The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-25
THE CONGRESSIONAL QUARREL.

Senator Hale Explains the Position Taken
by the Senate.
Special TO the Indianapolis Journal.
WAsHINGToN, Dec "a "A good deal of harsh
criticism has been passed by some members
to-day upon what they term the effort of tie
Senate to coerce the prerogatives of the House
in forcing the latter to pass a appropriation
bill for the navy. 1t is claimed by them that
the Senate has placed itself in hostile attitude
towards that body, that creates all the measures
looking toward revenue and maintenance of the
government service and that the assumption
of the Senate is insulting. 1t looks now as
though some crank in the House would try
resent the insult" as of them termed it
this afternoon, by offering resolution on the
subject
In any event, the action of the Senate in re-
fusng to take holiday adjournment, as re-
quested by the House, means fight in the future,
aud it is anticipated that it will cause good
many jars and not little delay during the re-
mainder of the session. The position taken by
the Senate the naval bill, last spring was in
clined to foment little feeling, and now that
the Senate has rubbed it in, the gauntlet ID
down for free fight.
Senator Hale, who has charge of the naval ap-
preparation bill in the Senate as chairman Of tho
naval sub committee of the committee on appro-
priations, was asked to state the position of the
Senate in the pending issue with the House, and
the reasons which underlie the disagreement
with that body. He said:
THE controversy of this session arose out of
the fact that at the last session the House OF
Representatives refused to go forward in the
work Of rebuilding the navy. | felt in managing
the bill that while it was proper for the Senate
to maintain its ground. and while it was very de-
sirabe that the work of rebuilding the navy
should not be delayed still, under the rules that
govern the two bodies, the Senate could not ia
the end coerce the House. The session expired,
the bin, with all the Senate amendments, was
left in conference and the two bodies passed
what is called an emergency bill, giving the
Navy Department 80 per cent. Gf the appropria-
tion of last year to run until Jan. /, 1883. This
session the attitude of the Senate has been that
the regular appropriation bill for the current
year. ending July l, 1885. should be taken up
and considered by the two houses, deducting
from its appropriations what had already been
given for the first half of the year BY this the
items for the head and several bureaus of the
Navy Department would all be given under the
estimates made for the present year.
"The House blindly insisted on another six
months temporary provision, going back to last
years appropriations and giving % per cent OK
them. The Senate insisted that suca "a way of
appropriating is not a good one; that each years
appropriations should be considered by them
selves and presented to the House conferecs for
their consideration the regular bill for the nres
ent year, as prepared by the House and amended
by the Senate including the provisions for the
cruisers, and the monitors, and all the extraor
dinary appropriations for rebuilding the navg-
The House conterees declined even to consider
this amendment. The result of that attitude on
the part of the House has been that no appro-
priations have been made and that the Navy De
partment, after the stof January, will find itself
without actual appropriations. OF course the
department will not expire Under the general
statutes giving the secretary the right to provide
for its indispensable needs, it will run on until
some bill is passed.
"As some attempt has been made in the House
TO convey the impression that the Senate seeks
to force the House from its position against the
new navy, | have this morning, by the unaui-
nous direction Of the full committee on appro-
priations, reported as an amendment to the bill
of the House, giving months appropriation to
the Navy Department. substitute, which makes
the regular appropriations in the usual form for
the last half of the present fiscal year, and have
taken as a basis of that bill the regular naval
appropriation bill for the present year. as it
passed the House at the last session and came to
the Senate All the extraordinary items in ref
erence to new navy are left off because the
House has so persistently opposed them. The
present bill will no doubt. pass the Senate to-
morrow. If the House does not consent to take
it up, it rejects its own action at the last ses-
sion, and persists in maintaining that the Navy
Department must its own bill--a bill
which the Speaker of the House has decided on
a point of order, is not one of the regular appro
priation bills
THE action of the Senate has been eminently
conservative, and there can be little doubt that
in the end the House must recede But should
any emergency arise and the American people
be found unprepared, in view Of complications
with foreign powers, and with navy compara-
lively useless it will plainly be seen that at
least two years have been wasted by reason Of
the obstructive course of the House of Repre-
sentatives l think that by this time the public
will understand that any delay in the rebuilding
of our navy results from the attitude of the
House. If our next administration finds itself
without means to rebuild the American navy
the responsibility for that rests with the branch
of Congress that sympathizes with it politically.
Mr.. Clevelands administration will be more in
terested and more affected by this condition
than anybody else"