Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-22
Chat Of, the Closing Days !of
Congress.
Senator Hale and the Navy Personnel
Bill.
Numerous Private Pension Bills Of interest TO
Maine People.


Maine members of Congress win pack
their trunks and seek their homes in
the Pine Tree State The last two
weeks OF short session of Congress
are always full of interest, jammed
with legislative matters that different
men want to receive the stamp of APP
prevail and the signature of President
Mckinley before the hands of the clock
reach the hour of noon on Marcn 4.
That will be Saturday. this year. The
great appropriation bills, carrying
millions and promising to swell the
amount Of authorized expenditures of
this Congress to two billions of dollars,
will crowd each other in the last days.
Next week bright lights will shine from
the windows of the great white struc-
ture on Capitol hill, for the legislators
will be hard at work there. in many
cases probably till past midnight.
There is a strange commentary on
the tendency to procrastination in the
closing events of a short session OF
Congress. Many of the big appropria-
ton bills. that must pass in some form,
unless there is to be an extra session,
might be ready for the Presidents sig
nature at this time. Several OF them
passed both Senate and House weeks
ago. but the Senate always makes
more or less changes in the bills. add
ing amendments that mean an increase
of hundreds of thousands, sometimes
many millions of dollars. Conferees
must be appointed to adjust these diff
ferences and strike compromise. And
the conferees were appointed in some
cases weeks ago. But they procrasti-
nate. The Senate will not yield and the
House will not yield till they have TO.
1t is only at the eleventh hour, after
the bills have been banded back and
forth many times, that any COM
promise can be reached. Oftentimes
long towards morning of March 4,
after an exciting night session four or
five of these great supply bills are
rushed over to the grand room, set
apart for the use of the President, and
there he attaches his signature The
bills must be signed, according to the
Interpretation of the constitution, be-
fore the adjournment is reached
President Mckinley. like senators and
representatives. will have to make
night of it,
Anybody in Maine disposed to doubt
the power and influence of Senator
Hale in the Senate, should have wit
messed the proceedings there on Friday
last. 1t was Senator Hale who had
al, af MI ~.
Senate the navy personnel bill. which
thoroughly reOrganizes the entire navy.
and which has given rise to so much
discussion and controversy. The bill
was reported from the committee on
naval affairs, of which Senator Hale is
chairman. several days ago. Senator
Butler of North Carolina. Populist
who opposed portions of the bill. re-
quested Senator Hale to make a state
ment and explain its provisions. This
the senior Maine senator did in Is
minutes in a manner that did not pro-
yoke opposition and set the Senate by
it's ears. Within an hour after Sen
ator Hale's brief speech the bill had
passed. In the House 1t required two
days of debate. 1t has been years
since the Senate afforded sucn in
stances of expedition in business ami
confidence in the senator reporting the
bill.
For Maine and the Kennebec valley
this bill has particular interest. 1t has
yet to go to conference, for there are
a few amendments to be disposed of.
Senator Hale is one of the Senate con-
ferees. and undoubtedly will see to it
that the differences are agreed to be-
fore many days so that the bill can be
safely be out of the way before the end
o. the session. 1t has provisions for
the enlargement of the marine corps,
the colonel commandant of which be-
comes a brigadier general. Colonel
Charles Haywood, born at Waterville
and an owner of property there at the
\ present time, is now the commandant
of the marine corps, and as soon as the
Presidents name is written at the foot
OF the engrossed bill Colonel Haywood
becomes a brigadier general with a
sa larry of $500 and allowances. Sew
eraI other Maine men will be benefited
by promotion when the bill goes into
effect.
Representative Burleigh successfully
engineered through the House last Fri
had introduced earlier in the session.
One of them gives pension of $12 a
month to Zenas T. Haines of Winthrop,
! who has been ilcapacitated for man.
\ ual labor for several years. He is well
4 known throughout the northeastern
section of the country as newspaper
man. He served in Massachusetts
egiment and the pension bill has al
ready been introduced and passed in
the Senate. A House bill, pensiOning
| Nellie V. Crosby. dependent daugh-
| ter. of Henry Crosby. who died while
| in the field with the Nineteenth Maine
! was passed giving her a pension of 81:
! n month: also House bill giving Capt
| Cha rles N. Smiley. now of Chillicothe
Mo-, a pension of $50 in lieu of small
Ter pension.
! The Senate passed pension bill
last week that gives to Mary II. Bacor
a pension of $12 n month. She is thu
widow of Columbus Bacon. who served
1 in Capt Joseph Hitchings company
Maine Militia in the War OF 1sl2. "A
that time Maine had not separated
from the parent state of Massachu
setts. The bill passed without any de
bate. Private pension bills are passe'