Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-05-18
Senator Turpie for an Issue Of
United States Notes.
CONSIDERING TIE WAR REVENUE BILL
Army Quartermasters Relieved From
Restrictions.
AN URGENT DEFICIEN CY

| Frye (Me-) president pro tenn or the Sen
ate. occupied the chair at the opening of
| today's session.
A House bill reported by the committee
on claims was passed. directing the pay
| nent to Samuel Mckee of Kentucky 81, us
for expenses incurred by him in a contest
| for his. seat in the Fortieth Congress
A bill, reported favorably by Mr.. Hawley,
chairman of the military affairs committee
providing that officers in the regular army
shall be eligible to staff appointments in
the volunteer army; that governors, with
the consent of the President, may appoint
of11cers of the regular army In the grades of
held officers In organizations of the volun-
teer army. and that the President may
appoint officers of the regular army in the
grade of field officers in organizations of the
volunteer army in the District of Column
passed.
MI Hawley called up the report of the
conferees on the bill sUspeniing the action
OF certain existing laws relating 10 the
purchase of supplies by the auartermas-
Ter S department of the army.
Mr. Hawley explained that the Senate
cehIerees had abandoned their amendment
repeating section 300 of the Revised
Statutes and had inserted the following.
That during existing war the bureau of
orr nance of the War Department is au-
unCrlzed to purchase without advertise
meht such ordnance and ordnance stores
as are needed for immediate use, and when
such ordnance and ordnance stores are
10 be manufactured to make contracts
without advertisement for such stores. to
De ceilyered as rapidly manufactured"
MI German (Md) inquired of Mr. Haw-
ley whether the provision inserted nv the
cohierees conferred upon the chief of ord
marco unlimited authority to contract for
supplies one or two years hence.
Mr. Hawley replied that the provision
conferred the chief of ord
Sucn power as 1t was necessary for him in
the circumstances to have
. me pfoJecuies and guns and other sup
plies which he must have said Mr. Haw-
ley, with some heat ARE not to be had in
every toy shop. Only three or four con-
Germs in the country make them. The chief
OF ordnance knows exactly what he has to
pay for them without advertising for pro-
posals. 1 could give the senator (Mr. Cor
mani 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 1
would like to know how sweeping this pro-
vision is"
Well" retorted Mr.. Hawley, there's
just this about it. If you have not an hon
est chief of ordnance have him turned out
and put in another man. 1t is essential
tLat he have the authority conferred upon
him by this provision. 1 call for a secret
Legislative session, Mr.. President"
The call was sustained, and at 1927 pm
the Senate went into secret session.
AFTER discussing the question in secret
session for half an hour the report on the
quartermaster's bill was agreed to-
Inc Senate resumed open legislative ses-
sion at l :35 pm. and began the considera-
ucn OF the war revenue measure
Mr. Iurpie Qnd.) addressed the Senate.
he said that the differences here were diff
feFences of method. There was no differ
cree as to the purpose of supplying all the
means and men to the government to carry
on the war 1t is very easy to say that the
country is at war and that the Congress
must supply the money for it's conduct; but
thls is not the language of statesmanship.
1t must be realized. Mr.. Turpie said, that
Imependence could not be placed upon the
DlnsIey bill for war revenues. He said that
the Dlhgiey bill was not what its promoters
mad expected it would be- 1T is an ex-
f 6nan nc said he 'as it has always
TO be revised so that the government should
be provided with sufficient money to pay its
expenses.
MI Turpie said that the pending bill car
ried provision for a basketful of certifi-
Gates of Indebtedness in order to meet the
deficiencies caused by the Dingley law The
democrats had been sharply criticised be-
cause of monthly deficiency of the so-called
Wilson bill, but the Dingley law was show
ing similar deficits without criticism Now
Mr.. Turpie said, it was proposed in the
pending war measure to take care of all
the Dingley law deficits with the certificates
of Indebtedness.
The PrObab bic Cost.
After referring to the work in the finance
committee upon the present bill Mr. Tur-
pie said that the Secretaries of War and
the Navy had estimated that it would re-
quire s2I0,0O0,000 to prosecute the war dur
ing the next year. He thought that mas
much as the conquest of Cuba was not
new war svent, as it had been accomplished
once before by Great Britain, this country
furnishing the base of supplies, much of
the money and many of the men, the gov
errmcnt ought to be we'll Informed as to
the plans for best accomplishing 1t. With
the points W. IL in hand, the question pre-
scented to Congress was how the necessary
money should be raised. The committee
was agreed that S150O0),G00 should be raised
by taxation and The remaining sum, from
S12J,0O0,C00 to s15O,OOO,OOO, by other means.
Mr.. Turpie thought the tax on succession
was one of the best features of the bill. He
said it was a tax on accumulation. while
the tax on beer and tobacco was tax on
consumption. He hoped the Inheritance tax
would be retained in the bill, that ac-
cumulations as well as consumption Should
bear its burdens of the war.
Mr.. Turpie strongly urged the proposed
tax upon corporations. He estimated that
this provision of the bill would yield quite
slO0.U0,Oo0 and that the inheritance tax
provision would produce SJO,000,OO0 more.
This would supply the amount necessary
to be raised by taxation. The remaining
$lJO,O0O,OOO necessary could be raised by the
coinage of the silver seigniorage and the is
sue of the legal tender notes. The majority
of the finance committee, he said, had
deemed it wise to propose the coinage of
the seigniorage in Difference to the wishes
of 100000 of citizens who in the last ma
tional campaign had made evident their de-
sire for such coinage.
Issue of United States Notes.
The section of the bill providing for the