Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-02
House.

House.
WASHINGTON, March 1.-The conference
report on the fortifcation appropriation
bill, was agreed to. 1t appropriates
S295,000 more than when it passed the
house.
Mr.. Page moved to suspend the rules
and adopt an order limiting debate on the
river and harbor bill, except in regard to
items for the improvement of the Missis-
sippi river, to one minute. Lost, yeas, 133;
nays, So; not the necessary two-thirds in
the affirmative. The house then went into
committee of the whole on the state of the
Union, but Mr.. Mr.. Hiscock objected to the
river and harbor bill, and thu committee
rose and reported the objection to the
house.
The house, yeas 124. nays 10Y, ordered
consideration of the river and harbor bill
to be resumed, and Immediately went into
committee on that bill.
Mr.. Turner, of Kentucky, offered an
amendment providing $25,000 of the sum
appropriated for the improvement of the
Ohio river shall be used in improving
Grand Chain rapid.
On motion of Mr.. Willis an amendment
was adopted providing that $4,000 be ex-
pended in improving Indiana chute.
On motion of Mr.. Dawes an amendment
was adopted providing that $1O,50O be ex-
pended at the mouth of the Muskingum
river.
Mr.. Randall moved an amendment
to the provision which prohibits the ex-
penditure of any appropriation until a
commission of five, three of whom shall
be civilians, shall report whether the in
terests of commerce warrant the compile
ton of the project, by reducing the mem
| bership of the commission to three, all of
whom shall ..be engineers of the army
and adopted. At this point a message
was received from the senate announcing
| the appointment of Messrs. Malone and
| McDili, as conferrees on the internal rev
enue bill to fill the vacancies occasioned
| by the declination of Senators Bayard anG
| Beck; the announcement of which was re-
ceivsd with laughter by the Democratic
| side.
In view of the adoption of the amend
ment offered by Mr.. Dwight, reducing the
| appropriation for improving st. Anthony
falls, Minn., from $15O,00O to $4,000, Mr.
Washburn moved to strike out the whole
clause. Agreed to.
The resolution relative to the Mississippi
river having been reached, Mr.. Robinson
of Massachusetts,, offered an amendmen
prohibiting the further construction or re
pair of levees except in performance o
existing contracts.
In opposing the amendment Mr. Hate
| referred to the benefits which the East re
ceived from the federal treasury, and sal
the young West had grown strong, ant
now knew her rights, and in the futur
dared maintain them, and that, notwitf
standing the clamor of a subsidize
press and subsidized representatives, If
be necessary to build a granite wall froI
st. Paul to New Orleans in the name {
the people of the West, he told the house
would be done.
, | Mr. Burrows energetically opposed th
3 ! levee system, believing the building {
levees was not essential to the improv
3 ! ment of the river. He was constantly Il
terrupted with much warmth by Messr
g ! King, Gibson and Ellis, who denied Il
e correctness of his statements.
Mr. Thomas, of ILL.,, antagonized IL
: amendments as tying of the hands of Il
Mississippi commission. Common fai
: ness and commercial importance dema1
: that a commission struggling with one
+ the gravest questions which ever engage
S the minds of the scientific world, should
4 allowed to go on with its hands loose.
d Mr.. Butterworth opposed the leve
r scheme until further experiments show
f their utility. Mr.. Gibson called attentiC
to the fact that there was nothing in t
/ bill authorizing the construction
o | levees.
IL Mr.. Randall said he was in faver
10 making appropriations for the purpose
experimenting to improve the navigate
1t of the Mississippi until at last a soluti
ID of the great water problem should
found. 1It was with that intent he favor
1t the creation of the commission. If IL
'e commission did not answer the purpO
n, after fair trial, let it be abolished. Th
g. let some one else take the business in haI
j. He believed in congress taking absolute a
exclusive control in this matter, but {
Q, | not believe congress had the power to a
D. propriate money TO recover alluvial Ian
st but it had the absolute power, and shoU
at exercise it by proper appropriations,
Id secure the best navigation of the river, a
to if the building of lsvees came as nee
Is, sary incident, congress could not h'
IN that.
rk Mr.. Morrison said he was opposed
building levees for the reclamation of
IT. luvial lands, and If that is what the amel
lg ment means, will vote for it, $50 will
be came in chorus from
If Louisiana members, brt if it W
of necessary, in order to improve the nayi
at. 1 ton of the Mississippi, to build levees,
lg that extent, and that only, would he fa
of their being built. The commission wa:
X good judge of what was proper-bei
ne than the six or eight members who
been sent down the river on pleasure
of by the house. Is was not commiss
TX selected TO pool issues, or to protect I
he tain interests, as soma commissions
en- been; and he was in favor of acting u
its recommendations. He said this,
tn though he was not very partial to conn
sions, because he believed that next
conference committees they were N
al prolific of personal jobs and schemes