The age-herald., 1899-01-21
LEWIS SCORES
 GEN. GROSVENOR WOrdy Duel Occurs Between 0hiOal
 and WaShinStOnian. CLAIM OF CRAMP 6 SONS Has the Occasion of Debate Which
 EnliV8n6d the House.
CLAIM OF CRAMP 6 SONS
"EMBALMED BEEFv WAS DISCUSSED
Congressman Lewis Charged That the Canned Poison Palmed Off on the Government Was Manufactured
 During China-Japan War.

Washington, January 20-The proceed ings in the house were enlivened today by a wordy duel between Mir Grosvenor, of ing the debate on private bill to refer to the court of claims the claim of Cramp S Sons, the Philadelphia shop builders, for damages from the government for delays incident to the building of the warsh'ps New York Massachusetts, Indiana and Co., lumbia due to the failure of the government to deliver armor plate and other materials for these ships on time, MT. Lewis got the floor.
 Mr. Lewis made the bill the text for general attack on army and navy contract OTIS, whom he charged with being traitors for taking advantage of the necessities of the government in time of stress.
 MT. Simpson, the Kansas populist, fol- lowed along the same lines and MT. Gros venor undertook to rebuke them both. MT. Lewis. in his reply, made one of the vii test speeches. ridlculing the Ohoan for his alleged pretensions. that has been heard in the house for months. MT. Grosvenor did not deign to make an extensive rejoin- der.
 The Cramp bill was edged out of the way after the flow of oratory ceased.
 Postotfice Sill Passed
 Earlier in the day the postoffice appro- priation bill was signally passed, and just before the recess Speaker Reed put an end to the speculation regarding the chairman ship of the ways and means committee by appointing MT. Payne, republican, of New York, to the vacancy caused by the death of MT. Dngley. This carries with it the floor leadership of the ma jority. At the same time he filled the vacancies in the minority representa- ton on the ways and means committee and rules committee caused by the retirement of MT. McMillin by appointing MT. Richard son, of Tennessee, to both places.
 A night session was held for pension leg islation, and the house then adjourned over until Monday.
 The first of the private bills considered was for the relief of William Cramp & Sons, of Philadelphia. It referred to the court of claims, the claims of this company for damage and losses alleged to be due for de- lays caused by the government in the sup ply of armor and other material.
 The history of the claim was thoroughly exhausted during the debate, which MT. Lewis, democrat, of Washington, enlivened by making the bill the text for an attack on the general methods of government con- tractors. During the war with Spain, when the country was confronted with an enemy from without, traitors, he said, threatened the government from within.
 Rotten and Decaye ed Food
 These contractors who should have up- held the government in the hour of its peril, ne declared, declined to bid against each other. In some cases they had furnished, he said, "rotten and decayed food which had been prepared for the Chinese-Japanese war"
 It was moulded, blue and putrid and cor rupt, but it was sent to our soldiers at the front and they perished from it as from the plaugue. These men had earned the ignomy, reproach and contempt of congress. If he were attorney-general he would arraign before the grand juries of the country those who had furnished poisoned food to the army, those .who had sold armor plate to the enemy and those who had sold coal for the use of the enemy's fleets, and he would have them convicted of treason and have them shot as Napoleon did, or have them imprisoned as Grant did MT. Simpson (pop.) of Kansas spoke upon the peculiar way in which they secured a hearing for the large claims in the house, but always kept the modest but better claims in the background. This was espe- cially true, he said, of these bills to reim- purse big contractors. The report on the
 
 & Sons should be reimbursed because of the great efficiency of these ships as dem- onstrated by their service during the late war. Was it claimed that these ships took | part in the sinking of Cerveras ships? he | asked
 Sampson Wasn't There | What part had the New York played at | the battle of Santiago? She was not in it.. | She never caught up. Gaughter). Then there were the Columbia and the Massachu- setts, neither of which was there. The only ship which had cut any great figure in the destruction of the Spanish fleet besides the | Brooklyn and the Texas was the Oregon. The builders of that magnificent ship were l not here asking for bonuses, said MT. Slmp- | son.
 MT. Grosvenor (rep.) of Ohio, referred | humorously to MT. Lewis activity. This was a peculiar month he said, and the rea- | son for the gentleman's activity could per- | haps be found in the news in the morning papers (referring to the senatorial contest in progress in Washington state.) q think | the state of Washington might do worse. | Uaughter.) It is difficult to see the cornec- | tion between the right of company to assert legal claim on the merit of em- baimed beef. I congratulate the gentleman i and senate in advance. It would be like ] current of fresh air in charnal house | if the gentleman were transported to the l senate" (Laughter)
 MT. Grosvenor proceeded to speak of the
 effect of the rejection of the peace treaty