Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-20
AMUSED THE GALLERIES Call and Allen Denounced Each Other as "Plutocrats." QUARRELED OVER PENSIONS Mir. Hill Stands lip for the Sale of Beer to
 Immigrants.
OBJECTS TO TEMPERANCE PETITIONS
The House by Attending Strictly to Rusi- ness Disposed ot Two Important Measures The Urgent De-
 fcieucy Bill Increased.

Washington Feb. 19.-Mr. Hill, demo- crat of New York, called attention to an accumulation of petitions on the subject of printed form received by him within the last ten days against the sale of been on Ellis island, in New York harbor (where immigrants lanD. ga having demoralizing effect on the imm. grants, and on Bedloes island as injurious to the soldiers stationed there. He sa d that he could not very well see that the sale of beer to immigrants on Ellis island could be of great injury to the temperance cause or could have any serious effect on the health and lives of the immigrants. On the contrary he was disposed to think that glass of beer was il welcome, thing to those immigrants. The vast eff fort which well meaning. but misguided. people put forth in flooding congress with those petitions showed the crusadlng spirit, the extreme paterna1ism or the eX- treme Rooseveltism of those people. He had also received lot of petitions from various places in New York for a Sunday rest law for the District of Columbia. It was difficult for him to see exactly how the people of his state were inter- ested in Sunday law in the District of C@Imbia, unless they desired to affect or regulate the conduct of their senators and members of congress. He suggested that the rule should be changed so that the petitions, instead of being presented in the morning hour should be placed in a box kept for the purpose or handed to the secretary. There was a mania for the presentation of such petitions. es- pecially on temperance subjects. He even found some against the sale of cider. They were evidently intended for the New York legislature. He gave notice of a motion to change the rule on the subject.
 MT Wolcott, republican, of Colorado. chairman of the postoffice committee, re- ported bill to prevent the sending through the mails, by any department of the government, of matter weighing more than four pounds, except written or printed matter He spoke of the great abuse of sending through the mails typewriting and other machines.
 MT. Carter republican, of Montana, of fered a resolution to recommt to the finance committee the house tariff bill and tht committee amendment. and gave notice that he would address the senate upon 1t next Monday.
 A resolution was offered by MT. Lodge instructing the finance committee to in- vestigate and report generally on all the important facts and circumstances con nected with the issue of United States bonds in 1894, 1895 and 1896, and as to how the proceeds of such bonds have been disposed of.
 Mr. Hill said that he would like to ex- anime the resolution more carefully than he had time now to do. The resolution went over until tomorrow.
 A joint resolution to revise the grade of lieutenant-general of the United States army was introduced by MT. FL kins, republican, of West Virginia.
 The diplomatic and consular appro- priation bill was then taken up and pass ed without ma teria1 amendments
 The conference report on the urgent de- ficiency appropriation bill was reported and explained by Mir Hale and was agreed to.
 MT Call inquired how many pension bills were on the calendar.
 Mr Gallinger said that there were be- tween fifty and sixty. He added that it was the feeling of the friends of the Cu- ban resolutions that theysshoud go over until tomorrow. He had no disposition to do anything hostile to those resolu- tions.
 MT Call said he was very anxious that they be considered and acted on at the earliest possible date.
 MT Morgan gave notice that he would ask the senate to proceed with their con- sideration at 2 o'clock tomorrow.
 Numerous private pension bills were taken up, considered and passed. Among them were bills increasing the pension of the widow of Brigadier-General giving pensions of slOo per month to the widows of Gen. 0. M. Poe, Gen. eral Blunt, General Gibbon and Gen. Thomas Ewing. and to Gems. Nathan Kimball and Joseph R. West; $75 to the widow of Surgeon General Sutherland, of $25 to Eliza Sandford daughter of a revolutionary soldier, and of $75 to the widow of General Morrow.
 bill giving pension of $75 month to the widow of Ex-Senator Spencer Of ..0la If nv, 1o ho auf ment, provoked a long discussion. Sem ator Allen, populist, of Nebraska and Senator Berry, democrat, of Arkansas argued that distinctions should not be made in the pensions to officers widows (the regular pension law in this case on- Iy allowing $50 a mouth) nor between the widows of officers and the widows of
 The discussion led to rather angry altercation between Senators Allen and Call, who. to the great amusement of the galleries. denounced each other as ''plu- tocrats." Finally the bill was recom- mitted to the committee on pensions.
 A hill granting a>pension of $200 a month to the widow of the late Secretary of State Walter O. Gresham as brigadier general with an amendment making 1t s10O went over without action, as MT. Voorhees, who had originally introduced the bill. was absent today, and desired to oppose the amendment
 At 5:1o D. m, after a short executive session. the senate adjourned until to- morrow.
 The House.
 The house was strictly business" to- day. and in a five hours session disposed of two important measures. The first was the bill under consideration yester- day to extend for ten years the time In which tfle government may institute suits. to annul land patents illegally or trroneously issued. MT. Hepburns amendment to restrict the law officers to cases of fraud was rejected, as was also the amendment proposed by the commit tee on public lands to reopen Mexican and Spanish grants. An amendment proposed by MT. Loud, republican. of California. was agreed to. restricting the operations