Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-29
AT THE CAPITOL TO-DAY.
STILL ON APPROPRIATIONS.
ONE BILL UP IN EACH HOUSE.
The Diplomatic Bill D et
Senate.
ed in the
THE sUNDRY CIVIL BILL IN THE HOUSE.
The Senate.

The Senate.
Mr.. Cockrell, from the committee on military
affairs, reported back, with a substitute, the
House bill as to furnishing cannon to soldiers
homes, and it was passed. 1t authorizes the
Secretary of War to deliver to any Of the ma
tional or state homes two obsolete, serviceable
cannon, bronze or iron, suitable for firing
salutes.
Mr.. Jones (Ark. }, from the committee on In
dian affairs, reported a bill to amend the act of
February Is, 1888, authorizing the Choctaw
coal and railroad company to construct and
operate railway through the Indian territory,
and it was passed.
Mr.. Chandler offered resolutions (Which were
agreed toy calling on the Secretary of the Navy
for a statement of expenditures for each six
months OF the present fiscal year, from the ap-
preparations for the construction and repair OF
vessels, and for steam machinery; also for a
statement as to the nature, extent, and cause OF
the recent accident to the cruiser Baltimore.
DIPLOMATIC APPROPRIATION BILL.
The Senate resumed consideration of the
diplomatic and consular appropriation bill
the question being on Mr.. Gibson's amend
ment to make the title of the ministers to
France, Germany, Great Britain and Russia
ambassadors"
Mr.. Stewart inquired Of Mr.. Hale as to the
salaries of ambassadors from France, England.
Germany and Russia, and whether it was pro-
posed Cf the amendments were adopted) to
offer an amendment to increase the salaries of
ambassadors from the United States.
MIR. Hale said that the ministers sent to the
United States did not hold the rank of ambas-
sadors, but that they had large allowances,
which were not made and perhaps never would
be made, to United States ministers, including
some of the best houses in Washington. He
did not propose to follow up the amendment
(if it were agreed toy with proposition to in
crease the salaries. He did not think that
there was any necessary connection between
the two things.
Mr.. Spooner said that he had been disposed
to vote for the amendment, but. on reflection,
he had some doubt about the propriety of it
not for the reason suggested by Mr.. Plumb,
that it was not in harmony with the simplicity
of democratic form of government. He be-
ieved that, next to patriotism, there was no
more pronounced characteristic of the Ameri-
can people than national pride.
He believed that the American people was
not only willing but anxious that its representa-
tives abroad should be clothed with appropriate
official dignity, and that their salaries should be
adequate to enable them to maintain that dig
nifty. The present appropriations seemed to
him inadequate even for the existing grades
of the diplomatic service. In England the year
before last he had seen the house occupied
by the ministers Of other nations, and by the
minister of the United States, and the compari-
son had not been calculated to infame
an American citizen with much pride
on the subject. He should be quite
willing to vote for the amendment, but he
thought there should be coupled with it an in
crease Of compensation. No man could
afford to accept the position of am
bassador who was not possessed of a
private fortune sufficient to enable him
to maintain himself decently as other officials
of that grade did, and the result Of increasing
the rank and not increasing the salary would
be Gas was too much the case now) that foreign
service in the high grades would be barred to
all except men Of great wealth.
House of Representatives.
Mr.. Burrows CMich.) presented petition of
5000 citizens of Utah against the admission of
that territory as state. Referred.
The House then went into committee of the
whole (Alr. Dockery, of Missouri, in the chair)
on the sundry civil appropriation bill.
A somewhat long discussion arose over the
paragraph appropriating $500, 900 for the new
library building, but no change was made.