Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-09-27
FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 81, 1898.

Mr.. Cummings authorizing the Pres
dent to make with other governments
an international agreement for the re-
porting, marking and removing of dan
gerous wrecks, derelicts and other
menaces to navigation in the north At
iantic ocean.
Mr.. Teller offered a resolution which
went over until tomorrow calling upon
the Secretary of the Treasury for in
formation as to when, in what amounts.
and under what circumstances the
Treasury Department has anticipated
the payment of the annual interest in
government bonds since July /, 1880.
The resolution offered by Mr.. Dubois
yesterday to postpone action on finan-
cial, tariff and federal election meas
ures until next January, when the
States of Washington, Montana and
Wyoming may be fully represented in
the Senate, was taken up. and Mr. Du-
bois made an argument in lis sup
port. He described the importance
of the question involved. These
three States, were now, he said, de-
prived of their vote aud importance in
measures that were vitaly important
to them. 1t was no fault Of the people
of those three States that they were
not fully represented in the Senate. 1t
was their misfortune which the Senate
could cure.
Mr.. Dubois then went at some length
into the history Of the case and quoted
largely from Mr. Hoar's majority re-
port from the committee on privileges
and elections in favor Of seating the
then claimants. He had no reasonable
doubt that if his resolution were adopt
ed the governors and legislators Of the
three States would see to it that their
full quota of Senators would be in the
Senate before the time fixed by him.
He imagined the case ola force biil''
being brought before the Senate while
three Of the southern States were only
partially represented, or the case OF Il
tariff bill pending when three New
England States were in the like posi-
ton; and he asked whether, in the one
case, the constitutional right Of every
State to have two Senators at all times
would not be perfectly plain to Sena
tors from the South, and, in the other
case, equally plain to Senators from
New England. 1t was dangerous, he
said, to proceed with the pending legis
lation until those States, which were
so seriously affected by it, had proper
representation in the Senate.
Mr.. Mitchell said he agreed, in the
main, with the position of the Senator
from Idaho as to the inadvisatility of
rushing through repeal of the silver
purchasing act without substituting
some other legislation. While regret
ting, as much as the Senator from
Idaho could regret, the fact that those
three States were, unfortunately, de-
prived for the time being Of one Sena-
tor each, he regarded the proposition
of the Senator from Idaho as one of the
most remarkable that had ever been
presented to the Senate For that rea-
son, Notwithstanding his great sympa-
thy for those States, he should oppose
the resolution to the bitter end. He
put the case of Senator dying or be-
ing expelled, and asked whether the
Senate should then "call a halt; until
the vacancy was filled. Such propo-
sition could not be maintained for
solitary moment either now or at any
other time. Whatsteps Che asked had
those States taken during the last
m )nth looking to full representation
in the Senate? Had the Governor Of
any one of them convened the legisla
ture for the purpose of filling them :?
Mr.. Chandler suggested to Mr.. Du-
bois not to press the resolution for ac-
ton, but to let it go over for the pres
ent because the course of events might
in few days, show its adoption to be
unnecessary. He was willing to vote,
at any time, to postpone action on the
federal election law and on the tariff.
But, inasmuch as he proposed, now, to
vote for the passage of the repeal bill,
he was not prepared to decide wheth-
er he would, or would not, vote to
postpone action on that bill until after
these three vacant seats were filled.
He suggested the consideration of the
be postponed until debate
on the pending question be exhausted.
It was conceded, he said, that there
were many days Of debate yet before
the repeal bill could be voted on; and
the situation at that time might be
such that he should be unwilling to
vote for the resolution.
Then Mr.. Wolcott broke into the dis
cussion, and he also spoke of the "sud-
den and inexplicable changes that the
vote on the admission Of the appointed
senators had undergone. It was, ne