Birmingham state herald., 1897-03-19
VERY SHORT OPEN SESSIONS Held By BlsSa the House and
 kvSenate. M0RGAsSS MANLY PLEA In Exe,>sNe Session For the People as RsSnst International Arbitration
 FMore Bills Introduced
MANLY PLEA

Washington. March 18A large num- Der of bills most of them survivors of the last congress) were introduced in the senate today and referred.
 Correspondence with the German gov- ernment relating to insurance companies was taken up and referred. The consti- tutional amendment for popular election of United States senators was re-intro- duced by MT. Tnrpie, democrat. of In- diana. who announced his purpose to address the senate upon it next Monday.
 MT. Gear, republican, of Iowa, from the committee on Pacific railroads, re- ported the bill which was pending last session for the adjustment of the govern ment debt through a commission to con- sist of the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of the interior and the attor- ney general-the settlement to be sub mitted to the president for his approval or disapproval, and not to be binding unless approved by him. He desired to have it made the unfinished business for month hence. but objection was made by several senator's and the bill was placed on the calendar.
 sMr. Lodge, republican, of Massachu- setts offered a resolution which was agreed to, instructlng the committee on foreign relations to inquire and report whether the islands of St. CroiX St. John and St Thomas. in the West Indies, can now be purchased from the Danish gov ernment as by the treaty of 1867 and whether If they be not purchased by the United States, it is probable that they will be sold by the Danish government to some other power.
 At the close of the morning business the senate at l ?. m proceeded to the consideration of executive business, and at 2:15 o'clock adjourned until tomorrow.
 IN THE HOTTSE
 The house reassembled at noon pur- suant to adjournment, a very large pro- portion of the members being present and the public galleries were we'll filed The chaplain's prayer and reading of the journal occupied fifteen minutes The speaker laid before the house the recom- mendation of the rostma ster-general for an appropriation of $200, 900 to be immedi- ately available to enable the government to defray the necessary expenses of the postal congress which will assemble in Washington in May next.
 The department finds itself in the em- barrassing position of having the con- gress on it's hands with no means to pro- vide for it's reception and entertainment. MT. Henderson, republican, of Iowa, stated that the committee on ways and means would not be ready to report until tomorrow, therefore, he moved that the house adjourn until Friday
 This was agreed to without division.
 
 journed by Speaker Reed
 SENATE EXECUTIVE SESSION.
 Immediately after the senate went into executive session his afternoon, Senator Davis, for the committee on foreign ie- lations, submitted report on the general treaty of arbitration with Great Britain, win certain amendments made by the committee. He offered a resolution that the treaty, as amended, be ratified, and this started the discussion.
 Senator Morgan. of Alabama, took the floor immediately and began a vigorous speech against the ratification of the con vention. The statements of the senat tor from Ala bama were largely repetiEons of the speeches made by him on the sub ject during .he last session. when the un- successful effort was made tn "a tify the treaty. He took the ground that !. would be unwise and impohtic for the Unlted Stai.es to tie it's hands by treaty of arbitration of any sort whatever so long |. as the other contracting party was Great Britain. That country he eontended, was the general enemy of all nal ions; its hand was raised against ali other powers in it's struggle for territorial aggrandizement and it's fight for the sal- uable possessions of the world. Thsre was in this treaty, he argued. hidden pl-fall, into which the United States was about to plunge, and he urged senators to refuse to sanction 9 treaty that gave our natural enemy every advantage; q treaty that was useless and formula ed in response to a sentiment that ought not to exercise the slightest control in the management of the affairs of a great ma ton.
 MT. Morgan spoke also for his col leagues on the committee. Messrs. Mills and Daniel but it is probable that be- fore the debate has proceeded very far both of these men will have somethinp to say for themselves.
 The chances are tha'; the dahate win continue through several days