Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-04-08
CONGRESS-.
Senate.


postoff1ce appropriation bill, carrying $685.
100000, was considered in part, but not
completed. sharp debate on mail subsi-
dies arose, Mr. Villas opposing an extension
of the subsidy system, while Senators Per
k1ns and White of California upheld them.
Senator Georges speech in opposition to
Mr.. DupontS claim to a seat occupied most
OF the day and was not completed.
Ocean mail subsidies brought on an ami
mated discussion in the Senate on the LIST,
during the consideration Of the postOffice
appropriation bill. Mr.. Villas opposed sub
sides and pointed out many Instances of
what he declared were excessive payments
for mail service. Mr.. Perkins of California
theoretically defended the subsidies for
their encouragement to American shipping.
The subsidy item was reserved for separ-
ate vote: The balance of the postoffice APP
preparation bill was completed. Mr.. Call of
FLORIDA introduced resolution of q radical
character concerning Cuba. proposing the
immediate use of a naval force to protect
Americans in Cuba from atrocities and for
humane reasons in general. Mr.. Georges
speech on the Dupont case Occupied most of
the day
The postOffice appropriation bill served to
bring out some sharp discussion in the Sen
ate on the I'd, on the propriety Of abolshng
country postoffices and absorbing them as
branches of city offices. Mr.. German OPP
posed the plan as undemocratic. He stated
that the Baltimore poStoffice territory in
cluded two congressional districts and this
postofhce power was eXerted toward in
huencing the selection of men for Congress.
After a speech by Mr. Elkins advocating
subsidies and other means of extending
American commerce on the seas the postof-
nee bill went. over. During the day Mr..
George closed his speech covering three DAYS
In opposition to Mr.. DupOnts claim to a
seat. The resolution for investigating the
oond sale again went over on Mr.. Hills OBJ
lection. An agreement was reached that
adjournment at the close of the session be
until the 9th.
House.
The House spent the 31st considering the
sundry civil bill and fair progress was made.
\ amendments imDOrtancp al
ed. A determined effort made by some
OF the Southern representatives to strike
out the appropriation of $4,000 for the pay
of internal revenue informers, but it was
unsuccessful. Mr.. Adams Rep) of Penn
savanna undertook to correct some of the
false reports as to the alleged compact be-
tween certain free silver Republicans and
some Philadelphia manufacturers. In that
connection he ro'erred to the resolutions
adopted by the nufacturers club of Phil
adelpha Mr. Hartman of Montana and
other free s. We Republicans in reply
en la1fg that they had been persistently and
mallciously mIsrepresented by the gold
bugs press The conference. they asserted
mad not been of their seeking Mr. Picker
of South Dakota also made q statement CON
corning what he said had been a misrepre-
sentation of the Republican platform of his
state, which instead of making a specific
declaration on national issues had simply af-
nrmed the doctrines of the national Repub-
I1can party at Minneapolis until the St
Louis convention should have adopted a new
platform
The House on the 1st practically com
pieted the consideration of the sundry civil
bill. In the course of the debate on an
amendment to appropriate $4,000 for be-
ginning the erection of a new military post
at Spokane. Wash. Mr.. Cannon. chairman
OF the appropriations committee. made an
appeal for economy on the ground that the
condition of the treasury was such that no
new project should be entered upon by this
Congress; He was supported in his appeal
by Mr.. GroSvenor of Ohio. who. in some
pialn-Spoken words, insisted that the neces-
SUES OF the situation must govern. He
called attention to the fact that during the
nrSt nineteen months of the operation OF the
present tariff law. the receipts had been ex-
ceeded by the expenditures SIG, 600 600. This
of course brought a political discussion.
in which Mr. Patterson Dem. Tenn de-
Tended the administration. The amendment
was adopted despite Mr.. Cannons appeal.
Inc question or appropriating public
money for private or sectarian institutions
which was debated for several days during
the consideration of the District of Column
bla appropriation bill in connection with
some appropriations for charitable institu-
lions i'll Washington was again fought over
for four hours in the House on the ID
On the former occasion, the contest was
managed by Mr.. Linton. q Michigan Repub-
lican, who is one of the pronounced A T.
successful and by vote of 143-135 the bill
was recommitted. This time the bone of
contention was the Howard university. IL
cOlored institution of Washington. for which
an appropriation of $50. 600 was inserted in
the sundry civil bill on motion of Mr.. Evans
Rep.. ky.) There was no opposition, and
time Mr.. Hainer (Rep., Neb). in whose
temporary absence the amendment was
adopted yesterday, rallied his forces against
the appropriation on the ground that it
was both a private and a sectarian nsti-
tuition, a school of theology. being main
tanned by the university. The appropria-
ton was coupled with a proviso that no
part of it should be used for religious teach
ing, but Mr.. Hainer insisted that it could
not be denied that it was in a sense a re-
ligious institution. Politics. of course, were
injected literally into the debate. The
House voted 129 to 105 to retain the appro-
prlat1on, thus in a measure reversing its
action when the district bill was up. An
alyslS of the vote shows that 1O7 Repub
icans. 10 Democrats and PopuliSts voted
for the amendment. and 80 Republicans: Al
Democrats and POpulists against it. The
sundry civil bill as amended was passed.
The House on the 80 revived the agitation
of the question of Cuban belligerency in
connection with the conference report of the
Cuban resolutions. 1t was not expected
that there would be much debate but Mr.
vented action and the chances were that
the debate would run all the following day
Mr.. Hit, chairman Of the foreign affairs
committee, in presenting the conference re-
port, made very temperate speech. in the
course of which he expressed the greatest
confidence that the observation-disclosures the
resolutions, being concurrent, had no bind
ing effect on the executive-would not ''be
SO recreant to his duty as to disregard the
expressed wish of Congress-" He in fact
refused to entertain the suggestion that Mr.
Cleveland might not recognize the belliger-
ency of the Cubans as result of the adop-
ton of the resolutions. On one occasion
during TIE day the speaker made the i'm
portant ruling that 17S constituted a quo
rum. thus deciding that a majority of the
members present were a quorum instead of a
majority of the full membership of the
House, a point raisedin the Kentucky sena-
tOrial fight This question had never been
absolutely settled In the Fifty-frst Con-
gress Speaker Reed held that majority of
full house was quorum Mr.. Richardson
called attention to the Importance of the
ruling and asked if the speaker intended to
reverse his decision in the Fifty-irst Con
gress. The speaker replied that he did.
The House on the 4th decided to vote on
the Cuban resolutions on the 9th, immedi-
ately after the reading of the journal This
agreement was accompanied by an under
standing that the debate on the resolutions
should be continued into the evening With
the exception of an nour given over to mis-
cellaneouS business at the beginning of the
session, the entire day and night sessions
were devoted to discussion of the wis
dom, eXpediency and justice of adopting the
resolutions recognizing Cuban beIligerency
and rendering the friendly offices of the
United States for the settlement of this
trouble
NOTED CROOK IN CUSTODY.