The record-union., 1891-02-11
PROCEEDINGS IN CONGRESS.
THE PACIFIC CABLE AMENDAIDNT
AGREED TO IN THE SENATE.
Commander Reiter's Action in the
Barrundia Affair Discussed
in the House.
Special to the REcoRp-uN1oN.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 10.-The House bill
to revise the wages of certain employees
OF the Government Printing Office was
taken up and passed, with substitute
providing that all night employees be paid
20 per cent. in addition to the amount paid
for day labor
,A conference was -aslsad, and AIandar-,
son, Hawley and German appointed con-
ferees on the part of the Senate. Dawes,
Plumb and German were appointed con-
ferees on the part of the Senate on forti-
fications
The naval appropriation bill was then
taken up and Hale made statement as
to its provisions.
The first amendment reported from the
Committee on Appropriations was the
following: To enable the President to
cause careful soundings to be made be-
tween San Francisco and Honolulu for
the purpose of determining the practical
bility of laying telegraphic cable
between those points, S20,0 GOO, or so much
thereof as may be necessary, and the
President is hereby authorized to direct
the use of any vessel or vessels belonging
to the United States in making such sur
vey. 1t was agreed to after remarks by
regarded as committing the Government
ia any way to the proposition that the
Government was to lay the cable.
The item of $4,000 for equipment and
arms for naval militia in various States
was challenged by Carlisle, and ex-
States that had organizations for drilling
and training for naval services, just as the
land militia had for land service.
Carlisle opposed the item. He thought
it merely the beginning of bounty sys-
tenn.
The paragraph was amended to read
''for arms" instead of equipment and
arms" and agreed to-31 to I5.
The next amendment was one proyid-
ing for drydock on the Columbia River
or on Puget Sound.
Allen moved a substitute fixing the
site at Port Orchard or ON Puget Sound.
No action reached on the amendment.
A message from the President, with
the correspondence relating to the con-
duct of Commander Reiter, was present.
ed and referred to the Committee on
Naval Affairs.
The Presidents veto message on the
bill for q public building at Dallas. Tex.
with the action of the House passing the
bill over the veto, was presented and re-
ferred.
Eulogies were delivered ON the late
Representative Walker of Missouri, and
the Senate adjourned.
IN THE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, Feb. l0.-In the House
the House bill increasing to 500 month
the pension of the widow of General
Custer was passed.
Unanimous consent for the Committee
on Coinage, Weights and Measures to SIT,
during the session of the House was
granted.
The House then went into Committee
of the Whole on the legislative appropri-
alton bill.
In the general debate the Barrundia case
was revived by Dalzel of Pennsylvania.
who defended the action of Commander
Reiter. The public reprimand adminis-
tered to the Commander by the Secretary
of the Navy, he said, was unWarranted
and unjust. DalZell affirmed that Guate-
mala had right to arrest Barrundia while
on board the Acapulco. Was there. he
asked, one law to be followed when we
faced Guatemala and another when ye
faced Great Britain, France or Germany ,
He said, NAY" The killing of Barrundia
could not do the American flag any harm
1t never had been the function of our flag.
il was not now, and it never would be. 10
protect criminals, to defeat the admistra-
ton of justice, to defy well recognized
principles of international law in the
ports of any power, whether great or in
significant.
Lodge of Massachusetts, and Deliver of
Iowa defended the action of the Secretary
of the Navy.
Boutelle of Maine said he would not
have written the letter to Commander
Reiter that the Secretary had published
and if he had written it he would not
publish it.
Fithian of Illinois opposed the shipping
| bill, and attacked Charles Hill, Secretary
of the Shipping League, on account of his
statement that he tFithian) was a British
as a lie and the author as an unmitigated
liar.
Farquhar of New York briefly defended
the bill, and without disposing of it the
| committee rose and the House adjourned.