The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-15


and the leaders on the respective sides
are engaged in a desperate struggle,
which involves the fate Of the measure
at this session Of congress.
After Mr.. Cannon, chairman of the
committee con appropriations, served
notice last week that there. was no time
for the consideration of the canal bill
at this session, the supporters of the
measure decided to force it on the sun
dry civil bill as rider, if possible.
AS soon as it was offered this after
noon, Mr.6annon raised four points of
order against it, and one of the most
/ interesting parliamentary debates of
| the session was on. AS a rule, the
| house leaders are able to hold the
! members in line, but strong arguments
| are adduced in support of the pert
nency of the amendment. and, besides,
| the bill has. strong friends on both
sides, who are ready TO adopt any eX-
/ pedient to provide for the construction
of the canal The debate onsthe points
of orders lasted two hours today and
was not concluded. It seems to be
a foregope conclusion that the chair
man of the committee of the whole CNdr.
Hopkins of illinois, will sustain the
points of order, so that the real test
will come upon the question of over
ruling the chairs decision. Should
| the chair be overruled, there is no
doubt that the, amendment will COM
mand majority of votes. About
twenty pages of the bill were disposed
Of today - --s
OPPOSED TO INDEMNITY.
Mr.. Wheeler Oem., Ky.), in the
course of some remarks in opposition
I to expansion, served notice that he
M 10 nc
appropriation to be paid to Spain.
Mr.. Bailey (Dem., Tex.) reminded Mr.
Wheeler that the president and senate
constituted the treaty making power,
and that the house must acquiesce in
their action
Mr.. Wheeler maintained, that the
treaty making power had no right to
bind the house. He declared that the
Judgment of history would reproach us
for slaughtering the Filipinos.
Mr.. Williams (Dem., Miss argued
that the house had no right to ques-
ton a treaty made, or to repudiate
treaty obligations.
Mr.. Lewis Dem.. Wash.) furnished
an interesting contribution to the his
torical phase of the subject by recall
ing the fact that Spain agreed to pay
England so, 0O0,O after the Philippines
had been taken by the English in 1862.
But Spain had never paid, and Lord
Waltham had defended her course in
the commons. Spain was the only
country on the globe which had repu-
dated her treaty obligations.
Mr.. McRae Oem., Ark gave notice
that he would offer an amendment to
the appropriation of $4,000, 600, declar-
ing it to berthe policy OF the govern
ment not to annex the Philippines.
Mr.. Corliss (Rep., Mich) offered as
an amendment his bill for the con-
structiOn of Pacific cable by the gov
eminent. Mr.. Corliss called attention
to the extreme urgency for DIRECT cable
communication with Hawaii and the
Philippines, and to the presidents spe-
cial message, the other day, urging i'm
mediate legislation for this purpose.
A point of order was made against
the amendment, which the chair sus-
tanned, and the amendment was ruled
out.
NICARAGUA BILL OFFERED.
Upon reaching the page containing
the caption Deep Waterways commits
sions,' Mr.. Hepburn (Rep. Ia, chair
man of the interstate commerce COM
mission, offered as an amendment the
Nicaragua canal bill reported by his
committee.
Mr.. Cannon, chairman of the appro-
priations committee, Immediately rails
ed four distinct points of order against
it: first, that it was not germane: sec
end, that it was directly obnoxious to
rule 81; third, that it violated the rule
requiring that appropriations in gen
eral appropriation bill should be au-
thOriZed by law and, fourth, that it
was not in continuation of work au-
thorized by law.
This opened up long parliamentary
debate upon the point of order. Mr.
Hepburn took the floor, arguing that
the amendment was germane and that
it violated no rule. He contended that
the two surveys made under the direc-
ton of congress constructively author
self. He insisted that the work of con-
structing the canal was in progress
within the contemplation of the rule.
Mr.. w. A. Smith (Rep. Mich), de-
clared that the Dickinson treaty of 1867
warranted an appropriation for the
construction of the canal as much as
the treaty of Paris warranted the APP
preparation of $500 900 carried in this
bill In concluding his argument, Mr..
Hepburn declared that the rule in
voked against the bill was obsolete so
far as appropriations bills were con-
cerned. There were thirteen distinct
violations of it in the pending bill 1t
was only invoked when the appropria-
tions committee desired to stand off
some fancied raid upon the treasury
There was a round of applause when
Mr.. Hepburn took his seat.
CANNON'S OPPOSITION.
Mr. Cannon, in reply, said that he
would not consider the wisdom Of the
canal It was the law which should be
considered, and there was not mi
croscope in the universe big enough to
find a shred of law upon which to base
this appropriation. Personally, he an
nounced himself in favor of the con-
struction of the canal, under proper |
safeguards and conditions.
Mr.. Bailey suggested that if there |
was a question as tc whether the /
amendment was in order upon the bill, |
that the house agree by unanimous |
consent to make the canal bill a special |
order Immediately after the disposal OF ]
the sundry civil bill.
Mr.. Cannon pointed out, in response, |
how a majority of the house, if so dis |
posed, could tomorrow go into commits |
tee of the whole and consider the canal |
bill on its merits.
The attempt to get rider upon a |
supply bill that must pass, he declared, |
led to bad and sometimes fraudulent !
legislation, often both. Mr.. Cannon was
exceedingly earnest and vigorous in his |
appeal to members not to be carried off |
their feet Impressively he recalled the |
scandals in connection with the build |
ing of the Pacific railways and pleaded |
TO the house not to dishonor itself by |
crushing down a rule that had stood |
for 10 years as a safeguard to legisla- |
ton There were some things which |
could not be done with impunity.
There were several interesting COLO |
quies between Mr.. Cannon and Mr. |
Hepburn as they fenced for advantage.
Without concluding the debate upon