Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1897-02-24
CONGRESSIONAL.
ARBITRATION TREATY DIS
CUSSION IN THE SENATE.
Lively Debate In the House Over the
Governments Slow Pay OF Claims
Pension for General Stoneman's
Widow-Congressiona Resume.

Feb. 19.-The Senate adjourned at s:15
O'Clock, after having spent almost eight
nours In continuous executive session Or he
arDltrat1on treaty. No result was accom-
plished beyond voting down the motion
made by Senator Nelson to postpone fur
ther consideration of the treaty until March
0. The open session of the Senate lasted
only thirty minutes, the proceedings being
largely formal pension of $50 per month
was voted to the widow of the late General
Stoneman.
A very spirited debate on the general SUBJ
1ect of the payment of claims found to be
due against the United States was INDUCED
In by the House during the consideration of
the general deficiency appropriation bill,
which was entered upon this morning. Mr..
Richardson of Tennessee called attention
to the apparent inconsistency of an item to
pay the costs of defending suits, and the
1act that the bill contained no item to
pay the judgments This furnished Mr.
Walker of Massachusetts, text for a lively
speech against the ''niggardly' and dis
honest" policy of the government, and a Sc
we're arraignment of the committee on rules
for the tyranny it was said to exercise over
the proceedings of the House Mr.. Mahon
OF Pennsylvania, chairman of the war
claims committee, made the sta tement that
the House had been frightened by 'bogie
man. and the just claims against the gov
erument, instead of aggregating hundreds
of millions, as was frequently stated, could
be discharged with ten millions The con-
sideration of the bill was not completed
The bill carries ss,441.o2Z
Feb 19 After protracted session last
ing nearly all day, the Senate. by a vote of
80 to IA, confirmed the nomination of
Charles F. Amidon to be United States Dis
trict judge of the District of North Dakota.
This nomination has been contested some
time by Senator Hansb brough of North
Dakota The open session of the Senate
lasted only twenty minutes, during which
minor business was transacted, the rest of
the day being spent in executive session.
The House, by vote of 1877 to 81, reversed
the finding of majority of the elections
committee and decided the contested cleo
tlon ase OF N. T. Hopkins VS.. J. M Kendall,
from the Tenth Kentucky district in favor
OF the Republican contestant Eleven Re-
publicans and three PopulistS voted with
the Democrats against unseating Kendall.
Feb. 1.-THE immigration bill now goes
to the President the last legislative step
having been taken in the Senate by an
agreement to the conference report on the
Dill Strong opposition was made to the res
port but on the final vote the friend
of the measure rallied small ma
1ority, the vote being yeas "a, nays 81.
The House, after two hours debate passed
bill of considerable Importance to the arid
regions of the West 1t opens to use and oc-
cupation under the right -of-way act of
March 8. 1891, all the reservoir sites re-
served by the geological survey. There are
arid country and this act will enable them
to be put to practical use by individuals or
corporations
Feb 16.-In the Senate Mr.. Chandler of
New Hampshire spoke for three hours for
bimetallism. 1t was an argument against
single standard of either metal gold or
silver, and warning against a policy of
monometallism. Then the senator turned
to political phases of the question, speaking
In turn of Bryan, of Palmer and of McKin-
InVy Dali
was frequently addressed by the speaker
as one who had contributed to the
ection of Mckinley. The contro-
versy between Mr.. Chandler and
Mr.. Pettigrew was one of the hottest per-
sonal episodes the senate has had in some
time. the South Dakota Senator declaring
Mr.. Chandler's statements relative to the
violation of pledges at St Louis were
wholly and absolutely false. Mr.. Chandler
did not modify his statement, but mutual
explanations restored cordial relations
The peroration of Mr.. Chandler was an
appeal to the incoming President and his
advisers to heed the needs of the people,
particularly on the money question, and a
warning OF speedy political disaster certain
to follow delay
The House devoted the day after routine
business had been disposed of. to the con-
slderation of private pension bills. Thirty
nine bills In all were passed For the first
time this session the House, on a vote, de-
to 1t for action. The bill was that to pen-
sion NauGy A Allabaeh, the widow of Peter
II Alladach, of the One Hundred and Thir-
ty-hrst Pennsylvania volunteers, at the rate
OF $50 per month. The House sustained thu
veto-115 to g.
Feb 15-The Senate was In executive ses-
sion most of the day, but the open session
anoroed sufhcient time for sharp contro-
versy over proceeding with Mr. Morgan's
Iesoiutlon to brogate the Clayton-Bulw
treaty. Mr.. sherman interposed numerous
points OF order against MIR. Morgan and
wnen the chair sustained them, the Ala
Dama Senator referred to his being vic
um1zed" by the presiding officer and Mr..
Sherman. Mr.. Stevenson retorted sharnlv
tnat there was no disposition to "victimize"
the Alabama Senator. On vote Mr. Nor
gan carried his point and the CLAYTON -Rul
wer resolution was taken up As it involved
question of executive business the Senate
went into executive session. At 4 o'clock
the open session was resumed, and some
progress vas made on the bankruptcy bill
The coup arranged by the House leaders
Tor the passage of the sundry civil appro-
priatlon bill, under suspension of the rules
was complete success, and this big appro-
prlation bill, carrying S5O,6447 743, was
passed without opportunity for amendment
just as 1t came from the committee The
main opposition was directed against the
river and harbor items in the bill Quite
number of bills were passed of more or less
importance, among them the Senate bill
approprfating S250,OOO for closing the
crevasse at Pass L'Outre on the Mississippi
to equip the National Guard with uniform
Springfield rifles CAS- caliber), and the SEN
ate resolution to authorize the secretary of
the navy to transport the contributions of
the Pacific coast states to the famine suf-
ferers of India.
Feb 13.-This was field day in the House.
The sundry civil appropriation bill was be-
fore that body for general debate 1t was
used as basis for an attack by Democrats
on the vast appropriation made by this Con-
gress, which Mr.. Sayees and NJ. Dockery es-
dmated would aggregate 81 o45. oOO OOO
The latter paid high tribute 10 Speaker Reed
and acquitted him of all responsibility for
the large approx iations- Once the gate was
opened. the debate naturally drifted into
politics. The relative merits of the Wilson
and Mckinley bills as revenue producers
were attacked and defended, the income
tax decision ard Justice Shiras-s change of
poSiuon came In for a share of attention
Lawrence Man Honored.
LAWRENCE, Kan, Feb. 2O.-Another
medal of honor has been granted by
congress to a Lawrence man for
bravery in action during the late war.