The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-05-16
Congressional Proceedings.

"WEDNESDAY, MAY Y.-ln the senate the
bill to authorize Rear Admiral John G.
Walker, United States navy, Surgeon
General Tryon and Lieutenant Wood to
accept decorations from the government of
Venezuela for their services near Laguayra
Venezuela, during the revolution of 1892,
was reported from the committee on for
eign relations and passed Mr.. Berry of
Arkansas at first objected to unanimous
consent for the consideration Of the bill, but
finally withdrew his objection and allowed
the bill to pass. His objection was to any
delay in the consideration of the tariff bill.
The whole country, he said-those was ia
vored the bill and those who opposed it
was anxious for its final determination.
The people were getting more impatient at
the delay of the senate. He did not want
to criticise or lecture anybody but from
his standpoint the delay which was going
on from day to day, the weary. speeches.
the never ending statistics, tend to make
the people lose all confidence in and all re-
spect for the senate. That was his candid
Judgment, and he believed it to be the
solemn duty of the senate to set every
thing else aside until the tariff bill was
finally voted on and either passed or killed.
Mr.. Aldrich of Rhode Island then addressed
the senate in opposition to the tariff bill:
- The house went into committee OF
the whole on the naval appropriation bill,
after having voted that the general debate
should be limited to seven hours.
THURsDAY.-Mr. Allen the populist SEN
ator from Nebraska, introduced bill to re-
peal the law under which Coxey and his
subordinates were arrested and convicted.
The Coxey resolution, previously intro
duced, was taken up and favored by Mr..
Ste wart of Nevada. In replying to Mr..
Stewart, Mr.. Hoar of Massachusetts said:
The true way to remedy the trouble is for
the majority Of the fairly chosen representa-
tives of this people in this and in the other
house to work at this great problem de-
lberately, carefully and as best they may.
If free trade las some of you honestly be-
leve), be the remedy, apply it.. If protec-
ton las honestly believe) be the remedy,
apply it. If free coinage of silver by the
United States alone las some of you be-
lieve) be the remedy, apply it, If free coin
age of silver in concert with other nations
las l honestly believe) be one remedy, ap-
ply it. But the one thing that we will not
do is to lay down our constitutional func-
tons and be camored out of our character
as American legislators by any spirit,
whether it finds utterance from Coxey
car or from the seat of the senator from
Nevada" - In the house the death of
Representative Robert +. Bratton of the first
district of Maryland was announced. After
the appointment of a committee to attend
the funeral, the house adjourned for the day.
FRIDAY.-In the discussion of the tariff
bill in the senate, Mr.. Mills and Mr.. Hoar
got into a lively wrangle. Mr. Hoar char.
acterized Mr.. Mills speech as mere vocifer'
|
facts from his imagination 1T may be
possible" Mr.. Mills retorted, that my
speeches in this body may not be accept
able to the pharisee from Massachusetts. l
speak with the fervor and the conviction of
truth" The senate voted that hereafter,
until the tariff bill is disposed of, the morn
ing hour shall close at twelve O'Clock and
the tariff bill shall have the right of way for
the remainder of the day. - There was
| a breezy discussion OF naval affairs in the
| hon in xtrhi oh Mr. m M If NM
York provoked Mr.. Reeds ire by saying
that "from 1869 to 1875 Secretary Robson
had spent on the naval establishment to-
tai of S350,000,0OO, and at the end OF that
period, according to the report, the navy
| would be discreditable to the most diminu-
tive nation in existence, Old tubs were
put under repair, and one OF them was
brought all the way around the Cape from
| the Pacific, IN order that men might be en-
ployed upon it at the Portsmouth yard and
vote for the candidate from the first district
| of Maine, the ex-speaker OF the house, Mr..
Reed" Mr. Reed got the floor and replied
to Mr.. Cummings in sarcastic speech dur
| ing which he charged that gentleman with
having made the same speech in the house
four years ago. Mr.. Reed concluded: "The
fact is, | never have larger majority in
my district than when the democrats have
possession of the navy yard, and II | were
| willing to sacrifice my country for myself |
would want them to have control all the
time. A gentleman said to me not long
ago that the democratic party would last
forever, that it would be here at the end OF
hundred years. That is so. There has
always got to be hind end of things"
Mr.. Boutelle said that the navy yards had
been used by the Cleveland administration
Of 1859 for the influencing of voters and
the manipulation OF patronage to an extent
fully equal to anything that had preceded
that period.
SATURDAY.-In speaking on the tariff bill
in the senate, Mr.. Chandler of New Hamp.
shire said he had been diligently searching
for the pearl of great price, a democratic
tariff principle. Mr.. Hale of Maine made
distinct and unmistakable threat to the
majority, warning them that no parliament
airy technicality could prevail in securing
the passage of any bill approaching the
Wilson bill in complexion. He said he
was glad to see the concession made, but
warned the democrats that il they make
these concessions simply to get the bill
through the senate, and then in conference
| attempted to take them all away, the mi
nority would find way to prevent the
passage of the measure. The industries of
the country were encouraged to a certain
extent, he said, by the changes recently
made, and If, at the last moment, the demo-
Gratis made the effort through the autocratic
power of a conference committee to restore
the abandoned provisions of the Wilson
bill, democrats would find spirit prevail
ing on the republican side of the chamber
vastly different from that which now pre-
vailed. No such bill could, he said, pos
sibly pass, and the republicans would be
watching for any such trick should the at
tempt be made to play it. - The weari-
some debate on various sections of the ma
val appropriation bill was continued in the
| house.
| MoNDAY-tn the senate, the bill to regu-
| late enlistments in the army was taken up
in the forenoon hour. The bill provides
that no private shall be re-enlsted who has
| served ten years or more, and who is over
thirty.tive years of age, except such as have
already served as enlisted men for twenty
years or upward. 1t also provides that
hereafter all enlistments in the army shall
be for the term of three years, and that no
soldier shall be again enlisted in the army
whose service during the last preceding
term of enlistment has not been honest and
faithful; and that in time Of peace no per-
son who is a citizen Of the United States, or
who cannot speak, read and write the Eng
lish language, shall be enlisted in the army
for the first time, provided that the fore
| going requirements as to enlistments in
time OF peace shall not apply to the enlist
ment of Indians, The discussion Of the
chemical schedule of the tariff bill was re-
| sumgd in the afternoon. - The house