Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-03-24
WORK OF CONGRESS

WOIlN Vt
washington, March To- The house
agreed TO consider the bill for the re.
lief or the legal heirs Of the yictims
and survivors OF the Maine disaster az
soon as the postotfice appropriation
Dill is out Of the way. During the
general debate on the postofiice bill
members eagerly took advantage of
the latitude allowed in committee of
the whole on the state of the Union
TO discuss various political questions.
and the debate covered q wide range.
Messrs. Griggs Of Georgia ard Walker
OF Massachusetts discussed the con-
ditions of the cotton industry and Mr..
Tawney of Minnesota, q member of
the ways and means committee. re-
piled to a speech of Mr.. Johnson of
Indiana made some time ago against
the ACCESSIBILITY of ~annexing the Ha-
waiian islands.
In the senate.
After the passage of numerous bills
frGm the general calendar the senate
began the consideration of the meas
IRE providing for a national system of
Quarantine. Little beyond the reading
of the bill was accomplished. some
desultory discussion arising on an
amendment offered by the committee.
but no progress being made ON the gen
eral bill.
Washington, March 1.-THE postot-
fee appropriation bill, which was tech
nically the subject before the house,
was almost lost track of in the de-
bate. As on Tuesday numerous topics
were discussed. but yesterday for the
first time the Cuban Spanish question
which has been kept in the back
ground heretofore. forged TO the front.
Mr.. Cochran of Missouri brought the
question into the arena and in the
course of the debate that followed Mr..
Grosyenor of Ohio took occasion to
deny emphatically the stories afioat TO
the effect that the president desired
an early adjournment of congress in
order that he might effect q settle
ment without congressional interior
ence. The subject of Hawaiian an
neXation also came In for more at
t%ention. Mr.. Williams of Mississippi.
Mr.. Adams of Pennsylvania and Mr..
Berry of Kentucky. all members OF
the foreign affairs committee, made
speeches Oh the subject, the former in
opposition and the two latter in favor
Of the proposition.
In the Ser
Business in the legislative session OF
the senate was contired to the passage
Of a few bills. largely of a local char
acter. The national quarantine bill
was not considered.
Washington, March IS. - Senator
Proctor of Vermont, who returned
last Sunday from an extended trip to
and through the Island of Cuba. made
a statement TO the senate Of his OBJ
servations on the island. From many
view points the statement was remark
able. 1t had evidently been most care
fully prepared. Every element of
sentimentalism had been studiously
eliminated from it, and. except so far
as the facts recited were sensational.
1t bore not the slightest evidence of an
effort TO arouse the public mind TO the
condition of affairs on the island.
He began by saying that more i'm
p%ortance had been attached to his
visit than necessary, but he thought a
public statement would be beneficial.
He said that Gen. Lee and other
United States representatives in Cubs
afforded him opportunity to secure in
formation. He denied that he made
the statement that the Maine was
blown up from the outside. but might
have said that such was the opinion
in Havana. The senator thought
there was no definite information to
be obtained upon this feature. Out
side of Havana there was desolation
and misery. People were surrounded
by trochas and controlled by forts or
b~lockhOuses.
Thei. Situation Terrible.
His observations, he said, were in
the four western provinces. Outside
of the trochas and forts there were Nc
habitations nor people living. The
Spaniards, he said, held III the four
provinces only what their army sits
on.
Senator Proctor describes at some
length the condition of the
trados, saying one-half of them had
died owing TO the II in which
they had been kept in small houses
and TO the bad sanitation. 1t was no
wonder one-half of them died. He
went to Cuba, he said, thinking the
condition of the people had been over
,lrawn. but found their situation terri
BILE. What he saw he could not tell
so that others could see 1t. In u
place in Havana the senator said he
saw 400 emaciated people lying ca
stone floors, with little clothing. The
children had no clothing. American
people may be assured. he continued,
that their bounty will reach the desti-
tate, and he added:
''The condition Of the recoEcentrados
will not be changed until peace comes.
Gen. BlancO's order of Nov. IL Is
OF Little Practical Use.
No beneficial results had followed. For
this | do not blame Gen. Blanco. as he
looked at the matter from a military
point of view"
AS to the military situation, there
were about 10000 Spanish troops In
Cuba. He thought they would fight
well. There was nc artillery. The
troops live in barracks. The cavalry
Is mounted mostly on ponies. lie said
that the Cubans had about 10000 men
in the field, and were very active.
The Cubans were well armed, but
poorly supplied with ammunition.