The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-17
Mr. Cannon Defeated in His Effort to
Have the Appropriation Inserted
by Unanimous Consent.
STILL ANOTHER SURPRISE
ATTEMPT BY HEPBURN TO REVIVE
THE NICARAGUA CANAL BILL.
Test to Come I'm House TO-Day-Army
Reorganization Bill Reported to
the Senate by Mr. HawIey.


! WASHINGTON, Feb. 16.-Two very SEN
sational and unexpected things happened in
! the House to-day during consideration of
the sundry civil bill. The paragraph carry
ing the appropriation of $200OO,000 for the
payment to Spain under the terms of the
peace treaty, was stricken out on a point of
order made by Mr.. Wheeler, a Kentucky
Democrat, who declared that he opposed the
appropriation on principle and would resort
to any technicality to defeat 1t. The point
of order was debated for hours, its deter
mination hinging on the question of whether
the ratification Of the treaty by the Senate
and its signing by the President vitalized it
without the action of the Spanish Cortes.
Warrant of law was necessary to make the
| appropriation in order. Mr.. Hopkins Rep.,
Iill), who was in the chair, sustained the
point Of order against 1t, and on an appeal
his decision sustained--149 to So. Mr..
Cannon then attempted to have the appro-
priation inserted by unanimous consent, but
Mr.. Wheeler again objected. A strong init
nation was given by Mr.. Cannon that q
way would be found within the rules to
make the appropriation before the adjourn
ment Of Congress. He referred undoubtedly
to the probability that the appropriation
would be placed on the bill by the Senate.
After the sundry civil bill had been COM
pleted and reported to the House Mr.. Hep
burn, of Iowa. the champion of the Mica
ragua canal bill, moved to recommit it,
with instructions to report it back with the
canal bill incorporated in it, This was an
| unexpected move as it was generally under
| stood that Mr.. Hepburn had abandoned all
hope after his defeat yesterday But he
believed that his motion would have addi-
tional strength in the House. where members
could be put on record. The motion was
promptly declared out Of order by the
speaker, whereupon Mr.. Hepburn appealed
and Mr.. Payne, of New York, moved to lay
the appeal on the table. Upon the latter
motion the vote was TAKEN and the result
was 81 yeas to 81 nays. AS no quorum was
developed on the vote, owing to the lateness
of the hour, the friends of the bill managed
to carry an adjournment until tomorrow
This gives them a breathing spell in which
to marshal their forces for the final en-
counter, and tomorrow, as soon as the
House meets, the vote will again be taken.
TWO WARRING NEBRASKANS.
Soon after the House went into committee
Of the whole Mr.. Mercer (Rep., Neb.) and
Mr.. Greene pop, Neb.) became engaged in
a personal controversy growing out of some
remarks Mr. Greene made few days ago
against the Blair City public building BILL
Mr. Mercer had read at the clerks desk
an article from a Kearney, Neb paper,
charging Mr.. Greene with having purchased
his seat in Congress. Mr.. Greene assailed
Mr.. Mercer for having read IAN old thread
bare, time-worn, worm-eaten, repudiated
charge made by a s6-called Democratic
paper which annually sold out to the Re
pubicans." Mr.. Mercer disclaimed any per-
sonal knowledge of the facts in the article
He said he simply quoted Democratic au-
thority. Mr.. Mercer attempted to show that
Mr. Greene had favored the Blair City
public building bill in committee of the
whole, a charge which the latter en-
phatically denied In the end there was the
usual reconciliation and both members
withdrew their remarks from the Record.
Mr.. Bartlett (Dem., Ga.) speaking to
proforma amendment, challenged some
statements recently made by Secretary of
the Treasury Gage to the effect that the
fear of the administration of the Philippines
costing enormous sums of money was all
"noonshine" and that the receipts would at
all times exceed the expenditures. Mr.
Bartlett declared that the greatest revenue
Spain had ever been able to obtain from
the Philippines under the heaviest system
of taxation was $12,OOOOOO. We now had
twenty thousand soldiers in these islands
Within short time there would be 25.OO0
This army of soldiers would cost at least
$25 600, ,0O0 so that if we were able to exact
as much tribute Spain we would still be
losers by the holding of the islands to the
extent Of $13,000000 per annum. Mr.. Bart
lett also attempted to show that in eight out
of ten cases Great Britain's colonies cost
the British government more than it OBJ
tained.
When the paragraph appropriating $20,00O,-
600 for payment to Spain under the treaty
Of Paris was reached Mr.. Wheeler Dem,
Ky.) made a point Of order against 1t.
His point of order was that the paragraph
was obnoxious to Rule q, invoked yesterday
against the Nicaragua canal amendment. If
the treaty Of Paris were complete, if it were
vitalized by the ratification of the Spanish
COrtes, and the exchange Of rarifcations
had taken place, he confessed that the
treaty would be the law of the land and the
amendment would be in order. He cited
numerous decisions of the Supreme Court in
support of his position.
Mr. Hopkins (Rep ND, who was in the
chair, called the attention of Mr.. Wheeler
to the fact that the treaty had been rati-
fed by the Senate and signed by the Presi-
dent. What else, he asked. was necessary
to create liability on the part of the
United States.
MR.. WHEELER UNYIELDING.
In reply Mr.. Wheeler said that the Span
ish Cortes might refuse to ratify the treaty,
and 1t could not become law until the other
high contracting party had consented to 1t.
he was opposed to the appropriation on
principle, he said and he proposed to take
! advantage of every technicality to defeat It.
Mr.. BAH (Dem.. Tex.) supported the point