The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-21

beginning next Tuesday. Fifteen hours
are to be allowed for general debate,
exclusive Of night sessions Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday nights.
night session was held tonight for PEN
sion legislation, and the House then
adjourned until Monday
After the transaction of some routine
business the House proceeded to the
consideration Of the private calendar.
The first bill considered was for the re-
lief Of William Cramp & Sons of Phil
adelphia. 1t refers to the court of
claims the claims Of this company for
damages and losses alleged to be due
for delays caused by the government
in the supply of armor and other mate
rial. The claims aggregate S211,018 in
the case of the cruiser New York, $780,
2S5 in the case of the Columbia, $685.
757 in the case of the battleship Mas
sachusetts, and $481 ,231 in the case of
the battleship Indiana.
The history of the claim was thor
oughly exhausted during the debate,
which Mr.. Lewis enlivened by making
an attack on the general methods Of
government contractors During the
war with Spain, when the country was
confronted with an enemy from with
out, traitors, he said, threatened it
from within. These contractors, who
the hour of its peril, he declared, de-
clined to bid against each other. and in
some cases they had furnished, he said
! rotten and decayed food which had
been prepared for the Chinese-Japan-
csc war. 1t was messed and blue-pu-
trid and corrupt, but it was sent to our
soldiers at the front, and they per-
ished from it as from the plague. These
men had earned the ignominy, reproach
and contempt of congress.
| If he were attorney general, he
should arraign before the grand juries
of this country those who had fur
nished poisoned food to the army.
! Mr.. Simpson (pop.) of Kansas re-
marked upon the popularity which al
i ways secured hearing for large claims
! in ithe House, but which always kept
! the modest but often meritorious claims
in the background. This was espe-
cially true, he said, of these bills to
reimburse big contractors. The report
on the pending bill, he said, argued
that Cramp & Sons should be REIN
bursed because of great efficiency of
these ships as demonstrated by their
service curing the late war. Was II
! claimed that these ships took part in
the sinking of Cerveras ships? What
part had the New York played at the
battle of Santiago? She wasn't in it.
there were the Columbia and the Mas
sachusetts, neither of which was there
The only ship which had cut any great
| figure In the destruction Of the Span
ish fleet. besides the Brooklyn and
Texas, was the Oregon. The builders
of that magnificent ship were not ask
ing for bonuses, said Mr.. Simpson.
In conclusion, Mr.. Simpson said he
had no complaint to make against the
representatives from Pennsylvania.
who We're pressing this bill He read.
lily understood their position. Mer
We're not elected to congress in Penn.
sylvania. They were selected by cor
porations, and they were compelled tc
carry out the wishes Of those corpora
tions. They must do that to hold
their jobs" said he, amid laughter.
Mr., Grosvenor (rep) of Ohio renIv.
ing to Mr.. Simpson, made some hI,
inorous remarks about the latter's adj
vocating yesterday contribution tc
a soulless corporation He referred n
i the appropriation of $4,000 for fast
J mail facilities from Kansas CITY 10
Newton. Kansas, in the post Office an
preparation bill MIR. Grosvenor also
referred humorously to Mr.. I1ewjs
speech, and to the fact that Mr.. Lewis
was figuring in the senatorial contest
In his state. Mr.. Grosvenor then nrol
ceeded to speak of the effect of the re
lection of the peace treaty. 1t would
he said. plunge the country again into
O. foreign war.
Does the gentleman contend that If
the treaty fails, we will be at war with
Spaip?" asked Mr.. Carmack .(dem.) of
Tennessee.
II do" replied Mr.. Grosvenor. "The
failure of the treaty would leave us ex-
actly where we were the day before
the protocol was signed"
Mr.. Carmack recalled the fact that
the treaty with Mexico was not adopt-
ed as 1t went to the Senate, and he
contended that Spain would accept any
terms we made.
MIR. Grosvenor claimed there was no
authority for such a statement. and
charged that the death Of every volun-
teer soldier who would be mustered
out the moment the treaty was rati-
fed should be laid at the door of those
Who contributed to the defeat Of the
treaty.
1.-THE death of every soldier in the
Philippines henceforth," declared Mr..
Carmack, will be laid at the doors Of
those who are now prosecuting the
war against the Philippines"
How would you meet the sltua-
tion?" asked Mr.. Grosvenor.
Mr.. Carmack replied; II would sail
away from Manila ana never look
back"
And all the world would brand you