The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-08
TO ENABLE SOLDIERS TO VOTE
IMPORTANT BILL CONSIDERED
IN THE HOUSE.
Some Fine Constitutional Points In
volved In the Measure-Civil War
Battle Flags Returned.

Washington, June AFTER disposing
of the war deficiency bill as passed
with amendments by the senate, the
house today considered the conference
report upon the sundry civil bill The
report, so far as it embodied agree
ments, was adopted, and the house
! then began voting SeVerally upon the
| senate amendments upon which no
agreement had been reached in con-
! ference. OF these there are 40. The
| house considered today eight of these,
acting favOrably upon three and re-
jecting the remainder. Consideration
will continue tomorrow The house
adjourned pending discussion of a
measure to enable volunteer soldiers
to vote at congressional elections dur
ing the war
The house passed a bill directing the
secretary of war to return to the
state of Ohio the flags carried in the
civil war by the Twenty-firSt, Fifty
Eighth and SiXtieth regiments of Ohio
infantry and to New York the flags
of the One Hundred and Thirteenth
infantry and Seventh heavy artillery.
Mr. Cannon (Rep., Ills.) called up the
urgent war deficiency bill with amend
ments as passed by the senate, and
moved to concur in the senate amend
ments and add two house amendments,
providing 900 for additional print
ing in the navy department and for
work in the bureau of engraving and
printing. The motion prevailed
The senate resolution was passed au-
thorizing the president to waive the
one-year suspension from promotion,
and order reorganization in the army
in certain corps during the existing
war.
Mr.. Cannon, from the committee on
appropriations, presented a conference
report of partial agreement upon the
sundry civil bill, which was agreed to.
Prior to the vote on amendments,
Mr.. Gaines Oem., TENN secured the
floor to present a newspaper criticism
upon the agents of the government
who had purchased the Merrimac at
an alleged cost of $150,00O in excess of
the boats cost Of construction.
The bill providing for participation
of volunteer soldiers in congressional
elections during the existence of the
present war was taken up, it having
been made the special order for today.
Mr.. Lacey (Rep., la said the bill
found warrant in the section giving
congress power to make or alter regu-
lations prescribed by the state legisla-
ture as to fixing the place, time and
manner of holding elections for repre-
sentatives.
Mr. Bailey Oem.. Tex.) and Mr..
Williams Dem, Miss) raised the
question of the constitutionality of the
promising declaring The requirements
of the state law as to registration shall
not apply to the electors"
They questioned it on the ground
that the registration was a feature Of
qualification and was exclusively with
in the province of state powers, and
not a matter of times, places and
manner contemplated in the cOnsti-
tuition.
The further consideration of the
measure precipitated a prolonged col
loquy, in which many members joined.
1t was apparent that the bill involved
fine questions of constitutional con-
struction. A desire to postpone con-
sideratiOn was manifest, and Mr.. La
cey's request that the bill be made the
continuing special order for tomorrow
was granted. It was stated by the
speaker, however, that the sundry civil
conference report would take prece-
dence.
At SOP p. m. the house adjourned.