The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1900-06-07
COULD NOT ADJOURN
House In a Deadlock Over
, Naval Bill.
LEN1z OF OHIO BLOCKS BUSINESS.
A Heated Night Debate-Mr. Cannon
scores the c0nfcrees For Nom
aGreement-H0use Refuses
to Yield to Senate.

to Yield to Senate.
WASHINGTON, June 7.-When tn,
house last night at 1890 took recess
until 10 o'clock this morning, the two
chambers Of the national legislature
with heads down and horns locked. were
in desperate struggle over the item In
the naval appropriation bin relating t.
ocean surveys. The final adjournment
Of congress 10 postponed until it is over.
The proceedings in the house during
the day were tame and without dramatic
incident. This WAS partly due to- the
fact that the firm position taken by the
house on the armor plate provision trans.
ferred the fight to the floor Of the senate
and to the obstinate refusal of Mr..
Lentz, an Ohio Democrat, to permit any
unanimous consent legislation until the
Republican leaders agreed to allow the
testimony In the CRur d'Alene investiga.
ton to be printed. Mr.. Lentz held the
house by the throat all day, and except
for privileged matters things legislative
were practically at standstil1.
But at night there was enough excite.
ment to compensate for the dullness Of
the day session. The house got its dandel
up over the failure of its conferees to
abide by their instructions on the ocean
survey item, and after an exceedingly
sensational debate, in which Mr.. Cannon,
tht chairman of the appropriations com
mittee, made some startling disclosures
a. to the manner In which Commander
Todd, the photographer Of the navy,
had waged his campaign against the
stand taken by the house In favor Of the
coast and geodetic survey doing ocean
survey work the house rejected the con.
ference report by an overwhelming ma.
jority and the speaker took the almost
unprecedented course Of appointing new
conferees on the part of the house who
are not members Of the naval committee.
The debate was one of the bitterest and
most heated of the session. Mr.. Cannon
in the excitement of the moment took of
his collar and necktie and with sleeves
rolled up aroused the house to tremen-
dous pitch of enthusiasm as he dealt the
conferees sledge hammer blows. The
galleries, crowded to the doors, cheercd
the picturesque fight of the grizzled old
veteran until the fretted ceiling rang.
The conferees defended their course as
best they could, and Mr. Foss, acting
uluu VI tAt 'OIlHItNSeS INSNLtVu WIN
bitter language the charge that he had
betrayed the house. Hot words were
banded back and forth, but the house
was in an ugly mood and was resolved
to fight the senate to finish. The ap.
pointment as conferees of Mr.. Cannon,
Mr. Moody and Mr.. Shafroth. all of
whom are in sympathy with the houses
position. assures no surrender on their
part until the house itself shall direct
them to yield.
Inability TO reach an agreement upon
the naval appropriation bill forced the
senate to abandon the adoption of the
house resolution for final adjournment
The armor plate question, which for five
years has been thorn In the side of con-
gress, upset the calculations of the senate
leaders, and their well laid plans went
awry.
1t was day OF strife and turmoil in
the senate. Early the conferees on the
the senate was told plainly that the
house would not consent to the amend
ment providing for an armor plate fac
tory to be operated by the government.
A compromise proposition was presented
by Mr.. Penrose Of Pennsylvania and aft
er hours of debate finally was adopted by
R vote of 80 to 80. The discussion of the
developed an unusual bitter
ness of feeling, and charges of robbery
and political corruption were hurled
about the chamber with an abandon
which, II they had not fallen from the
lips of grave senators, would have been
regarded as reckless. Little worse was
over heard in the heat Of Il political cam
paign.
Three o'clock, the hour agreed upon
FOR final adjournment, was passed, and |
still the senate wrestled with the armor
question. When the Penrose proposition
finally was agreed to 1t was supposed |
he way was clear, but late at night an. !
other disagreement was reported on the
naval bill, and the senate took an adj
|ournment until IL o'clock today.