St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-21
Both Houses are Still in a Squabble
Over the Naval Appropri-
alton Bill.
With No Signs Of Either Party Backing
Down-The Senate Adjourns Till
Monday.
The House Again Tackles the Interstate
Commerce Bill, but without Ac-
ton Adjourns Till Monday.
FoRrY-EIGHrH CONGRESS.
The Senate.

sidered in secret legislative session. The
motion was seconded by Senator Cameron,
OF Wisconsin, and the doors were ordered
closed. While the order was being executed
Senator Conger said: 81 call for the other
side,'' TO which Senator Cameron, OF Wiscon-
sin, replied: 'sThere is no other side to Il, -
which raised a laugh at Couger's expense, as
the rules provide that on demand being at
any time made by two senators the doors of
the senate shall be closed. The senate then
went into secret legislative session.
During the secret session the doors for
few miRUtesv were considered open
for the purpose OF receiving a request
from the house for further conference
Oh the naval bill, which request was granted.
When the secret legislative session closed
the senate went into executive session, and
when the doors we're opened Senator Hoar
moved to take up for consideration the house
resolution providing for adjournment from
to-day until January 8. The resolution was
taken up.
Senator Hoar asked Senator Allison (chair-
man Of the appropriation committee) as to
the condition Of things in case the senate
should agree TO the resolution in question.
Senator Allison said If the senate passed
this resolution, and the two houses adjourned
to the date named, there would on the 1st
Of January be no money from which the
navy could be paid. Every senator could,
therefore, Judge for himself whether II was
the duty of the senate 10 adjourn.
Senator Hale said the seu2te had Yesterday
by unanimous vote supported the position of
its own committee, and insisted on its
amendments.
The house was advised Of this fact, and II
appointed conferees and sent the bill back to
the senate, where it arrived at .
o'clock to-day. In the senate further
conference was ordered, and conferees ap-
pointed. He (Hale) had sent word to the
house conferees that the senate conferees
were ready at any time TO meet them; but
the house eonferees had not appeared. The
chairman of the house committee had as
sured him (Hale) that the conference was
useless unless the senate would recede from
its position. The house was determined the
senate should follow the rule adopted by the
house Of taking the appropriation bill Of last
year aud going one-balf its amount for the
coming year. The statement was that the
house would never back down.
Senator Morgan inquired whether, IL the
house should appropriate $500, 900, 900 year
for the support of the government, without
designating the precise purposes for which 1t
was appropriated, the senate would be ex-
pected TO follow the same principles
Senator Hale did not know. The house,
he said, was willing to insert in the new bill
the detailed items Of the old. What was oc-
curing now was likely TO occur frequently.
he would be glad to see the senate show it
was in earnest in this matter.
Senator Mcpherson asked whether Il was
not almost absolutely certain that there
would be no quorum in the house after Mon
day.
Senator Hale said that when the house had
taken the attitude on the important matter,
be supposed its memberswould not run away
and leave IL.
Senator Mcpherson said he heard too much
criticism Of the house. True, the difficulty
was the senate had insisted on attaching to
an appropriation bill provision, (the steel
cruiser ciause), that had no place there.
After twelve or thirteen months the senate
was still insisting that provision, improper
in that place, when it knew the house would
not yield.
Senator Hale said the house did not even
give the senate an opportunity of receding
from that or any other amendment.
Senator Mcpherson thought the house
quite right in its position as long as the
senate insisted ON that amendment
d.. l. - 81,
conference committee was that il would not
take up or consider the bill prepared at the
last session by the house itself, and amended
by the senate.
Senator Ingalls, said this was a repetition of
the old problem, an irresistible force meet
ing an immovable body. St was also an IL
lustration OF the old saying that you could
lead q horse TO water, but could not make
him drink. There was a question about
which the senate should not stultify itself,
but the practical question was: What would
happen IL no appropriation bill was passed
for the navy by January /.
Senator Hale replied he did not suppose It
would be killing matter. He did not sup
pose the department would expire.
Senator ingalls, was glad to hear this. He
would have inferred, be said, from Sena-
tor Hale's remarks, that the feeble remnant
of the American navy, about which we had
heard SO much, would probably be engulfed
on or about the first OF January II no appro-
priation were passed meanwhile.
Senator Hale did not know why Senator
ingalls, should have INDUCED in such melan-
choly forebodings. He (Hale) had said
nothing to warrant them.
Senator ingalls, did not see then what all
this debate was about II the flag was still
n,a 4 4
and gallant tars to be fed, why could not the
senate adjourn.
Senator Hale did not think il proper that
any department of the government should
be left single day without an appropria-
Senator ingalls, concurred in this opinion
Senator Conger said it was not question
whether anybody would starve, but whether
the United States should be governed by law
or by the executive departments. IL these
departments could carry on the government
for five days without the aid OF the law, why
not for longer.
Senator Conger rallied Senator ingalls, up
on the view taken by him Of the matter in
volving SO important a principle. That,
Senator Conger said, had been one looked up
TO in the senate for standing by the principle,
but he regretted TO say that the idiot was tot
teriug to its fall. (Laughter.) He hoped,
however, that the senator would resume his
high position in the esteem Of his fellow
senators. 81 lr
AT o'clock message was received from
the house making provision for the naval
service for thirty-one days from the 31st day
of December next
Senator Butter called for immediate con-
sideratiou and the bill was read.
Senator Logan opposed it. 1t permitted,
be said, the expenditure of money not con-
tcmplated by congress. As it was based on
the appropriation Of the former year many
items which would not apply TO the coming
wear. Besides II was not such legislation as