The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-20
'THEFORTY-NINTH CONGRESS
The House Refuses to Name Date for
Consideration Of the Naval Bill.
The Hennepin Cana, Scheme Also Receives q
Black Eye-Passage of Bill for the Extern
sion of the Immediate Delivery System.

WASHINGTON, April 19.-Mr. Herbert, OF Ala
bama, from the committee on naval affairs.
moved to suspend the rules and adopt a resoiu-
ton making the bill to increase the naval estab
ishment a continuing special order from Thurs
day, April %, until Tuesday. the 9th of April.
On which latter day the previous question shall
be considered as ordered. 1t excerpts. however,
appropriation bills, special orders, public lands
bills, and private bills on Friday, which shall
not be antagonized.
Mr. Herbert appealed for a consideration by
the House Of the great question involved in the
resolution. Our cities by the sea, he said, were
absolutely at the mercy of any foreign power.
Brazil could successfully lombard any city on
the Atlantic coast, while Chilli could successfully
lombard San Francisco Both parties were COM
mitted to an increase of the naval establishment,
and on no pretense should the bill be allowed to
fail
Mr. Morrison. Of Illinois, opposed the resolu-
Hon on the ground that as the bill would be
crowded out by the excepted measures until the
, measure which involved the expenditure of
millions of dollars after but a short debate.
Mr Holman of Indiana, objected to the naval
establishment bill, because it would displace
measures Of greater public interest-the land
forfeiture bills.
Mr.. Hewitt, Of New York, said that, In refus-
ing to give day to the consideration of the
naval establishment bill, the House would be
erifling with a grave and important question.
The country was lamentably deficient in means
of defense, and it was grave question to-day, in
she negotiations with foreign countries, whether
the United States could take the stand on public
questions which the interest and dignity of q
great country demanded.
The motion to suspend the rules and adopt the
resolution was lost-yeas 49, nays 104-not
two-thirds voting in the affirmative
On motion of Mr.. Dockery Of Missouri, from
the committee on postofices and post-roads, the
rules were suspended, and bill was passed to
Bxtend the immediate delivery service. Itpro-
Vides for this service within the carrier delivery
Omit of any free delivery Office, and within one
mile of any other postoffice which the Postmas-
Uer-general may designate.
On motion of Mr.. McRae, of Arkansas from
the committee on public lands, the rules were
suspended and bill was passed providing for
the sale of the Cherokee reservation in the State
of Kansas.
On motion of Mr. Hill, of Ohio, from the com
mittee on territories, the rules were suspended,
and a resolution adopted setting apart the 1st
and 9th Of May for the consideration of business
reported by that committee. This business
will include the Oklahoma bill
Mir. Murphy, of Iowa, from the committee on
commerce, moved to suspend the rules, and
adopt resolution making the Hennepn canal
bill continuing special order for May 6
Mr.. Browne, of Indiana, opposed the resolution
because he opposed the canal bill. It ought not
to pass tho House. 1t was the inauguration of
system which would lead to prohigate expendi-
ture; 1t was an Inauguration of class legislation,
which was in the face of the Constitution.
Mr.. Hatch, of Missouri, objected to the reso-
luton for the reason that under it the canal bill
would be taken out of the committee Of the
whole and considered in the House, where the
previous question could be ordered at any time.
y There was no more merit in the bill than in
other canal bills and there was no reason why
it should be given precedence.
The motion to suspend tho rules and adopt
the resolution was lost-yeas, liz: nays. 103-
not the necessary two thirds vote in the affirm
alive.
Mr. Dibble. of South Carolina, from the com
mittee public buildings and grounds, moved
to suspend the rules and adopt y resolution
setting apart the 9th day of May and succeeding
days for the consideration of public building
measures.
Mr. Dibble explained that these measures In
volved an expenditure of about 81 000, 600.
Mr. Blount, Of Georgia, opposed the resolu-
tion because it set apart an unlimited time to
the consideration of an unlimited number of
bills 1t was the inauguration Of march on
the Treasury such as no Congress had ever toll
Grated before.
Mr.. Dibble inquired whether the gentleman
had not supported proposition broad as the
Mr.. Blount replied that there had been no such
proposition presented. The proposition then
had been to fix one day for consideration of the
bills, while the proposition to-day was that pub
lie business should be suspended to allow Con-
gresS to go on appropriating for any public build
ing that anybody wanted.
Mr.. Dibble said that the gentleman misappre-
heEded the character OF the resolution adopted
nc the last Congress. He quoted from the Record
to show that that resolution made public build
gpacial md
marked that s'the question was taken by yeas
and nays, and (sarcastcally) by some accident,
] suppose, the name of the gentleman from
Georgia-Mr. BloInt-is recorded in the affirm
Mr. MeMillin, of Tennessee declared that only
three or four bills had passed the House by vir-
tue of that resolution, and that then the order
had broken down under tho weight of its own
r0ttenneSs.
Mr.. Dibble replied that the order had broken
down because a small minority of the House had
fHbustered against its execution. He asserted
that 1t would be in the interest Of the public
business to have the resolution adopted, as it
would prevent recurrence OF the practice of
passing public building measures during the sx-
piring hours of Congress, whether recommend
cd by committee or not. Was the House afraid
OF itselfY Ware the gentlemen afraid that the
House would run away with the Treasury on it's
backa
Mr. Bayne, of Pennsylvania was In favor of
the resolution. on the ground that the time would
be less harmfully employed by the public build
ing measures than by the tariff bill The
House, however, was rather inconsistent in re-
fusing to consider the naval establishment bills
and thus voting want of confidence in the Sec.
rotary of the Navy, and then casting vote Of
confidence In itself in regard to public buildings
- Mr. Blount, of Georgia, pointed out shat the
resolution for which he had voted during the last
Congress- was not similar to the one now under
consideration The former had had reference
% bills then in committee of the whole on the
Speakers table, while the latter referred to any
bill the cammittee might report in the future
The motion to suspend the rules and adopt
the resolutions was lost-yeas 143, nays 78-not
two-thirds voting in the affirmative.
Mr.. Richardson of Tennessee, from the COM
mittee on Pacific railroads moved to suspend
The rules and pass bill requiring the Northern
Pacific railroad Company to psy the cost of To-
sating and surveying the lands granted to that