The times., 1898-12-14
FOR DIs1 kICT EXPENSES.
The House Passes the Appropriation
Bill With Little Debate

The most interesting feature of yester-
days session of the House was the tilt
between Messrs. Henderson of Iowa and
Grout, of the Committee on Appro-
priations, arising from religious differ
ences.
Mr.. Grout was explaining the District
appropriation bill. lie observed that
notwithstanding the fact that gentlemen
in the District were running up and down
the streets abusing the committee for cut
ting the estimates of the Commissioners,
the appropriation was the largest ever
recommended to the House He then took
up the consideration of the bill by sec
ton, and had smooth sailing until he
reached that portion relating to charities.
The economy of the committee In re-
ducing items under this head was re-
garded as mainly directed against Roman
Catholic institutions and Mr.. Henderson
wanted to know why the committee had
determined to cut the allowance to the
House of the Good Shepherd and to take
bread out of the mouths OF orphans by
cutting off the allowance TO the st. Jo-
stDH
Mr. Grout replied that both were purely
sectarian Institutions, and that 1t was
contrary to law to appropriate money for
the benefit of religious societies of sec
tartan character.
Mr. Henderson inquired if the Young
Woman's Christian Home was not a sec
tartan Institution. Mr.. Gruut replied in
the negative. 1t was catholic in the
| broadest sense of that word, and if Ro-
man Catholics did not avail themselves
| of its benefits it was because they did
not choose to.
Mr Henderson replied that as the gen.
| tleman very well knew, it was because
| they could not.
Mr.. Grout attempted to cOnciliate, but
Mr.. Henderson, attacked in tender spot,
would not be pacified. Looking directly at
| the gentleman from Vermont, he said:
Il see the ghost OF A. p. A.ism, and
want the gentleman to understand that
am not afraid" There was laughter in
| the House as Mr.. Grout firmly repelled
| the insinuation.
Later In the day Mr.. Henderson moved
TO amend that section of the bill relating
to charities by placing in il an allow
ance of l,SG0 per annum to st. Joseph 5
Orphan Asylum.
Mr.. Henderson replied that the expires
sion of policy to which the gentleman re-
ferred was passed in. 1897, and that Con
gress had ignored 1t, as the current anc
| existing law made the usual appropria-
| tion for St. Joseph's, and that the policy
of the House was not the law of the
| House.
Mr.. Grout said that since the passage
of the last biil a joint committee after
Investigation. had determined that the
| os,,i,u, was a strictly Roman Catholic
| institution.
Mr.. Henderson said that the COMMITTED
was not bound by this report, a rae
proved by the allowance made to 81
| AIMS.
Mr.. Grout explained that children die
not remain at St. AIMS after they were
old enough to receive an education. ant
| that the allowance had been made to thi:
| bospitaI as a. compromise in the commit
| tee.
Mr. DalzeIl. who was in the chair, sus
| tanned the point of order, which endet
| the debate.
Mr NcRae of Arkansas placed himsel
| on record as one who did not believe II
| determination. ana he expressed It as HI
orinion that It would be much better !
tho charities of the District could be dis
bursed by the officials of the District an'
| ,he 6fs+ributIon of money to the variou
,nstitutions dispensed with altogether.
An effort was made to secure an in
crease in the salary of clerk In the as
SCISSORS office, who now receives Sl,2oo pc
| annum but this was not successful, an
tho House arose from the Committee o
tbe Whole. reported the bill as 1t cam
from the committee, passed II, and ad
journed.