Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-03-02
FIFTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
SENATE.

IL.
Washington, Feb. 1S.-Allen's resolution
directing the committee on naval affairs
to investigate the disaster to the battle
ship Maine came up and Mason proposed
substitute providing for an investigation
to be conducted by a joint committee of
the two branches of congress-. Mason
said the people demanded the truth and
would not be satisfied with an investiga-
tion conducted by the officers of the navy
The resolution went to the calendar
HOUSE.
The bankruptcy bill was debated during
almost the entire session. A resolution
appropriating sum TO enable the navy
department to save as much as possible
from the wrecked battleship Maine passed
HOUSE.
Washington, Feb. 19.-After four days
of consideration the house today passed
the bankruptcy bill, reported by the house
committee on judiciary as Il substitute for
the Nelson bill passed by the senate at the
extra session last summer. The bill is
known as the Henderson bill and contains
both voluntary and involuntary fea-
lures. 1t is considered less dras-
tic than the measure passed by the last
house by vote of 157 to ST. The involun-
tary feature however. had but IL majority.
SENATE.
Washington, Feb. 2l.-For three hours
to-day the senate had under discussion the
bill providing for the taking of the twelfth
census and subsequent censuses 1t was
amended as to place the census bureau I'M
der the secretary of the interior, but the
extended discussion which followed dis
closed so wide a divergence of views on
the part of senators as to the various fea-
,.Nf f,..@l
ton was taken.
This was private bill day in the house;
but little was accomplished, owing to the
fact that most of the time was consumed
in the passage of twenty-six private pen
sion bills coming over from the Friday
night session three weeks ago.
SENATE.
Washington, Feb. % --Washington's
farewell address was read, and the senate
then passed a bill providing for the enlist
ment of two additional regiments of ar
tillery for service in manning the heavy
coast defense batteries which congress has
provided during the past two years. A re-
solution by Morgan inquiring if a warship,
to be named the George Washington can
be built within q year, was passed. An
hour was spent in executive session con-
SlucrluS inc SltudIiOH fcldJlVe 10 CuDa.
1t was generally agreed that the situation
is becoming rapidly worse.
HOUSE.
Washington's birthday was celebrated in
the house, after a motion by Bailey to ad-
journ had been voted down, with vast
deal of political speech making, and it was
also signalized by the firing of the first gun
in opposition to Hawaiian annexation.
johnson, an Indiana republican, delivered
the speech and it was met with the
greatest applause witnessed in this
congress.
SENATE.
Washington, Feb. l3-Whlle the senate
had under consideration the diplomatic
and consular appropriation, a sharp debate
on the Cuban question was precipitated by
Mr.. Allen, who offered as an amendment
the resolution passed by the senate q year
ago recognizing the belligerent rights of
the Cuban insurgents. The debate became
general and occupied nearly four hours.
MIR. Aliens amendment was ruled out OF
order and the appeal from the ruling taken
by the Nebraska senator was laid on a Ia
bic by vote of 81 to 5. Both the military
academy and the diplomatic and consular
appropriation bills were passed.
HOUSE.
The house spent the day considering the
sundry civil appropriation bill The south
ern members, who have for years been
fighting the appropriation for ''informers"
on illicit distilleries, succeeded in killing
the appropriation in committee of the
whole, but Chairman Cannon gave notice
that he would demand an aye and nay vote
in the house.
SENATE.
Washington, Feb. PA feature of the
senate's session to-day was the speech of
Spooner of Wisconsin on the right of Henry
W. Corbett TO a seat in the senate from
Oregon under appointment of the governor.
Spooner made n constitutional argument in
favor of seating Corbett, and had not con-
cluded when the senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
The house devoted itself strictly to bust
ness and disposed of thirty-six additional
pages of the sundry civil service appropri-
alton bill. The fact that the government
is preparing for contingencies was recog-
nized in the house to-day when Chairman
Cannon, who has been laboring to keep
down appropriations, accepted without a
word of protest, an amendment to increase
the appropriation to care for the unused
machinery at the Springfield arsenal.