Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-02-08
CONGRESS-.
Senate.

cipitated a running debate, which occupied
all the time until the Senate, at 2 O'Clock,
treaty. The President sent to the Senate
| correspondence on file in the state depart
| ment bearing upon the peace treaty, and it
| was read in executive session.
! During almost the entire morning hour on
the 31st the Senate had under discussion
the policy of this country to be pursued in
the Philippine islands. Mr.. Berry ark, in
a speech upon the resolution offered by Mr..
Vest, discussed the policy of expansion
without a reference to the constitutional
point involved in the Vest res olution. He
| declared that he would never vote to place
| upon any people policy against which Lee
fought and against which Jackson gave up
! his life. An attempt by Mr.. Bacon (Ga:)
! to secure vote upon his resolution which,
| in brief, declares that the United States
| government will not make war upon peo-
pie seeking for their freedom, precipitated
| q lively debate. No action on the reSOlu-
| lions was taken. A bill was passed grant
| ing extra pay to the officers and men of the
temporary force of the navy-two months
extra pay to those who served beyond the
| limits of the United States and one months
pay to those who served within the United
] States.
For few minutes in the Senate on the
afternoon of the list it seemed likely that
vote might be taken on one or more of the
! resolutions relating to expansion. Mr.. Ba-
con (GaD had called up his resolution and
Mr.. Chandler On. H had withdrawn his
| motion to refer them to the committee on
foreign relations. Mr. Sullivan (NIiss.) had
| entered Il UOilOn 10 substitute HIS GcSOlU-
ton for that Of Mr. Bacon, while Mr.. Davis
chairman of the foreign relations commit
| tee, had announced that he was willing that
| n vote should be taken immediately AS it
| was evident, however, that vote on the
resolutions and amendments could not be
| taken before o'clock-the hour fixed by
| unanimous consent for the Senate to go into
! executive session-Mr. Bacon asked for
| unanimous consent that vote be taken at
! 1890 next day. To this request Mr.. Car
| ter (MOnt.) objected, and the whole question
! was left suspended.
notable speech was made in the Senate
| on the I'd by Mr. Spooner of Wisconsin.
| He took for his text the anti-eXpanSiOn reso-
| luton offered by Mr.. Vest, but did not con-
fine himself closely to that proposed de
| claratiGn of policy. He discussed the ques
| ton of expansion in all of its phases and
urged the ratification of the peace treaty
| as the best means of bringing the burning
| question home to the people themselves,
! who, he said. could we'll be trusted on their
| sober second thought to do that which
| would be fair. just and generous toward the
| inhabitants Of the Philippine archipelago.
! The executive session OF the Senate was
| merely 4 continuation of the legal argu-
ment which started with Senator Spooner's
! speech in the open Senate.
For more than five hours on the Sd the
| Senate listened to arguments in opposition
| to expansion and III opposition to the rati-
hcation of the treaty OF peace. The speak
crS were Mr. Money (MSS.) and Mr. Daniel
| (Va.). Mr.. Hale tMeD presented the con-
| ference report on the diplomatic and CON
sular appropriation bill, and it was agreed
| 10. Mr.. Hale, chairman of the naval at
| fairs committee, favorably reported the fol-
! lowing joint resolution, and it was adopted:
! THAT the secretary of the navy is hereby
authorized to have erected in the Colon
! cemetery, at Havana, Cuba, suitable
| granite monument to the memory of the
| sailors and marines who lost their lives by
| the explosi of the United States steam
ship Maine. and the sum of $4,000 is APP
propriated for this purpose"
Another effort was made in the executive
| of no
unanimous consent to Il vote on the resolu-
| ton interpretive of the peace treaty and il
was refused by the opponents of the treaty.
The request was preferred by Senator Sulli-
van of Mississippi, who expressed a desire
| to have q vote on the resolution offered by
| himself Senator Jones made the objec
| tion There was also another effort to Sc
/ cure general consent to an earlier meeting
Monday. but this also was refused. Senator
! Jones of Arkansas acting as spokesman for
the opposition.
The House put in a hard days work on
| the army bill on the Both, and at night.
| when it adjourned, thirteen of the twenty
| pages had been completed. The committee
| amendments giving the President discre-
! tionary power to reduce the size of the in.
| fantry companies and cavalry troops to
| sixty men each were adopted and also Il
| series of amendments to reduce the Off
GERS of the staff. A substitute was adopted
| for the section providing for promotions
| which was designed to eQIallze promotions.
! A fight was made to reduce the age limit for
! officers to be appointed to the various staff
| departments from fifty to thirty, but it
| failed An amendment was, however, adopt
/ ed to require Il mental and moral as we'll
as a physical examination. for such APP
pointees. At the opening OF the session Of
| the House Mr.. Hopkins (Rep., ILL reported
the census bill and gave notice that he
|. would call it mp next Monday.
The bill to reorganize and increase the
standing army to about 100000 men but
reduce the size of infantry companies and
| cavalry troops to sixty men each, thus
fixing a minimum OF about 2o,ooO enlisted
vote of 1GS to 125. This was the result of
| a week of hard fighting on the floor, during
the progress of which the opposition com
PEELED those in charge of the measure to
| give this discretionary authority to the
President and to make other notifications,
among which was a reduction of 81 in the
nurnber of staff officers. In consequence of
these notifications the Republican opposi-
ton practically vanished, and on the final
bill-Messrs. Barber Md; Connolly Qll2,
| Loud (Cal), Johnson QDd.), McEwan q.
j. and Wadsworth On. ". This Repub-
lican detection was. however. almost offset
| by five members Of the political opposition
who voted in favor Of the bill,Messrs. Der
ry (Ky), Mcclellan On. ~ McAleer Gpa2:
| (Pop) n. c..
The House entered upon the consideration
| of the river and harbor bill on the LIST,
and MADE rapid pr he Bin had been
pieted when the House adjourned. The
| bill appropriates directly about So, 1000
| and authorizes contracts 20 the extent Of
100000 additional The general debate
was unusually brief. Its feature was a
speech in opposition to the bill by Mr.
Hepburn of Iowa, who has fought every
river and harbor bill for the last six years
He said ne knew his opposition would avail
nothing the votes +f for its had
the bill He attacked particularly the Mis-
sissippi river Improvement which was ably
| Practically the only amendment adopted
was striking out an appropriation of
$3.50 900 for d channel from Galveston to
Texas City Tex. which opposed by
Mr. Hawley of Texas, because the war
| department had made no report upon the
| feasibility of the project.
The river and harbor bill, carrying Slight
ly more than $4,000, 900, passed the House
| on the ID by q vote of 160 to Z. This is the
largest majority any river and harbor bill
has obtained in the House. The bill
attracted little opposition and every eff
fort to amend it in important particulars
failed. Mr.. Hepburn Rep., Iowa. injected
| iciS of tlon Clio