The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-17
HOUSE KILLED THE
APPROPRIATION
OF S2O,OOOOOO Which Was Part Of
Peace Treaty.
CAME UP UNEXPECTEDLY
Wheeler, Dem., Of Kentucky Made Point
Of Order.
SPAIN HADN'T RATIFIED TREATY
After Certes Acts the Amendment Will
Be in Order Hopkins Was in
the Chair and Sustained
Point of Order.
SPAIN HADN'T RATIFIED TREATY

pened in the house today during the con-
sideration of the sundry civil bill.
The paragraph carrying the appropriation
of $40, 600 for payment to Spain under the
terms of the peace treaty, was stricken out
on a point of order made by Mr.. Wheeler
(dem., Ky.), who declared that he opposed
the appropriation on principle and would
resort to any technicality to defeat it. The
point of order was debated for hours. its
determination Ringing upon 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 Span
ish cortes. Warrant of law was necessary
to make the appropriation in order. MIR.
Hopkins (rep., of Ill.), who was in the chair,
sustained the point of order against it
and upon an appeal his decision was sus-
tained-149 to 96.
Mr.. Cannon then attempted to have the
appropriation inserted by unanimous con-
sent, but Mr. Wheeler again objected.
A strong intimaton was given by Mr..
Cannon that a way would be found within
the rules to make the appropriation before
the adjournment of congress. He referred,
undoubtedly, to the probability that the APP
preparation would be placed on the bill by
the senate.
Another Effort for Canal
After the sundry civil bill had been COM
pleted and reported to the house, Mr.. Hep
burn (rep., 1a.), the champion of the Mic
aragua canal BILL moved to recommt it
with instructions to report it back with the
canal bill Incorporated in it. This was an
unexpected move, as it was generally I'M
derstood that Mr. Hepburn had abandoned
all hone after his defeat a
he believed that his motion would have ad-
ditional strength in the house, where MEM
bers could be put upon 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 the vote was taken and the
| result was 81 ayes to 81 nays. AS no quorum
| was represented on the vote, on account of
| the lateness of the hour, they managed to
carry adjournment until tomorrow This
! gives them breathing spell, in which to
marshal their forces for the final encounter
| and tomorrow, as soon as the house meets,
| the vote will again be taken.
In the house today the senate amend
ments to the agricultural bill were nom
| concurred, and the bill We ~o-' ?" con-
| ference. Messrs. WadswoTta Hi{epH
| New York; Warner, (Rep Of llnrtsl #il#
| Williams Dem.) of Mis- sslnI., were az
| pointed conferees.
Without further prelin rer5 business
| house went into comm ice 1i tha Hhll#
| and resumed considera ion 81 ne 7np
| civil bill.
Mr.. Bartlett Dem) q Gt8H a. spea.Hz
| to a pro forma anne nament, challenge
| some statements recef y made ay Score
| tary of the Treasury Gage TO the effect
| that the fear of the a. istr2 8uu uE the
| Philippines costing gaUs sums OF
money was all "moon ls a1a tne '1-
receipts would, at all
| penditures.
| Challenged Statements of Gage
Mr. Bartlett declared that the greatest
revenue Spain had ever been able to OBJ
tain from the Philippines under the heav-
lest systems of taxation was So, 900.
| We now had 10000 soldiers in these islands.
| Within a short time there would be $4,000.
This army of soldiers would cost at least
| $25, 900 000 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 $4,000 900 per annum. Mr.. Bart
| lett also attempted to show that in eight
out of ten years Great Britain's colonies
cost the British government more than it
| obtained.
When the paragraph appropriating $780,
100000 for payment to Spain under
the treaty of Paris was reached, Mr..
Wheeler (Dem) of Kentucky, made point
of order against it. His point of order was
InaI the paragraph Was ODUOXlOuS 10 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 ratifications 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) of Illinois, who was
in the chair called the attention of Mr..
Wheeler to the fact that the treaty had
been ratified by the senate and signed by
the president What else, he asked, was
necessary to create a liability upon the
part of the United States
In reply, Mr.. Wheeler said thai the Span
ish cortes might refuse to ratify the treaty
and it could not become law until the other
high contracting party had consented to it.
He was opposed to the appropriation on
principle, he said, and he proposed to take
advantage of every technicality to defeat
it.
Mr.. Ball (dem) of Texas supported the
point of order, arguing that after the de-
cision yesterday the chair must hold that
the paragraph was out of order He admit
ted he had himself voted yesterday to over
rule the chair but his zeal for great en-
terprise and his unfamiliarity with the RUE
led him to do that.
Mr.. Cannon said that he thought the point
of order was well taken but he asked If
Mr.. Ball would not vote for the appropria-