The herald., 1896-04-15
in THE HOUSE
The Fertilization Appropriation Bill Passed
Without Amendment

WASHINGTON. April 1.-THE house
today passed without amendment the
fortinCation appropriation bill, carry
ing appropria tiOns and authorizations
involving an expenditure of Sll,3S4.6l3.
The appropriations for Notifications
since the Endcott commission in 1886,
reported its plan for the defense of
tWentySeVen sea ports at an approx
mate cost of $lO0, 900, 600 have averaged
something over S20o0,000 annually.
During the debate today there was Il
number of references to our foreign
oomplca tions and the necessity of pre-
pairing for any possible emergency.
Only one voice was raised against the
passage of the bill. Mr.. Berry y(Democrat
of Kentucky thought it would be wis
dom to build ships capable of coping
with the most powerful battleships of
other nations, rather than to erect fixed
fOrtiticationS on our sea coasts.
Mr.. Bingham (Republican of Pennsyl-
vania) presented the conference report
on the legislative, executive and judi
cial appropriation bill and explained,
with reference to the paragraphs to
abolish the fee system in the case of
marshals attorneys and United states
commissioners that the whole question
had been referred to joint committee
the judiciary committees of the two
houses who were to consult with the at
torney- general and report to the confer
ence committee. The senate. he said,
had added $229,000 to the house bill, of
which 5000 had been disposed of by
the house agreeing to $39, 900, the senate
yielding the balance. About S1S9, 900 still
remained in dispute. OF that amount
S67 600 was for the increase of the salary
list of the senate employees, and as to
this last he predicted the house would
have to yield. The record slowed that
the average cost of employees to each
member of the house will be $939 while
that of each member of the senate was
S44S3. Justice to the house he said, re-
quired that these facts should be made
notorious.
Further conference agreed to.
MeSsrs. Bingham Dockery and Mccall
were appointed conferees
The house went into committee of the
whole and took up the consideration of
the Notifications bill Mr.. Hainer
Utep., ,Neb.) in charge of the bill, ex-
planned its provisions. In the course Of
lis remarks Mr.. Hainer dwelt on the
necessity with our present prospective
foreign complications for an adequate
system of coast defenses.
Mr.. Bartlett Dem.. N. W, in sup
port of the bill. called attention to the
helpless and defenscless condition of
cur seacoast cities
Mr.. Livingston Dem.. Ga.), men,
Der of the appropriations committee,
also favored the bill. Mr.. Livingston
said that he did not anticipate war with
England or Spain but that it was COM
mon sense to prepare for a possible con-
tingency.
After some further remarks byMessrs
Sayers Dem., TeX.), Baker (Rep., N
H.), and Hemingway (Rcp.. Ind.), the
general debate was closed with BRIEF
speech by Mr. Cannon, chairman of the
appropriations committee, who eulo-
gized the bill as the best Notifications
bill presented to the house in twenty
five years
These appropriations would give
strength to the executive in the present
diplomatic complications.
The bill was then read and without
amendment was reported and passed.
At APO pm. the houseiadjourned.
IN COMMITTEE
Senator Proctor chairman of the
committee on agriculture. was today
authorized by the committee to make
a favorable report on a bill to provide
for a director in-chef of the scientific
bureau of the agricultural department.
1t is the understanding in the commit
tee that the bill will not be pressed at
the present session.
At special meeting of the house
committee on territories the Arizona
statehood bill was added and reported
favorabiy to the house.
The Nicaragua canal and Hawaiian
cable questions were considered by the
house committee on commerce today.
but no votes were taken on any of the
bills.
A resolution was adopted by vote
of 10 to 4 expressing the sense of the
committee to be that the government
should aid by subsidy the construction
of the Pacific cable but no terms We're
suggested