Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-04-27
FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS-.
WASHINGTON, April 81.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, April 81.
SENATE.
Soon after the Senate convened to-
day Mr.. Stewart introduced the follow
ing resolution for which he asked i'm
mediate consideration: THAT the Sec
rotary of War be, and he is hereby, d.
rected to furnish the Senate with an
estimate of the amount of appropriation
necessary to arm, equip, subsist and
furnish with munitions of war the Gu
ban army now at war with Spain and
such additions as may be made thereto
from the people of Cuba, until the
Spanish army shall be expelled from
the island of Cuba, or until the next
session of Congress"
Mr.. Hale suggested the resolution
better 20 to the committee on military
affairs and after u statement by Mr..
Allison that the whole subject covered
by the resolution was now being con-
sidered by proper committees of Con-
gress and that there would be no dc
lay in the matter Mr.. Stewart agreed
that the resolution should go to the
military affairs committee.
No business OF importance pressing
for consideration, the Senate began the
consideration Of bills on the general
calendar.
At one o'clock it being the evident
determination of some Senators 10 OBJ
ject to the consideration of sill bills
brought up Mr.. Wilson moved that the
Senate adjourn.
At the request of other Senators he
changed mis- motion and the Senate
went into executive session.
At 1:25 p. m. the Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
The opening of the three days de-
cate on the war revenue measure at
tracted crowds to the House galleries
10 day and the attendance on the floor
was also large.
Without any evidence of excitement
or preliminaries of any kind the House
went into committee of the whole i'm
mediately after the reading of the jour
ual and entered upon the consideration
of the bill. Owing to its Importance
Mr.. Dingley, chairman of the ways and
means committee, did not ask that the
first reading of the bill be dispensed
with as is usual with bills of minor i'm
portance.
The reading of the bill which consists
of A pages occupieo"an hour and ten
minutes. Mr. Dingley then took the
floor to open the debate. The bill, he
said, was distinctly war measure
creed upon the country by the war
with Spain in which We were now en-
gagged. Mr.. DinPley called attention
to the vast cost Of modern engines OF
war which made war now much more
costly than formerly. This demand
upon our resources, he said, came just
as the country was emerging from a
long period of deficiencies of revenue
and was just beginning to see the light.
he then proceeded with his argument.
When he reached the question OF the
bond issue he was besieged with ques-
tions by Mr.. McMillin, Mr.. Sayers and
other democrats and there VAS some
discussion Of TIE probable cost OF the
war. MIR. ssyers ventured an estimate
of $500, 900, 900 per annum, which NJ
Dingley rejected, calling attention to
the fact that the civil war cost S1,100,
100000 per annum. Mr., Seyers, while
4vowing his willingness to vote every
dollar necessary to prosecute the
war, contended that there was
no necessity for autht rizing in this
bill the raising of S700,000.000 when
Congress would meet again in Deem
Der. A plethoric treasury in time of
war, he argued, would invite endless
schemes of spectators until 1t was
gone. Mr. Dingley pointed out that
The authorization for S500,O00,000 Of
bonds was simply an authorization. If
not needed all the bonds would not be
issued.
He said as the Supreme Court had de-
cided an income tax unconstitutional,
it seems preposterous y propose one
10 such an emergency. The proposition
TO coin the silver seigniorage he charac-
terized as one of the absurdities of
finance which was never heard Of be-
yond the borders of the United States.
Mr.. Bailey, the leader o. the minority,
followed Mr. Dingley with the opening
argument on his side. He said that his
side realized as much as the other the
necessity of raising revenue to carry on
the war and they stood willing to CO.
operate in placing at the disposal of the
government every material aid for the
prosecution of the war to a snc-
cessful and speedy termination. If
there was one species of property, be
said, above all others that ought to be
the subject of extraordinary taxation,
it was bank deposits, the only form of
property owned by one class which
was used by another,