The Portland daily press., 1898-05-19


ures We're Passed After Some Debate
and Secret Session.
Washington, May 49, in the absence OF
the Vice President, Mr.. Frye of Maine,
president pro tenn Of the Senate, occu pied
the Chair at the opening of today S
session.
A House bill reported by the committee
on claims was passed directing the pay
! ment to Samuel Mckee of Kentucky ST.,
71S for expenditures incurred by him in
q contest for his seat in the Fortisth Con-
gress. -
A billy reported favorably by Mr.. Haw-
ley, chairman of the military affairs com
mittee providing that officers in the regu-
lar army shall be eligible to staff appoint
ments in the volunteer army, that gov
ernors with the consent of the President
may appoint officers of the regular army
to the grades OF field officers In organiza.
tions of the volunteer army. The bill
passed.
MIR. Hawley called up the report of the
conferees on the bill suspending the action
OF certain existing laws relating to the
purchase of supplies by the quarter
masters department. of the army. MIR.
Hawley explained that the Senate con-
ferees had abandoned their amendment
repeating section 300 of the Revised
Statutes and had inserted the following:
THAT during the existing war, the
bureau OF ordnance Of the war depart
ment IS authorized to purchase without
| advertisement such ordnance stores as
are needed for immediate use, and when
| sucn ordnance and ordnance stores are to
De manufactured to make contracts with
OUT advertisement for such stores, to be
delivered as rapidly as manufactured.
ME- German inquired of Mr.. Hawley
whether the provision inserted by the
ordnance unlimited authority to contract
Ior supplies one or two years hence.
ME- Hawley replied that the provision
conferred upon the chief of ordnance only
such power as it was necessary for him in
the circumstances to have.
| Il he projectiles and guns and other
supplies, which he must have" said Mr..
Hawley with some heat, "are not to be
had in every toy shop. Only three or four
concerns In the country make them. The
Chief OF ordnance knows exactly what he
has to pay for them without advertising
for proposals. I could give the Senator
| (Mr Germany some information on this
subject but do not think it proper to
do SO in open session."
''You need not call for secret session
on my ACCOUNT: said Mr.. German, "but
| would like, to know how sweeping this
provision isl
"Well," rstarted Mr.. Hawley, "there is
just this about it. If you have not an
honest chief OF ordnance, have him turned
out and put IN another man. 1t is
essential that he have authority conferred
Upon him by this provision. / call for a
secret legislative session, Mr.. President.
~ The call was sustained and at IL 81 p.
M. the Senate went into secret session.
After discussing the question in secret
session for half an hour, the report on the
quartermasters' bill was agreed to.
/ The Senate resumed open legislative
session at l.35 p. M, and began the con.
s1deration OF the war revenue measure.
MIR. Turpie of Indiana, addressed the
Senate. He said that the differences here
were differences only of method There
was no difference as to the purpose of
supplying all the means and men to the
government to carry on tho war. 1t was
very easy to say that the country was at
war and that the Congress must supply
the money for its conduct; but this Was
not the language Of craftsmanship.
1t must be realized that dependence
could not be placed upon the Dingley bill
for war revenues. The D1ngley bill was
not what Its promoters had expected it
would be-
1T is an e3oresence. Mr.. Turpie
said, as 1t has always been an anomaly, -
He thought it ought to be revised; that
the government should be provided with
sufficient money to pay Its expenses. -
Mr.. Tnrpie said that the pending bill
carried provision for a basketful Of
certificates Of indebtedness in order to
peet the deficiencies caused by the Ding
criticised because of the monthly deficien-
oy OF the so-oalled Wilson law, but the
Dingley law was showing similar deficits
wentewithout criticism.
The committee was agreed $3.50, 100000
should be raised by taxation and the re-
manning sum from $l2O, 100000 to $780,
GOO. 900 by other means.
Mr.. Turpie thought the tax on success
sion was one of the best features OF the
bill. He said it was tax on accumula-i
ton, while the tax on beer and tobacco
was tax on consumption.
Mr.. Turpie strongly urged the proposed
tax on corporations He estimated that
this provision of the bill would yield
800, 900, 600 and that the inheritance tax
This would supply the amount necessary
to be raised by taxation. The remaining
$3.50, 600, 600 necessary could be raised by
the coinage of the silver seigniorage and
the issue of legal tender notes. The
majority of the finance committee, he
said, had deemed 1t wise to propose the
coinageoof the seigniorage in Difference to
the wishes Of Is, 600, 600 citizens who in
the last national campaign had made evil
dent their desire for such coinage. The
section Of the bill providing for the issue
of greenbacks was proposed by the ma.
jority Of the committee as, as substitute for
the bond section of the bill as 1t came
from the House. Mr.. Turpie argued at
length in favor of the issue Of greenbacks,
legal tender notes, declaring that the
policy of their issue was almost an ideal
one for the raising of money for such an
emergency as now confronted this govern
ment.
sit isl said he. ''the most patriotic
and least expensive scheme of securing
money in time like this known to
man."
The people would be glad to make such
loan to the government for it would be
truly popular loan. The people of the
&c. tos xror11 thop oUwp a. l.LL