Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-02-15
CONGRESS.
Senate.

we're strain in the Senate The fact that
the treaty was to be voted upon and that
the result was hanging in the balance
served to keep senators on both sides Of the
chamber at a high tension. When the Son
ate convened at noon more members were
present than had been in Attendance unon
any session of the Senate since it assembled
IN December After season of debate on
the treaty the Senate went into executive
session and passed it with the following
vote Yeas-Aldrich. Allen. Allison, Baker,
burrows. Butler, Carter Chandler Clark
Clay, Cullom, Davis, Deboe, Elkins Fair
banks, Faulkner, Foraker, Frye Gallir.er
Gear Gray, Hanna, HansDrough, Harris,
say, Lodge, Mcbride, McEnery, McLaurin.
Mcmillan, Mantle, Mason, Morgan. Nelson,
Penrose, Perkins: Pettus. Platt Conn,
ell, shonp, Simon, spooner Stewart. suIi-
van, Teller, ThurStOn,A Warren, Wellington,
Wc!cott-57 Nays-8acon Bate Berry,
Gaffery, Chiffon, CockrelI, Daniel, Gorman,
Hale, Heitfeld. Hoar. Jones (Ark), M@l-
lory, Martin, Mills, Mitchell, Money, Muir.
ply. Pasco, Pettigrew, Rawlins, Roach,
smith Smith TiIlman Turley, Turner, Vest-27
for, with Mr.. White, against. and Procto.
and Wetmore, for, with Mr.. Turpie against.
After the ratification of the treaty the Sen
ate in open session took up a joint resolu-
ton offered by Mr.. McEnery Dem, Lay
declaring policI for the Philippines, ana
an effort was made to adopt it, but the de-
bate occupied so much time that the reSo.--
ton went over till next day.
For two hours or more on the It'll the Sen
ate had the resolution declaratOry Of
policy for this government in the Philip
pines under discussion but no vote was
reached and the resolution went finally to
the calendar. The Indian appropriation bill
was taken up, but had not been completed
When the Senate adjourned. Senate bill
granting right of way through Indian Ter
rlt0ry to the ChOctaW, Oklahoma and Gulf
Railroad company was passed. Mr.. Spoon
er (Wls.) presented the credentials of Sel
ator-elect Quarles.
In the Senate on the Sth the Indian an
preparation bill, which has been pending for
st|eral weeks, was completed and passed.
The legislative, executive and judicial APP
twenty-four pages of it had been disposed
of it was laid aside for the day. A few
measures of minor Importance were passed.
Throughout the open session of the SEN
ate on the 9th that body had under consid-
GRAFTON the legislative. executive and judi
clal appropriation bill. A lively debate
was precipitated over the appropriation for
the support of the office of the supervising
architect Of the treasury, and that official
was criticised for the delay in the construc~
ton of public buildings throughout the
United States. Fifty-one pages of the pend
ing bill were disposed of before the Senate
went into executive session for the re-
mainder of the day.
During the entire open session on the
10th the Senate had under consideration
the Legislative: executive and judicial ap
the time largely being occupied with. de
bate on minor topics A bill amending an
act to provide for the reimbursement Of gov
ernors Of states and territories for eXpen-
Ses incurred by them in raising and equip
ping the volunteer army in the war with
Spain was reported from the committee on
military affairs. The bill went over to
be printed. Mr.. Allen (Neb) offered Il joint
resolution providing for the submission to
the legislatures of an amendment to the
constitution providing for the election of
United States senate s by direct vote of the
people. The resolution was laid on the
table.
In the Senate on the 18th a bill was in
troduced by Mr.. Hoar Rep.. Mass and
recommended to the committee on privileges
and elections amending the existing law as
to the election of United States senators by
providing that after seven ballots on rs
many days the person receiving plurality
on the next ballot shall be declared elected.
He intimated that he did not expect action
on the bill in this Congress- The resolution
offered by Mr.. Allen Pop, Neb) reaffirm
ing the doctrine of the declaration of indie
pendence that all men are created equal and
that governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed. and that
the doctrine is of universal applicability,
was taken up and discussed By unanimous
consent it was ordered that vote on the
McEnery resolution declaring that when
ever the people of the Philippine islands are
fit for self government it viii be given to
them. next Tuesday. The regular cOnsdera-
ton of the legislative appropriation bill was
then proceeded with.
House.
The 9th was suspension day in the House
and quite 4 number of bills were passed,
some of them of Importance. The census
bill prepared by the House committee went
through by a vote of 147 to 40. The bill
differs in several essential features from
the Senate bill, particularly in that it makes
the census bureau entirely independent of
any existing department. A bill was passed
to extend the anti-contract labor laws over
the Hawaiian islands. and another bill was
passed to refer forty-fOur war claims for
stores and supplies to the court of claims.
bill was passed to authorize the widow
of Gen. Hiram Berdan to sue the govern
ment in the court of claims for royalties due
her husband on inventions used by the gov
eminent between 1869 and 1881.
February 7th and Sth were set aside by
the House for the consideration of public
building bills The committee had reported
seventy-eight bills for buildings in thirty
five states authorizing III the aggregate an
expenditure of 14,060,900. Little or no OPP
position developed on the It'll, and bills were
fvaOrably acted upon almost as rapidly as
they could be read There was, however,
more or less good-natured chatting through
out the session. AS 4 result forty bills. car
rying or authorizing appropriations aggre-
eating $11, 364, 900, had been laid aside With
favorable recommendations before adjourn
ment was rea ched
The net result of the work during the two
DAYS allotted for the consideration of pub
lie building bills in the, House was the pas
sage of a Single bill providing for the cree
ton Of building at Newport News, Va, at
q cost of $50. 900. SiXty-fiye bills in all.
carrying or authorizing the expenditure of
about $12, 100000, We're favorably considered
in committee of the whole when the COM
mittee rose on the Sth but because seven
teen other bills reported had not been acted
uDon in committee all efforts to advance
the bills favorably acted upon in commit
tee were blocked.
Chairman Cannon of the appropriations
committee of the House in the course of
the general debate on the sundry civil bill
on the 9th sounded a note of warming
against extrayagant appropriations, and
pra ctically served notice that neither the
ship subsidy bill nor the Nicaragua canal
bill could be passed at this session. He said
the actual deficiency in the treasury Feb
luary /. 1899 was S93, 151, 600, an average
of $13, 3O7, 900 a month. At this rate the
deficiency for the fiscal year would be $139,
600. 600 But this would not include the
$40, OOO 900 provided by the bill to carry ont
the provisions of the Paris treaty. MI.
Cannon said it would be necessary to con-
tinue the war taxes for the next two years
at least.
General debate on the sundry civil ap-
propriation bill was concluded III the House
on the 10th. The speakers during the day
touched a variety of topics, but as Il rule
the debate lacked spirit and interest Mr.
Dockery of Missouri, who is at the head of
the minority of the appropriations commit
fee re-enforced Mr.. Cannon's figures as
to the deficiency in the revenues: Mr. De