The age-herald., 1900-02-15
HOUSE DISCUSSED VARIOUS SUBJECTS Porto Rican Tariff Bill Carried
 0ver.. ELECTION LAW ATTACKED Simms of Tennessee Brought Up the Pension Question and Present ed Some Remarkable Fig
 ures on Late War
ELECTION LAW ATTACKED

 house to call the Porto Rican tariff bill tomorrow, but there was such demand for time to discuss various questions dur ing the general debate upon ighe lesisla- tive, executive and judicial appropriation bills, which was called up today. that MT. Payne gave notice that he would allow the Porto Rican bill to go over until Monday. The debate upon the legislative bill today strayed far from the bll touching the question of government deposits in na- tiona1 banks, reckless expenditures for pensions, and finally drifting into questions of election methods in Missouri. MT. Bar tholdt. of Missouri, raised the latter ques- tion by attacking the Nesbitt law, and provoked long reply from MT. Benton, of Missouri. Some very caustic things were said on both sides.
 Before MT. Hemingway. of Indiana, who was in charge of the bill, called 1t up, tiie report in the contested election case of Aldrich vs. Robbins in the Fourth Ala bama district was submitted The major ity reported in favor of the contestant, and the minority in favor of the sitting mem- Der.
 The democrats were disposed to insist upon several days for general debate on the legislative bill on the ground that not a sufficient time was to be allowed to de- bate the Porto Rico tariff bill. All efforts to reach an agreement failed, and the house went into committee of the whole with arrangement about general de- bate.
 Hemmingway's Explanation
 Mr. Hemingway made general explana- ton of tine bdll. MT. Payne, of New York, the floor leader of the majority, interrupted MT. fleming way to anonunce that in vew of the failure to reach an agreement concern ing the debate on the legislative bill he would call up the Porto Rican bill on Mon day next
 Speaking generally about the clerical force in the departments, MT. Hemingway provoked something of a storm by assert ing that the departments were filed with incompetents, who were kept in by podti- cal influence. He said that whenever a head of department proposed to discharge in- competents, oongressmen and senators bully-ragged him into retaining them.
 MT. Moody. of Massachusetts, a member of the appropriation committee, called at tention to the facts that by the terms of the law the heads of departments were com pelled to discharge incompetents, and in- sisted that superannuated clerks must be
 
 deadwood," said he, "the public service will break down."
 MT. Bell of Colorado discussed the ques- tion of government deposits in national banks. It has been considered, he said, that banks made nothing out of such deposits He (BelD had written to the treasurers of all the states, and had received enough re- plies to show the deposits of state funds had a well defined market value. New York received 11a per cent on daily balances, and 8 per cent upon special funds. Kansas re- ceived per cent; Pennsylvania. 11a; Michi- gan. 2H; Vermont, 2; Massachusetts 21a and 2: Maine. 2; oCnnectdcut, 2h; Florida, 2h; Georgia 2; Maryland 2; Colorado, 2h. and Minnesota, 3.
 Crime Against Peop'e
 He contended that it was a crime against the people to deposit millions of govern menu money in national banks without 1n- terest.
 MT Simms of Tennessee, submitted some remarks concerning pensions, taking as his text Senator Galinger's reported statement that if pension bids before this congress were passed they would bankrupt the treas- ury.
 He presented statistics showing that from the twenty-three regular regiments engaged in the Santiago campaign which sunered casualties to the number of 1,344, had come 2e63 applications for pensions.
 The eight volunteer regiments engaged at Santiago which suffered 2O9 casualties pre- scented 3.5Ss applications.
 These latter regiments he said, were all from the north. The southern regiments that suffered a loss of 159 had only i6l applications for pensions. This dlscrep- ancy, he accounted for by the statement that in the south the pension mania was not rampant. He cited the case or three volunteer regiments, Ninth Massachusetts, Eighth Ohio and First District of Colum- bia. neither of which had suffered loss In killed wounded or missing, yet which 1ur- nished 645,47S and 400 applications respect ively for pensions. MT. Bartholdt, Missouri devoted half an hour to definition or the election laws of Missouri
 The democratic legisla ture at its last ses- sion had, he said, imposed "Goebelism upon St. Louis. It left the republican party in St. Louis powerless. Worse than this the legislature had settled upon the city an infamous police bill. The democrats of Missouri who, in the house cried for the consent of the governed in the Philippines, ignored the governed in St. Louis. The Communications of St. Louis, he said, supported the administrations Philippine policy. Loyalty to the government was a German characteristic. The Irish were nat urally against the government" -
 MT Fitzgerald of Massachusetts resented MT. Bartholdts reflections upon Irish Americans. He agreed with MT. Bartholdt in his eulogy of the Germans. But" said I insult to the Irish people, and hurl it back tn his teeth
 MT. Benton of Missouri defended Mis- souris election laws. He said the supreme court of Missouri would declare constitu- tional the Nesbt election law, and if it does, he said, 'I am of the opinion that hereafter no republican will enter the doors of this house from Missouri" Democratic anplause).
 The army appropriation was then re- | ported and the house adjourned. !. THE SENATE Washington, February 14-Throughout i it's session today the senate had the finan- 1 cial ibih under discussion. After o'clock the debate proceeded under the en-minute | rule, and at times became spirited and in l terestng.
 l Late in the afternoon a test vote indi- | eating approximately majora-y on the | passage of the bill was taken. MT. Cham 1 dler, republican, of New York offered an | amendment to authorize the president to 1 appoint commissioners to any bimetallic