The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-22
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS.
THE SENATE.
Discussion of the Naval Appropriation-Pass
age of the Military AcademY Bin.

MT. morgan moved JnaJ inc matter De con
sdered in secret legislative session. The motion
was seconded by Mr.. Cameron, of Wisconsin,
and the doors were ordered closed. While the
order was being executed Mr.. Conger said, II
call for the other side," to which Mr.. Cameron,
of Wisconsin, replied, '"There is no other side
to it," which raised laugh at Mr.. Conger's ex-
ponse, as the rules provide that on demand be-
ing 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
minutes, were considered opened for the pur
pose of receiving q request from the House for
further conference on the naval bill, which re
quest was granted.
When the secret legislative session closed, the
Senate went into executive session. When the
doors were reopened, MIR. Hoar moved to take
up for consideration the house resolution pro-
viding for adjournment from to day until Jan.
b, and the resolution was taken up.
Mr.. Hoar asked Mr.. Allison, chairman of the
appropriations committee, as to the condition of
things in case the Senate should agree to the
resolution in question.
Mr.. Allison said if the Senate passed this reso
luton and the two houses should adjourn to the
date named. there would on the LIST of January
be no money from which the navy could be paid
Every senator could, therefore, Judge for him
self whether it was the duty of the Senate to
adjourn
Mr.. Hale said the Senate had. yesterday by
unanimous vote, supported the positions of its
committee and insisted its amendments. The
House was advised of this fact. 1t appointed
conferees and sent the bill back to the Senate,
where it arrived at o'clock to-day. In the Sen
ate, further conference was ordered and con-
ferees were appointed He (IIr. Hale) had sent
word to the House confereeS that the Senate
conferees were ready to meet them, but the
House confereeS had not appeared. Mr.. Church
man, OF the House committee, had assured him
(Mr. HaleI that conference was useless unless
the Senate should reeede from its position. The
House was determined that the Senate should
follow the rule adopted by the House, of taking
the appropriation bill of last year and giving
one-haf its amount for the coming half year
The statement was that the House would never
back down.
Mr.. Morgan inquired whether, if the House
should appropriate $500, 600, 900 a year for sup
port of the government without designating the
precise purpose for which it was appropriated.
the Senate would be expected to follow the same
principle
Mr, Hale did not know The House, he said
was willing to insert in the new bill the detailed
items of the old. What was occurring now was
likely to occur frequently. He would be glad %
see the Senate show that it was in earnest in
this matter
Mr.. Mcpherson asked whether it was not
almost absolutely certain that there would be
no quorum in the House after Monday.
MIR. Hale said that when the House had
taken its attitude on this important matter it
supposed its members would not run away and
leave it.
Mr.. Mcpherson said he had heard too much
criticism Of the House. The true difficulty was
the Senate had insisted on attaching to the ap-
preparation bill proVison-the steel-cruiser
clause-that had no place there. After twelve
or thirteen months the Senate was still insisting
on that provision, which was improper in that
place when it knew the House would not yield.
Mr.. Hale said the House had not even given
the Senate an opportunity of receding from that
or any other amendment
Mr.. Mcpherson thought the House quite right
in its position, so long as the Senate insisted on
that amendment
Mr.. Beck said the position of the House con-
ference committee that it would not take
up or consider the bill prepared at tine last ses-
sion by the House itself and amended by the
Senate
MIR. Ingalls, said this was a repetition of the old
problem of an irresistible force meeting an i'm
movable body. 1t was an illustration of the old
saying that you could lead a horse to water, but
you could not make him drink There was a
question about which tho Senate should not
stultfy itself, but the practical question was,
what would happen if no appropriation bill was
passed for the navy by Jan. 1.
Mr.. Hale replied that he did not suppose it
would be a killing matter. He did not suppose
the department would expire.
MIR. ingalls, was glad to hear this. He would
have inferred he said, from Mr.. Hale's re-
marks, that the feeble remnant of the Ameri-
can navy, about which we had heard so much,
would probably be engulfed on or about the
LIST of january if no appropriation were passed
meanwhile.
Mr.. Hale did not know why Mr. ingalls, should
have INDUCED such melancholy forebodings. He
mir Hale) had said nothing to warrant them.
Mr.. Ingalls, did not see, then, what all this de-
bate was about. If the flag was still to float and
the sails were still to be bent, and the gallant
tars to be fed, why could not the Senate adj
journ2
MIR. Hale did not think it proper that any de-
partment of the government should be left
single day without an appropriation.
Mr.. ingalls, concurred in this opinion.
Mr.. Corger said it was not question whether
anybody would starve, but whether the United
States should be governed by law or by the ex-
ecutive departments. If these departments
could carry Gil the government for FIVE
days without the aid of law, why
not longer2 Mr.. Conger rallied Mr. ingalls, upon
the view taken by him Of matter involving so
important principle That senator, Mr.. Conger
said, had been one looked up to in the Senate for
standing by principle. but he regretted to say
that the idol was tottering to its fall Laugh
ter. He hoped, however, that the senator would
resume his high position in the esteem of his
fellow senators.
AT O'clock message was received from the
House making provision for the naval service for
thirty days from the 3lsU of December next.
Mr. Butler called for immediate consideration,
and the bill was read.
Mr.. Logan opposed consideration It permit.
ted, he said, the expenditure of money not con
templated by Congress. 1t was based on the
appropriation for the former year, mary items
of which would not apply to the coming year.
Besides 1T was not such legislation as should
ever be countenanced by either branch of Con
gress, except in cases of extreme emergency
No such emergency existed now while so much
time of the session remained 1t was legislation
of most vicious character
Mr. Bayard while not wishing to use so Sc
we're term as vicious" argued that it was a
method derogatory to the proper course of leg
isaton. 1t was patching up" process not
desirable in appropriation bills. Still. the Sen
ate had already accepted a makeshift, and as a
large number of members of the House and
some of the Senate had gone, he (NIr. Bayard)
saw no dereliction of duty in adopting, in this
emergency, course that had already been fol
lowed
Mr. Logan wished to know whether senator's
should submit if one man in this country in
sisted on making the laws