The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-09
MILLIONS VOTED.
National Defence Bill IMAM
imously Passed by the
Senate.
NOT A WORD OF DEBATE
Uncle Sam Ready for Spain
The Montgomery al
Havana.
NOT A WORD OF DEBATE

WASHINGTON, March 9, 1S98.-In an
ticipation of discussion of the $50,0OO.-
900 emergency appropriation bill, people
rapidly filled the galleries of the Senate
today. Two hours before the Senate
convened spectators began to appear in
the galleries to secure desirable seats,
and long before u o'clock the public and
reserve galleries were filled. In the COR
ridors outside were long lines of surging
people to secure admission to witness a
session of the Senate, that in it's con-
sequences if not in it's actual proceed
ings gave promise of being momentous.
In fact it was thought that the Senates
action today might mark the beginning
of new epoch in the country's history
and the public interest was fully proper
tionate to the action the Senate was to
take
Among the spectators in the galleries
were scores of ladies', whose interest IN
current matters is quite as keen as that
of their fathers. husbands and brothers
On the floor of the Senate the attend
ance was unusually large when the Vice
Presidents gavel fell calling the body to
order. Nearly all of the members of
the Appropriations Committee, including
the chairman, Mr.. Allison Qowa), ana of
the Foreign Relations Committee, in
fcluding the Chairman, Mr.. Davis (Minn.).
were in their seats.
In addition several members and officers
of the House were in the chamber.
Among the bills introduced was one by
Mr. Sewell IN. J) establishing govern
ment protection of homing pigeons.
AT the conclusion of the morning busi-
ness, Mr.. Hale (Maine), of the Appro-
priations Committee, quietly rose and
said:-"I report from the Committee on
Appropriations without amendment an
act to supply urgent deficiencies for the
current year and for other purposes, and
ask that it be placed on Its passage.
The bill. which was the measure e. apo 1oo
propriating $50.1s3 ,000 of which $50, 600, 900
was placed at the disposal of the Presi-
dent for the national defense. was then,
amid an intense silence, read in TuH.
AT the conclusion of the reading there
being no amendment to the bill, it was
placed on its passage.
Mr. Hale asked that the yeas and nays
be called. Such unanmity as the roll
call developed was as unusual as it was
significant. Pairs were broken on both
sides of the Chamber in order that al
those present might evince their pa triot-
ism and desire to uphold the hands of the
President in this time of emergency by
voting directly for the measure.
Within twenty-six minutes. after the
been completed and the Vice President
had announced that the bill was passed,
rs Senators voting in the affirmative and
not one in the negative.
AS the Vice President made his an
nouncement q slight ripple of applause
ran through the galleries, but the neln--
hers of the Senate remained calm and
dignified repressing all enthusiasm which
il was evident from the smiling faces and
intense interest manifester in every look
and gesture a great majority of them
f feit.
During the roll call it was authoritative
sIy announced for every absent Senator
that il he were present he would vote
aye.
said: My colleague is unavoidably de-
tanned from the Senate, but if he were
present he would vote aye.
that Mr. Thurston might vote in Ha-
yana (where Mr. Thurston now is), and
the sally created a laugh among those
When Mr. Perkins (Cal) made SINH
lar announcement for Mr.. White (Cal0
he said My senior partner if he were
here And then catching h1mself
Joined good naturedly in the general
laugh which followed.
Mr. Chandler IN. H. } presented the fol-
lowing resolution. which indicates that
the disaster to the battleship Maine is
to have, a thorough investigation by the
Senate
That in conducting the inquiry into the
case of the destruction of the battleship
Maine in Havana harbor on February Is.
1898 under resolution of the Senate Of
February 21, the Committee on Naval At
fairs is hereby authorized to send for per-
sons and papers.
When the clerk of the Senate announced
that the Senate had passed without
amendment the National Defense bill a
wave of APPLAUSE swept over the Hoor and
the galleries.
The conference report on the Legislative
Executive and judicial appropriation bill
was agreed to without division. This re-
port was a complete agreement between
the two Houses and the bill no wSoes to
the President.
AIT lao F. M. the Speaker took the, chair
and announced his signature to the Ma
tional Defense bill. The adjournment of
the Senate prevents securing the sigma
ture of the Vice-President today and it
a. p1.ac datat 10 nfror