The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-10
DEBATE IN THE HOUSE.
Bill to Enable Volunteers to Vote Dis
cussed, but Not AdOnted.

|
cussed, but Not Adopted.
WASHINGTON, June 9.-The proceedings
of the House to-day and tonight were in
| teresting. AS stated elsewhere, the confer
| ence report on the war revenue bill was
| adopted.
The bill to enable volunteer soldiers to
| participate in congressional elections was
| taken up when the House met to-day.
| number of amendments affecting the meth
| cd of voting and return of the votes with
a view to prevent fraud, were incorporated.
| After prolonged conversational discussion
| of the bill in which it's constitutionality was
| discussed, Mr.. Bailey Oem., Tex) secured
the floor and delivered a speech against the
| constitutionality of the measure, directing
| his argument chiefly to establish, indepen-
| IDENTIFY and by the presentation of long
| line OF court decisions, the distinction be-
tween the qualifications of voters which, he
| contended, the State alone could fix and
the times, places and manner of holding
| elections affecting which the constitution
explicitly gives Congress the right to alter
| or make regulations.
Mr. Lewis opposed the view advocated by
| Mr.. Bailey. Mr.. S. w. Smith (Rep., Mich.),
In charge OF the bill, moved the previous
| question. The motion was put while Mr..
| Cummings (Dem., n. W was demanding
recognition to offer an amendment to give
| the privilege of voting to sailors and ma
rines. lie failed to get his amendment in.
| anc, upon the announcement of the vote
| ordering the previous question, the New
! York member called for the yeas and nays.
| Il want to know" he cried with IA yigor
that created much commotion in the House
| what members will dare vote to shut the
sailors out of this bill" The roll call re-
sulted-l39 yeas, So nays.
Mr.. Bailey demanded a roll call on the
engrossment and third reading of the bill,
and at the conclusion of the vote demanded
the reading OF the engroSSed bill. This in
volved a delay, the bill not being ready.
MI; Dingley Rep;, Me) was then recog-
| nized and presented the conference report
upon the revenue bill After the reading
! of the report and the statement of the
| House conferees, Mr.. Dingley said the de-
| the fact that great losses would be avoided
by early passage of the measure, since its
| provisions were know to those to be af-
| fected by them. He asked Mr.. Bailey what
the wishes of the minority were in regard to
| debate.
Mr.. Bailey said he appreciated that the
| bill would pass, and, in view of that he APP
| preciated the Importance of early action,
| for extended debate was entertained by the
| minority. In response to Mr.. Dingley's
query, he said no difficulty would be expe-
| rienced in reaching vote tonight.
| Mr.. Dingley at length announced that he
| would move the previous question at 1920
| o'clock tonight, and recess was then
| taken to O'clock
When the House met after the recess, Mr.
| Dingley, addressing himself to the report,
spoke OF the urgent necessity for the pas
| sage of war revenue and the resulting ne
| eessity for speedy action in conference and
which the House had set out to accomplish
were the raising of, approximately $175,000,-
| eco from taxation and from 100000 600 to
5000 0,C00 from other sources. These ends
would be secured through the BILL as re-
ported from conference, and while the con-
| cessions made by the House conferees were.
/ n nGfa oil dictoc nj 20
| him, he felt they had been made without the
| violation of any great principle advocated
| by the House and without initiating against
| the accomplishment of the great ends origi-
nally contemplated by the inauguration of
war revenue legislation. He said the House
| conferees made no effort to eliminate the
| tax on tea, owing to the decisive vote by
| which the Senate had Incorporated ii and
| because the new crop was just about to ar
| rive, stocks on hand were very low and the
| consumption in the country amounted TO
! lo0OOOC00 pounds annually. Relative TO the
! coinage of silver bullion, Mr.. Dngley ex-
| planned that the provision would result, ulti-
mately, in an Increase of circulation out
standing by the amount Of the present
seigniorage. or about S42. $50 900. the provision
declaring explicitly that the coinage should
| proceed at the rate of not less than 81 $780,
WO per month, and the dollars should be
used for the redemption of silver certificates
| which, when redeemed, should be cancelled
me provision Was not materially different
Mr.. Bailey expressed hearty concurrence
| In what he called the candid admission of
| the gentleman from Maine that the coinage
| feature amounts to nothing, and practically
| is but a reiteration of what Is already law"
| he then criticised generally the bill as being
| framed chiefly burdensome to those who
| were least able 10 bear additional burdens.
| He attacked especially the provision relat-
| ing 10 mixed flour as unconstitutional be-
| cause it interfered with state prerogatives
/ and was intended not 10 raise revenue, but
] TO destroy an industry. something which
| Congress had no constitutional power to
| tax.
Mr.. Simpson Pop., Kan) attacked the
| bond provision as unnecessary
/ A severe arraignment of the failure of the
| war TO bring relief to the suffering people in
| Cuba was interjected in the debate by Mr.
| Pierce Dem, Tex After reviewing the
| demands for war upon the ground of hu-
/ mainly that were made when the Cuban
/ resolutions were under consideration he at
/ tackled what he declared the negligence of
the administration a2d its failure to relieve