Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1898-03-24

II
During its session Of three hours on
Monday the Senate passed considerable
number of bills from the general calen-
dar. among the number being one author
ling the construction of eight new rev.
enue cutters not exceeding In aggregate
cost the sum Of S2,025 900. A resolution
offered last Thursday by Mr.. Chandler
IN. H. authorizing the committee on ma
val affairs to send for persons and papers
in the course OF the investigation OF the
Maine disaster, was adopted. Mr.. Lodge
| (Mass.) of the foreign relations commit
tee called up the joint resolution for the
relief of August Bolton and Gustave
| Richelieu. The resolution as reported from
| the foreign relations committee Is as FOL
| lows: THAT the President Of the United
States be. and he is hereby empowered to
| take such measures as In his judgment
may be necessary to obtain the indemnity
| from the Spanish government for the
wrongs and injuries suffered by August
Bolten and Gustave Richelieu by reason
| OF their wrongful arrest and imprisonment
| by Spanish authorities at Santiago de
Cuba in the year 1895: and to secure this
end he is authorized ana requested TO
employ such means or exercise such power
as may be necessary"
| In the House ON Tuesday it was agreed
to consider the bill for the relief of the
legal heirs of the victims and survivors
| of the Maine disaster as soon as the post
| Office appropriation bill is out OF the way.
(, During the general debate on the post
Office bill members eagerly took advantage
of the latitude allowed in committee or
| the whole on the state of the Union to
discuss various political questions. Messrs.
| Griggs Dem. Ga.) and Walker tHep.,
Mass.) discussed the conditions OF the cot
ton industry. and Mr.. Tawney tRep.,
| Minn.). a member of the Ways and Means
| Committee. replied to the speech of Mr..
| Johnson Rep., Ind.) made some time ago
| against the ACCESSIBILITY of annexing the
| Hawaiian islands. Mr.. Tawney strongly
advocated the annexation of the islands.
| On Wednesday the postofiice appropra-
ton bill, which was technically the sub
| ject before the House, was almost lost
| track OF in the debate. The Cuban-Span-
| ish question, which had been Kept in the
| background heretofore, forged to the
front. Mr.. Cochran Dem., Mo- brought
| the question into the arena, and in the
course of the debate that followed Mr..
4 Grosvenor of Ohio took occasion to deny
emphatically the stories afoat to the eff
| feet that the President desired an early
adjournment of Congress in order that he
might effect a settlement without con-
gressional interference. The subject of
| Hawaiian annexation also came in for
attention. Mr.. Williams Dem, Miss.),
| Mr.. Adams CRep, Pa.) and Mr.. Berry
! Dem, Ky), all members of the Foreign
Affairs Committee, made speeches on the
subject, the former in opposition and the
two latter in favor of the proposition.
| Business in the legislative session of the
Senate was confined to the passage of a
few bills, largely of n local character.
| The national quarantine bill was not con-
sidered.
| On Thursday the session Of the House
was devoted strictly to the postofice ap-
preparation bill, which was taken up for
amendment under the five-minute rule.
The questions which consumed the major
portion Of the time related to the allow
ance for clerk hire at postofiices and to
rural free delivery. The House increas-
ed the allowance for rural free delivery
from 100000 to 100000 and defeated
the proposition for increased clerk hire.
Among the bills passed in the Senate was
one to authorize the construction OF a
| gunboat on the great lakes to take the
place of the United States ship Michigan,
| and to cost. exclusive of armament, not
| to exceed $4,000 Adjourned till Mon
day.
On Friday the House spent another day
on the postoffice appropriation bill; but
disposed of only two pages of the bill.
Most of the day. was devoted to debate
on the merits Of the pneumatic tube mail
service in New York, Boston and Phia-
delphia, and the ACCESSIBILITY of continu-
ing the existing contract. An effort to
strike out the appropriation of $225, 900
| was defeated, but the opponents of the
| appropriation succeeded in securing the
| adoption of an amendment providing that
no additional contracts should be made.
An amendment was adopted making it n
misdemeanor for any person to pad the
mails during the period when the mails
are being weighed to determine the COM
pensation to be paid to the railroads for
their transportation. The Senate was not
in session.
The House on Saturday passed the
| postofice appropriation bill, which had
been under consideration since Wednes-
| day. The main points of attack in the de-
bate were the appropriation of $50, 0OO.-
600 for railway transportation of mails
| and $111 900 for special facilities be-
tween New York and New Orleans and
$4,000 for special facilities from Kansas
| City to Newton, Kas. These items an
| nually attract more or less Of a contest
This year the opposition seemed to be less
intense. All effort to reduce the appro-
priation for railroad transportation sig
nally failed, and the vote on Southern
mail subsidy was a 20 90 against strik-
ing out. BY neat parliamentary maneu-
vering the opponents Of the subsidy were
prevented from getting a direct vote on a
motion to recommit with instructions.
|