The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1896-04-16
DOINGS OF CONGRESS-
MEN WHO MAKE THE LAWS OF
OUR NATION.
Daily Report of the Measures Intro
duced, and the Action Taken
Thereof, i'm Both the Senate and
Lower House.
Daily Proceedings.

Inc adoption OF the metric system WdS us
cussed in the House on the eth. c. w. Stone Oh
PENNSYLVANIA, chairman of the Committee on
Coinage, weights and measures, spoke OF the
great endorsements the use of our present syS-
tenn entailed in connection with our foreign
trade and the ineXtricable confusion ii involved.
Mr.. Otey of Virginia, opposed the bill in a pic
turesquely humorous speech, in which he SAID IL
would be easy for him to learn German or Sans
crit. He took a table of the metric system, and
said he looked in vain for the wheat measure.
"Where'S your measure of whiSky?" he in
quired. II venture to say Kentucky will have
something to say about the adoption OF the new
tangled system. Her delegation will be surely
opposed to it." (Laughter). An adjournment
followed before the yea and nay vote was taken.
The ~postoffice appropriation bill, which has en-
crossed the Senate for almost a week, was
passed by that body just previous to adjourn
ment on the 18th. The WolcOtt amendment Ir
the consolidation of small offices with larger
ones was defeated by a decisive vote. receiving
only seven votes in its support. The Pasco
amendment was so modified as to prohibit the
establishment or maintenance Of suDstatlons or
branch post offices beyond the corporate nmlIS
or boundaries of a city in which the prlnclpaI
office is located" and in this shape it was
i carried-36 to 25. The committee amendment
appropriating $4,000 additional for mails from
San Francisco to New Zealand and New South
Wales via Honolulu was adOpted-32 TO II. Sena-
tor Villas moved to strike out appropriations for
special mail facilities east and south. Defeated
10 to SO. The bill was then passed. The confer
ence report on the agricultural bill was agreed
to. The Senate then. at $50 p. m, adjourned.
On the Sth the bill to adopt the metric system
of weights and measures, was sent back by the
House to the Committee on Coinage, Weights
and Measures for further consideration, bya
vote of 100 TO 80. The remainder of the day was
devoted to debate on the bill eXempting sailing
vessels engaged in the cOaStwise trade from
compulsory pilOtage laws. MIR. Cummings, IN
the course of remarks, charged that Mr.. Cham
berlain, Commissioner of Navigation had been
| lobbying in favor of the bill. The conference re-
port on the agricultural appropriation bill was
adopted, after which, at 5:25 p. IN, the House
adjourned.
Senator Turpie's speech on Cuba was the
event of the day in the Senate on the 8th, and in
many respects it was the most picturesque ut
terance heard on that subject. While arguing
for radical action on Cuba, even to the extent OF
sending a fleet to Cuban waters, much OF Sena-
tor TuTpie'S speech was given to sarcasm and
ridicule of the course of Senators Sherman and
Lodge in managing the Cuban resolutions. The
Senator created much amusement by his por-
trayal of Senator Lodge as a warrior about to
fight a duel with Minister Dupuy de LONE of
Spain. Most of the day was given to the Indian
appropriation bill, which was not completed. At
OPS p. m. the Senate adjourned.
The House. on the 9th. after debating the bin
to abolish compulsory pilOtage on sailing vessels
ClSdSCu III lHC CbdSINlSC bldhC NCICdtCO 1Lc
measure by a large majority-57 to III. The
District of Columbia appropriation bill, which
was early in March after a pro-
tracted fight against appropriations for private
and s~ectarian charitable Institutions, was
brought into the House with the specific appro
p~riatiOns stricken out and containing in lieu
thereof an appropriation of a lumpsum for char
tiles to be expended under the direction OF
the District commissioners, with the pro
viso that no part of the appropriation should
90 to institutions under ecclesiastical control
The vote was taken on the amended bill, which
was passed on a rising vOte-134 to q. The
House then went into ommitte of the whole Cd
| motion of Mr.. GrOSYenOr. to consider the filled
cheese bill. There are about 100 factories
which produced 1900 pounds of filled cheese.
an article manufactured from the butter fat OF
milk and neutral lard. The cost of the product
was about AZ cents per pound. The bill requires
manufacturers and dealers in filed cheese To
pay a license and to cOnSpicuOusly brand sucE
cheese. A resolution was adopted calling OF
Secretary Olney for information relating to any
efforts made by the Government TO secure the
liberation of Mrs. Maybrick, now confined in an
English prison under life sentence for poisoning
her husband. a t 3 p. IN. the Ommitt rose and
the House adjourned.
After being in retirement for some weeks the
tariff silver bill was brought forward in the Sen
ate on the 9th as Il text for a speech by Senator
Mantle of Montana. He urged that unSectiOnaJ
protection should be linked with bimetaIiSm.
Then the Senate took up pension eases and
passed a large number of them. At $40 .. H.
the Senate adjourned.
In the House on the 10th Mr.. Hainer. of Ne
braSka, reported the Notifications appropriation
bill. a bill to increase the pension OF the widow
of Col. John Irving Gregg failed. Mr.. GrOsvenoB
OF Ohio demanded the regular order in the inter
est of the filled cheese" bill and the debate OF
that measure was resumed. At the night ses
sion of the House an attack was made on tb
Pension Committee for recommending large;
pensions than the law allowed to the widows o.
officers. Mr.. Hemingway of Indiana and Mr.
Mccall of Tennessee, among others, protested
against this course. Mr.. Picker, chairman o.
the committee, defended the course of the com
mittee, especially in the case of the widow of Gen
Abner Doubleday, where the COMMITTEES recon-
mended 500 a month, because Of the exceptions
circumstances surrounding that case. The biz
was not acted upon, however. before the hour q
adjournment was reached. Among the otbe
bills f~avOrably acted upon was one to pens0
Josephine FOOte Fairfax. the widow of the lat
Rear Admiral Fairfax. at the rate of $50 De
month.
The Senate on the 10th took up the question n
s%ectarian Indian schools but did not complete il
The debate was very temperate and no reference
was made to the organization which has beer
active in opposition to sectarian schools. Sena
tor Carter OF Montana, proposed to strike on
the provision directing that no money should BE-
spent on S~ectarian schools. This led to a gen
eral argumen in which Senators Carter, Lodge
Ho2r. Hawley and Allison participated. An i'm
pOrtant bill passed at the close of the day wa.
that providing for a tranS-MisSisSippi and Inter
national Exposition at Omaha. Neb.. in 1S9s
Senator Mills proposed an adjournment unit
Monday which was resisted by the Appropria
tons Committee. On a vote, however, the adj
J0urnment over Saturday secured a large ma
jOrity.
Since Napoleon died like a Gagged
lion in his exile home 6,O0O,0 900 French
men have persisted in the wars OF b
country.
France boasts of a navy of 40S ships
of 100000 tons and 2 1000 horse-pow-
err, and eighty others in process of con
struction.
The five nations of Europe WI
2,310 war ships, mounting $500 guns,
MI ready for immediate service.