The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-04-24
WHAT CONGRESS is DOING.

States Senators by the people was
laid before the Senate. AS an
nounced in last weeks Progressive
Farmer this measure passed the
House by a vote of 240 to ia ma
jOrity so large that it should attract
the attention of the dignified mem
bers of the upper house. of Congress
and convince them of the folly of
longer opposing this popular reform.
AS the resolution was about to be re-
ferred to the Committee on Priv
leges and Elections, Mr.. Butler, of
North Carolina, asked that it be read
and then addressed the Senate brief
ly. He declared it was the function
of a committee of the Senate to con-
slider, not to smother legislation. He
thought this question had been SO
thoroughly considered that it was
not necessary to send it to a commit
tee and he therefore moved that it
be placed on the calendar. But Sen
ator Butler failed to carry his point.
The matter was again referred to
the committee, which is strongly
against it and will smother it as
heretofore. Though a number of
resolutions demanding popular cleo
ton of Senators have been referred
to this Committee, no report upon
them has ever been made.
In the Senate Tuesday, the veneer
able Senator HOar, of Massachusetts,
made strong anti-expansiOn speech.
Adverting to the authority to be
found in the Declaration of Indepen-
dence for expansion, in the course of
his speech, Mr.. HOar declared
There is expansion enough in it;
but it is the expansion of freedom
and not of d%espotism of life, not
of death. Never was such growth
in all human history as that from
the seed Thomas Jefferson planted.
It has covered the continent. It is
on both seas. It has saved South
America. It is the expansion of free
dom, It differs from your tinsel,
pinchback, pewter expansion as the
growth of a healthy youth into a
strong man differs from the expan-
sion of an ancOnda when he swallows
his victim. Ours is the expansion of
Aaron Burr. It is destined to as
short a life and to a like fate"
The House devoted much of last
week to the consideration of the
naval appropriation bill. Upon go
ing into committee of the whole to
consider it Mr.. Foss explained that
the total amount of $61 200, 600 was
the largest by $13, 600, 900 ever carried
by a naval appropriation bill in our
history. He continued: 1.-The best
peace conference is a strong and eff
cient navy. Sea power is recognized
the world over as the strength Of a
great nation. We are building a navy
to maintain our foreign policy to
defend the Monroe doctrine and to
guard the proposed Nicaragua Canal,
which, [ trust, will never be built,
unless the American navy has the
right, as it has the ability, to defend
it in time of war"
Senator Chandler has, by request,
| introduced a bill ''for the prevent
ion of the denial of the abridgement
of the rights Of the citizens of the
United States to vote on account of
color" It provides that 'any re-
qnirement of any qualification for
suffrage, prescribed by any State in
it's constitution or laws which direct
ly or Indirectly, by express words or
by any devise or subterfuge, is made
to apply in it's operation to the great
body Of the cOlOred citizens Of the
State, while it is not made to apply
to the great body of the white citi-
zens, is hereby declared to be uncon-
stitutional, null and imperative"
Congress, however, has not, for sew
eral years manifested any desire to
interfere in race matters and the bill
is not likely to pass.
In the Naval appropriation bill the
House Friday afternoon knocked out
all amendments and adopted the COM
mittee's proposition for two battle
ships, three protected cruisers and
three armored cruisers, all to cost
$28, 900, 900 for hull and ultimately to
cost with armament $40, 900, 900. The
house also killed the proposition for
the establishment of a government