
priated by the last River and Hsrbor Bill
were expended for purposes not beneficial
TO commerce or navigation. The purpose
of the resolution was not at once evident,
but i'm the discussion which followed, Page,
who is supposed to have lost his seat IN
the next Congress by reason OF his promi-
nence in securing the passage oil the last
River and HarbOr Bill, and who naturally
has no kind recollection of its opponents
and critics, said that any man who de-
nounced that bill was a bowling dema-
gOgue.
from Pages companions in adversely and
stirred up
Cox, of New York.
who said that Pages district in that event
must have been made up almost entirely
OF demagogues at the last election, and that
the holding over the last bill must have
extended over most of the country. He
said further that he had opposed the River
and HarbOr bills persiStently, because he
believed they violated correct constitu-
tional Interpretation, and as he warmed up
in his argument, and his voice, which is
good deal bigger than his body, rang
through the hall and lobbies, the floor COM
menced TO ill up rapidly and the galleries
vakened up to a closer attention.
Robson, who i another forCible and ag-
gresSiye talker, followed in the support OF
the resolution, and this brought out Nc
Lane, Of Maryland, who pitched into the
opponents of the last bill vigorously. Nc
Lane, IN his manner and bearing, reminds
me good deal of the late Charles W. Rus
sell, and is said to be among the best law
yers of the House. He has a Clear-Cut way
of putting things that commands hearing
whenever he speaks, and when began to
arraign the President for the attempt to
defeat the bill and included the New York
delegation in his Indictment, members OF
both sides left their seats and moved to the
front until the crowd looked like political
meeting. When his tall
slender Figure
swaying to and fro and his right hand ex-
tended dramatically in the direction Of the
White House, McLane denounced the
President for virtual usurpation of Con-
eressional rights in undertaking to control
the amount of the appropriation in bill
OF which he admitted the principle to be
correct, and intimated that the real motive
Of the New York Representatives and
press in their opposition consisted in the
fact that New York City, with q feet OF
water in her harbOr, was quite willing to
see her rivals suffer for want OF adequate
harbOrage and water ways for commerce.
Kasson interrupted several times in de-
tense of the Presidents course, out han
died himself badly.
Meanwhile n CrOssfire
ClquestiOns and answers was actively 60
ing on all over the hall, in which Robson,
Kenna. Cox Reed and others took part, and
the Speaker had to WELD the gavel vigor-
ously to preserve order in the debate.
Il will not call the argument OF the gen
tleman from Iowa a subterfuge,' said the
gentleman from Maryland.
No, it isn't worth while, reJolned
KaSsOn.
u agree with YOU" replied the Mary
lander, but, nevertheless, it is ONE and
then, with a laugh all around, the House
passed Pages resolution, and went back to
dull and sleepy routine. Ian.