The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-17
qHE ALASKAN CODE BILL
Consideration of the Measure Be-
gun in the House.
A Failure to Agree Upon the Time to
BE Devoted to General Debate Re-
vorabIe Action on n Proposition to
Charter the Red Cross Association.

All dBTeGu 10 vi
Alaskan Code bill the continuing order of
business in the House, beginning yester-
day. When Mr.. Warner, in charge of the
bill, called it up an unexpected difficulty
presented itself-a failure to agree upon
the period to be devoted to general debate
and leave of members to prilt remarks
in the Record" Mr.. Payne, the Republic
can floor leader, insisted that the remarks
should be confined to the merits of the
bill This led 20 refusal by the Democrats
TO dispense with the first reading of the
bill, which comprises over 600 printed
pages.
Another attempt was made later to
reach an agreement. but it failed, and then
the Democrats. temporarily, outnumbering
the Republicans, refused to proceed with
consideration of the bill in Committee of
the Whole. Still later the House voted to
go into Committee of the Whole, but the
reading of the bill was insisted on, and
little progress was made. A second read
ing will be necessary when it reaches the
amendment stage In the course of the
afternoon the bill to charter the Amerl-
can Red Cross Association was passed
When the Journal had been read an
agreement was reached that the minority
Of the Judiciary Committee should have
until Monday to file their views upon the
Antitrust bill and resolutions reported by
that committee on Tuesday. Messrs. Terry,
Lanham, and Fleming said they did not
desire to be placed in false light or to
be made to appear as opposed outright to
the bill and resolutions. They might vote
for them as last resort, they said, and
they desired to file their views including
recommendations for amendment and
substitute, II the latter were deemed adj
visable Mr. Ray would make no conces-
sions.
After the agreement had been made. Mr..
Fleming asked unanimous consent that
members of the minority sustaining certain
features of the bill and resolution be al
lowed to file their views, but to this Mr..
Ray objected.
The House then resolved itself into Com
mittee of the Whole on the Alaska Code
bill. but without any agreement as to the
length Of general debate.
The reading was generally held to be
useless and exasperating and was deplored
by Mr.. Richardson, who said 1t would oc-
cupy a whole day. Mr.. Robb, leader of the
minority committee reporting the bill,
moved that the committee rise, that an
other attempt be made in the House to
agree on general debate.
The attempt was no more successful than
the first had been. Mr.. Payne objected to
giving leave to print in the Record" except
upon the condition that the remarks be
confined to the bill.
Mr. Clark of Missouri would not agree
to this, saying he could not see why Mr..
Payne was SO opposed now to printing po-
litical speeches in the Record"
A nation IN info Com rnfffe, NJ no
Whole was defeated-67 to 81. the House
then refusing to consider the bill.
The committees were then called and the
bill to charter the American National Red
Cross. reported from the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, which was before the
House on Tuesday, was taken UP. After
amending the bill to obviate some of the
objections to the bill, it was passed.
President Mckinley transmitted to the
House his second veto message. 1t an
nounced that he returned wltnout approval
the bill to pay "W. L. Orr for services as
acting assistant engineer of the Navy from
September, 1863, to March, 1865. There
was no evidence on record to show that
he had ever performed the services for
which he claimed payment" The message
and bill were referred TO THE Committee
on Claims.
At this point the House voted TO go into
Committee of the Whole to consider the
Alaska Code bill. Mr.. Jenkins, having
taken the chair, Mr.. Warner asked urani-
nous consent that the frs. reading Of the
bill be dispensed with.
Mr.. Underwood-Until an agreement re-
garding debate can be reached, ! object.
Mr.. Warner-Let the Clerk proceed with
the reading.
And ii was done.
Reading Of the bill was suspended to per-
nit consideration of conference report on
the bill making appropriations for the Dis
trict OF Columbia for the year ending June
80, 1901 A conference was ordered on the
Naval Appropriation bill and at 4:25
o'clock the House adjourned until today.