The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-01-07
THE HOUS SE.
Relief for Russia Considered-Census De-
fciency Bill Defeated.

| Relief for Russia Considered-Censu De-
fciency Bill Defeated.
The House discussed at length the ques-
ton of referring the Senate joint resolution
authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to
transport contrbu tions for the relief of the
suffering peo pie of Russia, and the petition
| to the effect that the United States should
| extend its aid 10 Russian sufferers.
| The motion to refer to the Committee on
! Appropriations was withdrawn and the mo-
| ton 70 refer to tie Naval Committee was
| defeated.
The question then recurred on the motion
! to proceed to the immediate consideration
| of the resolution. This was agreed to and
! the resolution was considered in Committee
! Of the Whole.
! A letter from Robert P. Porter, Superin-
| tendent of the Census, was received by Con-
! grPss. accom- anied by deficiency estimate
! of $1,000, 600 for continuing the work of the
| census. Superintendent Porter says the
work of the Census Oaiee is well advanced,
! and If the appropriation asked for be made
! Immediately, it will be pOss Bile to bring the
work practically to termination by the
! close of 1892 or the spring Of 1898 The APP
| propriations for the census thus far aggre-
! gate So, 100000.
The resolution was indefinitely postponed.
| This is equivalent TO defeat.
BOunt of Georgia asked that the Senate
| Joint resolution authorizing the Secretary
| Of the Navy to transport the contributions
| for the relief OF the suffering poor of Russia
| be referred to the Committee on Naval
| Affairs.
! Kilgore of Texas objected, cOntending
| that it should be referred to the Committee
| on Appropriations. There was much dis
| cussiOn on the matter.
Bryan of Nebraska hoped the apprOpria-
| tiGn of 500, 600 would be stricken from the
resolution. If Congress was not em-
powered to aid the citizens Of its own
| country in Nebraska during the drought,
| how was it empowered to carry the corn
raised this year in Nebraska to the people
| of another country? Where would this
/ stop? My Republican friends are assert
! ing that the Mckinley bill has been throw
| ing out of employment many labOrerS in
| other countries and that they are now in
! distress. If 1t was our duty to aid those
| whom the wisdom of God had brought to
| distress, how much more would it be our
| duty to aid those whom the folly of an
| American Congress had brought to distress?
Ralnes Of New York and B0utelle of Maine
strongly urged the adoption OF the resOlu-
| tiOn. Gates made constitutional argument
| against 1t.
Pendleton of Virginia argued that Russia
was perfectly able to aid her own subjects if
| she desired. Russia was a menace to mod
ern civilization and threat to peace.
| KilgOre withdrew his motion to refer the
| resolution 10 the OODlHllIL6b Ou ApI'iupiid-
tORs and Herberts III otion to refer 1t to the
! Committee on Naval Affairs was lost.
The House then, on motion OF BlOunt
| agreed to proceed to the immediate cOnsld-
Grafton of the resolution.
Holman Of Indiana moved to strike out
the appropriation clause. lie could not see
| any reason why the United States should
| charter ship to transport provisions con-
! tributed by her citizens to the sufferers in
Russia. The Russian Government was
amply able TO do this.
Breck fridge of Kentucky argued for C. Q
resolution. 1t was constitutional, it was
humane; therefore it was American, there
| fore it was Democratic, and for once he was
willing to make the Democrats responsible
for it,
Dockerey of Missouri called attention to
the fact that the report of the Secretary of
the Treasury showed that the expenditures
of the Government we're exceeding the reve-
nues. The present Administration had been
coeTced by the condition OF the treasury to
refund more than twenty-five millions of the
| bonded Indebtedness uf the Government
due ON the first OF last September. The Ad-
| ministraton had been constrained by the
depleted condition of the treasury to suspend
the sinking fund for tie present year, re-
requiring eighty millions of our revenues.
| The Democrats whose seats had been gained
on the issue OF retrenchment ard reform
must realize that they were confronted by
more than Sl40,000,000 of existing and mu-
tured indebtedness, for which there was for
payment to-day an available cash surplus,
excluding subsidiary coin, Of $4,000 coo.
Morse of Massachusetts offered an amend
ment that no discrimination be made in the
distribution Of the supplies against the cti-
zens Of the Russian Empire known as
Israelites or Jews. Rejected.
After further debate Holman's motion to
strike out the appropriation clause was
agreed to, 166 to 20.
Breckenridge of Kentucky remarked that
1t was perfectly clear that the United States
Navy had no ships which could be used,
and that the resolution was now useless
one.
A motion to POSTPONE its consideration
indefinitely was agreed to, 93 10 81 This /:
equivalent to a defeat OF the measure.
The House then adjourned.