The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-12
BUSINESS METHODS
LOOSE In CONGRESS-
Measures introduced That Had Already
Been Acted Upon.
Mr.. MORGAN BECOMES CAUSTlC
He Makes Cutting Remarks Concern
ing the Proposition to Send a
Minister to Central American state.
Priceless Autographs Stolen from
the Congressional Library -Exam-
ination of the Archives Ordered.


ination of the Archives Ordered.
Washington, Feb. 11.-A curious IL
lustraton of the extremely loose busi-
ness methods of congress was furnished
in the senate today when Mr.. Vest, of
Missouri, reported back from the COM
mittee on commerce q house bill which
had been referred to that committee
and stated that the same bill precisely
had passed both houses at the present
session, had been approved and signed
by the president and was now law.
The diplomatic and consular appro-
priation bill, carrying an aggregate of
81. 695 ,30S was passed after some cauS-
tic remarks by Mr.. Morgan, OF Ala
bama, on an item of $4,000 for min
lister plenipotentiary to the states of
Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Salvador.
Two of these states, he said, had ac-
cording to newspaper reports, formed,
with Honduras, new government,
called the Greater Republic of Cen
trail America, sending a minister to
Washington who had been formally
received by the president and closing
their respective foreign offices, so that
an American minister could hold no
diplomatic relations with them indi-
vidually. But, of this change, the
president of the United States had not
condescended to give any information
to congress or the people.
Mr.. Morgan spoke of the state of af-
fairs as having brought about q very
awkward complications; but he said
that he had no proposition to make
about it, Neither had Mr.. Hale, of
Maine, who was in charge of the bill
and who recognized the force of Mr.
Morgan's observations, but said that
the committee on appropriations had
thought it better TO leave the usua
item in the bill and let the state de-
partment arrange the difficulty in g
way that might seem best to it.
An agreement was reached to have
the vote on the conference report tC
the immigration bill taken at 4 p. IN
next Wednesday.
At 1.30 o'clock the senate went into
executive session on the arbitration
treaty, and continued to sit with CLOSED
doors till 4.45 p. m, when it adjourned
THE LIBRARY ROBBERY
1t has been ascertained that the rob
berry of priceless autographs perpe
trated at the congressional library wa:
effected by means of duplicate keys
1t has been in progress since last Au
gust A partial examination disclose
over 100 documents missing. Th
room in which they We're kept was ont
of the upper chambers of the library
and the confusion incident to tn
change of quarters to the new build
ing is believed to have facilitated tn
thefts. The two clerks of the congres
sional library, Philip McElhone an,
Louis Mckay Turner, who disposed
of some of the missing documents il
New York, and who are accused of tn
theft, waived examination before tn
United States commissioner thi
morning. Turner was committed il
default of bail and McElhone was re
leased on $4,000 bail.
The discovery of the abstraction o
these documents has led to an orde
for general examination of the arch
ives of the library, which is now i
progress.
A BIMETALLIC DEBATE.
A misplaced semicolon in the bill
providing for the refunding of tn
bonded Indebtedness of the several ter
wholly unexpected debate on the mon
etary question in the house today, last
ing two or three hours. Two or thre
years ago congress authorized Arizon
to sell some gold bonds" upon the re
quest of NJ. A. Smith, then a delegat
from that territory, because the ter
ritory could get better terms for sue
bonds than for lawful money" bonds
The hill under discussion 20
the refunding of these particular bond
in gold bonds, but the presence of
semicolon in the text suggested to tn
mind of Mr.. McMillin, of Tennessee,
the possibility that the bill could h
so construed as to warrant the issue {
gold bonds for all the bonds mentioned
From Mr.. Payne's. New York, declara
tion that he could see no harm tha
would arise if all the bonds were mad
payable in gold, a lively discussio
sprang up in which many members too
part, and which took a wide rang
The most important statements in tt
course of the debate We're those by M
Knox, of Massachusetts, in charge ,
The bill to the effect that the countr
was upon gold basis, that it Woul
doubtless continue on that basis, that
would not initiate any internationi
blmatalllc conference and that thel
was sufficient craftsmanship in the r,
publican party to provide for the lars
est possible use of silver, and that
would not be through the unlimite
coinage of the metal.
AT. Mr.. Knox's suggestion the sem
colon was replaced by a comma; on M
McMillin's suggestion the bonds, 9TH
than the Arizona gold bonds name
We're made payable in the "lawf
money of the United States" and Il
bill was then passed.
The sundry civil appropriation b
for the year ending June 80, 1898, w;
reported by Mr.. Cannon, of illinois, al
placed on the calendar.
Mr.. Bartlett, of Georgia, present,
the unanimous report of elections con
mittee No. upon the contest of Tho
IL. watson VS., j. c. G. Black from Il
Tenth district of Georgia in favor
Black and stated he would call it |
at the first opportunity. The bill ma
ing appropriations Ga total of So, ,253, 80
for Notifications for the year endil
June 80, 1898, was considered al
passed.
Inc postofiice appropriation bill w
taken up in committee of the who
ana discussed for an hour without a
ton. The house then, at 80, a
journed.