The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-04-03
WASHINGTON.
IT is ANOTHER BILLION DOLLAR
CONGRESS

CONGRESS
IN spite Of Deficits Chairman Cannon
Admits It-RcvOIt Against Reed. In
Doesn't Hold Out--uBig Naval Addition
pnSiicnms-Even over Pemsicms-HiI
Predicts Republican Victories Al
Round
The agreement of the conference
committee last week on the Cuban res
buttons. to accept them as passed b.
the senate, was n strategic move II
avoid the delay of interminabc de
bate in tho senate. The House vii
only have to consider and accept these
resolutions, and no further action viii
be required by the upper branch. But
it has not done this yet. The resolu
tions are simply concurrent and eX,
press the opinion of congress that
public war exists, that belligeIent
rights should BIO accorded to each side
and that the friendly offices OF the
United States should be offered by the
president to the Spanish government
for the recognition of the independ'
ence of Cuba.
The House had quite revolt Friday
against Speaker Reeds program OF
limiting the sessions work to the DIP.
preparation bills and reaching an early
adjournment. The day was one fixed
by the rules for private bills unless APP
propriation bills which are Of higher
privilege, intervene. So Chairman
| Cannon of the committee, by Reeds or
der of course, insisted on putting the sun
dry civil bill in front, Hepburn of Iowa
antagonizcd him and on the question
] e hpntpn
in a rising vote, and then, getting eX-
cited and demanding tellers, he was
beaten again. although his Lieutenant
on the committee Mr.. Grout. called
out, "Votc with the appropriations
committee and adjourn May :, and
| then, when Mr.. Cannon, with some bit
terness, demanded the yeas 4and nays,
the roll call showed 142 in the affirm
ativc to II in the negative. The
announcement of the reult was re-
ceivcd with applause. The Democrats
for the purpose OF rapping Reed,
joined with the McKinleyites and the
Republicans who had private bills to
put through. But IA resolution was
soon passed to consider only private
pension ills. There was considerable
talk of breakingIup Reeds whole lcgis-
lative programme and trying to pass
not only private bills but general legis-
lation and provide for new public
buildings and other costly public works.
But the later developments indicate
that this cannot be done and Reed is
still supreme.
The evening session developed Il
family row among the Republicans re-
gdrding pension legislation. 1t started
ever bill to pension photographer
who was injured while taking pic
ture of Longstreet's Notifications at |
Suffolk, Va. under order of Gen. |
Peck. Connolly of Illinois, Republican,
attacked the committee for bringing I
in bills of this class to pension men |
who were not enlisted. while hundreds
of cases of bona fide soldiers remained |
in the committee room, and he INDUCED
in some more remarks about too
many presidential candidates, which
was construed into an assault ON Reed
and brought out a hot defense from
Mahon of Pennsylvania and even Z
Grosvenor of Ohio. one of the McKin-
ley managers, who insisted that the
soldier had no better friend than the
speaker. Connolly then explained that
he ditln t aim at Reed he only meant
that with great Republican majority
in the house, Republican quorum
failed to appear at these Friday night ,
sessions. and that there were too many
for the presidency and their
friends in this congress engaged in
their interests to do justice
to the soldiers in the matter of pension
legislation.
Chairman Cannon, admitted Monday
in presenting the sundry civil appro {
1riation bill in the House that this {
you'd be at least billion dollar cen !
yress, and probably much more. Leay- '
ng out whatever provision might be
made for future naval construction and !
liver and harbor work, the appropria- !
ions for this session, he said, could not |
re less than 5506, 600. 600 Even with :
his, the appropriations for public I
works. arc continued only eight months, I
II to the end of the next session. i
Democrats expressed great amusement v
yer it as device for keeping down a
be appropriations, pending the presi t
ential election, which the average k
Democrat is frank enough to admit
hat be would not have been ingenious Z
nough to think of. Cannon in de- +,
,nse argued that the appropriations Z
ere not really diminished, but that Il
ley ought not to be enlarged while G
le government was borrowing money, II
hd that there was no political motive h
| the reduction. ri
Tho House had two more acrim Jnous
abates Tuesday over the appropria- St
ons in the sundry civil bills, for the u
Harry of the superintendent of the al
,ast geodetic survey. and of so. 600 ST
II the detection Of moonshining. In pr
le former case the law fixes the salary on
st, 600 and the committee cut il to eN
J. 900 On the ground that Gen. DUFF in
I'D, the present superintendent, was 70
in Kentucky by the ye
esent administration TO succeed Prof. 4
endcnhall. who. Cannon said. was sN
e most competent man that ever III
Id the position. Stone. Republican, m
Pennsylvania resented the slur DIR
,intcd out that Gen. Dufiield had us
rived bis country in two wars, had ha
ffcrcd in his body for 10 years was Ill
leader in war service and for |.
riod extending over 80 years had
en- prominent in his profession and {.
id the party could not afford to dis IN
inmate against an old soldier what pc
or his politics when none was made
to the other employees. But Cannon SUI
is sustained nevertheless. The moon by
iningd elective provision was at an
oked by Tate and Livingston of &c
,orgia, Duns and Liney, Republican. i'm
North Carolina. who talked of in i'm
sion of homes and great corruption
re- But Savers, Democrat of Tpy res