The record-union., 1896-03-26

wheeler explained that he mad
changed the copy in order to correct a
mistake in his statement having been
denied the opportunity to make the cor
rection in open house in the course of
the debate when he had discovered 1t
yesterday.
The record was ordered corrected so
as to accurately report what had oc-
Cured
Before this incident Bartlett Dem.)
Of New York, as a matter of personal
privilege, denied the truthfulness of an
item in yesterdays Washington Post"
stating that he had furnished to Sulzer
| (Dem.) of New York the copy of the
circular letter to his constituents writ
ten by Gibson (Rep) of Tennessee,
which had formed the subject for
rather amusing passage between those
gentlemen in the course of the debate
on the Bayard resolution of censure.
The personal matters being out of the
way, the House addressed itself in Com
! mittee of the Whole to the considera-
| tion of the naval appropriation bill. All
of it, save the paragraph providing for
new ships, was disposed of by the COM
mittee, with a single amendment ap-
propriating 100000 for building the
quay and wing walls of the Brooklyn
dry dock.
The only incident of interest in the
discussion was the renewal of the old
fight to transfer the Naval Observatory
from the jurisdiction of the Navy De-
partment, made by Cannon (Rep) of
Illinois. There was a rather warm ex-
change of sarcastic compliments be-
tween Cannon and Boutelle and Robin
son (Rep.) of Pennsylvania on the sub
jeet, but nothing was done with the
matter.
1t was 1890 o'clock when the House,
in Committee of the Whole, proceeded
| to consider the naval appropriation
BILL and the opening speech was made
by Boutelle, Chairman of the Commit
tee on Naval Affairs. Boutelle ex-
planned the provisions of the bill as set
forth in his report accompanying the
bill, and gave the history of the con-
struetion of the new navy and of the
plants for building the ships. He said
the flag Of the country had been re-
stored to the sea; that Columbia was in
deed the gem of the ocean, and that
ship for ship, the navy of the United
States was the best that floated. Cap
plause.)
Cummings Oem.) of New York said
that the bill was as economical as any
that had ever been brought before the
House
In response to a question by Dingley
(Rep) of Maine, Boutelle stated that the
total cost of the new work authorized
ir the bill would probably be SD 1863, :
600.
Low (Rep) of New York made an ar
gument in favor Of the extension of the
navy, and then general debate on the
bill was closed.
A little breeze was evoked by Cannon
(Rep) of Illinois, who asked Boutelle
if he could tell the House when the
work of building palatial quarters
would be completed for the officers de-
tailed from the navy TO take charge of
the miscalled Naval Observatory, when
they do not know any more of astron-
omy than the average member of Con-
gress.
Cummings Dem.) of New York said
that in two different Congresses since
he had been member of the House
the question of transferring the OBJ
servatory from the control of Secretary
of the Navy had been raised by outside
scientific influence. The Naval Affairs
Committee, after earnest considera-
ton, had in both cases unanimously
voted against the change.
Robinson (Rep.) Of Pennsylvania de-
Tended the naval officers detailed at
the Naval Observatory from the impu-
tation in Cannon's remarks that they
We're not qualified by scientific attain
ments for the positions they held at
the observatory. The work of the OBJ
servatory was done in large part by
naval officers and wholly supervised by
them.
Cannon responded and referred to
Robinsons statement that the nautical
almanac was compiled by naval Off
GERS, and quoted from the legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation
bill the paragraph appropriating for the
salaries of computers in the office of the
nautical almanac. Are these officers 2"
he asked.
Cannon, recurring to the item of ap-
preparation under discussion, 50, 800 to
complete the quarters for observers,
authorized by the law of March 2, 1895,
said his intention had been only to call
attention to what he believed to be a
matter of administration, but now
that the question had gone so far, he
would give it as his judgment that the
Naval Committee, under the substance
of the rules of the House, had no juris-
diction for the appropriation, and that
| it should not be in the bill.
Boutelle vigorously responded that
the gentleman had set up his judgment
against the whole House on matter
that had, ever since he had been in the
House, been committed to the Com
mittee on Naval Affairs. He did not
suppose the committee were particular
! ly jealous of the right to appropriate
a few hundred dollars for building
these quarters, but as Chairman of the
committee he emphatically repudiated
the right of the committee to report
back to the House matter specifically
reported to it by the vote of the House
itself It was a monstrous proposition
and almost triiing with the time Of
| the House to discuss the matter.
| Boutelle then followed Robinson in
eulogizing the scientific ability and
achievement Of the naval officers. He
| said they included some of the ablest
and brightest scientific men in the civ
ilized world.
Cannon retorted with some heat that
when he undertook to exercise his un-
! doubted right as a Representative on
| the floor. and to ask a question regard
| ing an appropriation which he might
/ deem unwise or inexpedient, he did not
! propose to be 1ectured for it by the gen.
tleman from Maine. He objected to be-
/ ing put in the position of seeming TO
/ criticise or antagonize the naval force.
/ The officers were a magnificent lot of
/ men, whom he honored; they We're men