The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-02-28
WHAT CONGRESS IS DOING.

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B 9TH Houses of Congress v epassed
q bill to reimburse Governors or
States for expense incurred by them In
tbs organic alton of volunteers for ser
vice in the war with Spain! There are
claims from the various States for this
work -aggregating over s. OOO 600. Un
der existing law, only 1896 600 OF these
claims has been ~liquadated, and the
passage of this act was necessary for
the settlement Of the remainder.
The H.use has passed the bill to pay
Spain 800. 600. 900 for the Philippines or
rather for the privilege Of fighting the
Filipinos. This we have always con
sidered the most foolish clause in the
Peace Treaty. We may not be right,
but to US it looks as foolish for Uncle
Sam to pay Spain $50. 600, 900 for the
Philippines when the Filipinos must
be conquered before we can get pos
session of them, as foolish, we say, as
it would be for you to pay Jones $40
for Browns suit of clothes when you
must fight and conquer Brown before
you can get the clothes.
Treaties do not come before the
House for ratification, but bills appro
priating money must originate there.
And after ratitying the Peace treaty,
Congress could not, of couse, refuse to
make the appropriation.
Wheeler, O9m } of Kentucky, how
ever opposed the measure. He was
opposed to it, he said, because he be
Iieved it wrong in principle and n
famous in execution. He was not
afraid of giving offense to some efete
and decaying monarchy OF the Old
World. He declared that the admin
Istration was a soldier of fortune. It
lacked the nerve and pluck to declare
it's purpose. Micawber like, it was
waiting for something to turn up. The
war begun for humanity had degener
ated into q war of bloody extermina
ton, that would disgrace the pages Of
history. Never theless the bill passed
PIG to "a Kitchen seems to have been
the only North Carolina member who
voted in the negative.
When the p~ostcfice appro priation
bill was called up by the Senate last
week, Senator Bitter proposed an
amendment reducing the amount paid
the railroads for the transportation
of mail from $33. 274 600 to $50. SOC. 600.
and that the Postmaster General be
directed to reduce the amounts thus
paid to railroads by 10 per cent. after
July /, 1899. He said the government
paid thu same now for carrying
mails per pound per mile as it did
twenty one years ago. In that time
the railroads had voluntarily reduced
pass enger rates 25 per cent. and freight
rates 40 per cent.
The amendment was lost, however,
by q vote of As to Is
Mr.. Tillman offered an amendment
which was agreed to, providing that
star route contractors be required to
from and deposit in boxes
erected along their routes mail matter,
the boxes to be maintained by the PEG
pie along the route.
The Naval Appropriation Bill has
passed the H use, and the Army Bill
is now under consideration.
Representative Johnson, Or p of
Indiana, in a speech las: Friday severe
> censured President Mckinley Bos
speech, Claiming that it was a gross
nissUatement of the facts Hsaccused
Mckinley of waging relentless wal
a helpless people, and that the
cause Of his attitude towards the Phil
vas to be found in the demands
If selfish capitalists, who, he charged,
had already realized SESSIONS i'll
China which the acquisition of the
Philippines would benefit.
This speech created something of a
sensation.