The Portland daily press., 1896-12-17
APPROPRIATION BILLS.
Congress Attended To Little Else
Yesterday.
THE CUBAN WAR SLIGHTED FOR
THE TIME BEING.

Pension Bill Discussed In the Senate and
Passed-Dingley Bill Brought Up But
Goes Over without Action-Army APP
propriations Considered In the House.
Washington, December 16.-In the Sen
ate today the bill authorizing otncers OF
the United States to accept medals from
foreign governments was reported Dy Mr.
Sherman, who asked unanimous con-
sent to have them considered and passed.
Objection was made by Mr.. Allen. Popu-
list of Nebraska. The bills were placed
on the calendar.
The pension appropriation bill was tax
en- up, and Mr.. Galiinger, Republican OF
New Hampshire, chairman OF the COM
mittee on pensions, said he desired to make
somesohssryations of the present admins
tration of the pension bureau and said
the man at the head Of that great depart
| lnent of the government was desirous not
only of administering the pension laws
generously and justly. but that his sympa-
| thiss were with the men and women seek
| ing the recognition of the governments.
He had been very much surprised in list
ening to the reading of the Presidents
message that that high official had not
yet disabused his mind of the idea that
pensioners were of rascaliy tendencies.
Mr.. Gallinger read some extracts from
the President s message and from news
paper criticisms of them, anC said that
in his Judgment these continued ATTACKS
of the executive on the pensioners OF the
government and the President's con-
tinued assertions that the roll of pension
ers was not roll of honor, should cease.
He was sure that Congress would never
endorse such sentiments as he read from
the Presidents message, but would grant
| to the men who had fought for the gov
ernment all that the government had
solemnly pledged to them. A few brief
remarks In the same line were made by
Mr. Hawley, Republican of Connecticut,
and the bill was passed without amend
ment.
Mr.. Vest, Democrat of Missouri, called
up Mr.. Aliens resolution of last week
for the considering of the Dingley bill
and addressed the Senate. He charac-
| tsrized the bill as one of the most extra
ordinarV ever introduced into Congress.
II was extraordinary not only In It's pro-
visions, but in the manner of its birth
and inception. and was, Mr. vest de-
clnred, nearly impossible of administra-
| tion.
| Mr.. Vest said the horizontal bill of
| 1894 had been simplicity itself compared
with it. The Dinglsy bill re-enacted the
Mckinley act and in order to determine
the right of duty under it, it would De
necessary to consult not only the new
| :. nf
act and market prices.
Referring to the late election, Mr. Vest
said that the people had been told that If
Mr., Mckinley were elected, prosperity
would shine upon the country and conf
l dence be restored. Confidence has been
restored and what was the result The
peo, le were buying neither domestic nor
by increasing tariff rates more money
would be put In the pockets OF the
people. :.
Speaking of Secretary Carlisle's esti-
| mates Of the amount of money In cIrcula-
ton, Mr.. Vest characterized 1t as
ttmoss grown lie." He declared that the
only relief which could be given the
country was giving more money to the
country.
"No country" he continued en-
pbatioally, "oan be prosperous with an
| increasing population and decreasing
volume Of money. You have now got
81 stem which congests the money OF the
country. II we are anarchlsts and
| lunstics because we ask the mints to be
opened to the freq coinage Of silver, then
| this country ia lost, because there we're
| 6. 800. 600 America freemen who stamped
| themselves lunatics and anarchists at 6he
election in November last.
"But il is a vile sIander. The men who
voted for Bryan are honest, patrlotlc and
law abiding. This system OF gold stana-
ard is the vilest monopoly ever main
tained in the brain of mortal man. DO
not care to say more of the last election.
than that 1t was parody on popular
government and on free Institutions. l
am curious to see what will be the re-
suit of the investigation proposed under
the resolution of the Senator from Ne
braska (Allen.) I would like to under
stand why in those new and growing
states of Texas and the west there mas
been no increase of population in four
years, while in the old AMI completed
states of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois there
has been an enormous increase. am
constrained to believe that the Senator
from New Hampshire, (Chandler) was
correct when he declared that the St.
Louis convention was honey combed
with corruption, and that delegates were
bought and sent there for the sole pur-
nose of nominating Mckinley"
Mr.. Aldrich, Repu blsoan OF Rhode
Island. controverted some of MIR. Vests
statements as to prosperity of American
wool manufacturers.
The morning hour expired and the
immigration bill was laid before tht
Senate. The tariff discussion was con-
| tinued and participated in by Senators
! Frye, Mills, Vest and Mitchell. Mr..
Vest spoke of the Dingley bill as being
dead. while to an allusion to President
Cleveland as being his leader, Mr. YES!
interposed-"N sir, my former leader.
Ml. Mills created laugh by describing
| NA' ,-:- 80. tI,o clofI, of phinh