The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1900-04-12
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/, 0ORGzlRlESS
i RESUME or THE
| WEEK's PROCEEDINGS.
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4 WEEK's PROCEEDINGS.
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4 washington, April 3.--Advocates and
j opponents of the Porto Rican tariff
and government bill waged vigorous
/ war iii the senate yesterday for seven
j hours. Long before the senate con-
venel at il o'clock the galleries We're
4 crowded, and many remained until
i the senate adjourned. Those who
/ listened to the debate were Well re-
paid The speeches were good and
the running debate unusually bright
i and lively. During the speech Of Mt.
4 Spooner of Wisconsin, particularly.
the chamber fairly scintillated with
i sparks as he crossed argumentatige
! swords with some of the best debaters
on the Democratic side. His address.
i if so 1t could be called. was devoted
| almost wholly to a discussion of the
constitutional questions involved ID
the pending bill.
i Mr. Bate Of Tennessee opened the
/ discussion Of the day with a carefully
i prepared speech in opposition to the
4 bill. He was followed by Mr.. Cullom
4 of Illinois In vigorous speech sup
/ porting the measures Then came MT.
Depew of New York, a member OF the
committee which framed the bill. who
made an eloquent and forceful defense
of the measure. Mr.. Spooner, who
spoke next, was followed by Mr..
4 Perkins OF California. also a member
/ Of the committee on Porto Rico, who
/ presented strong argument for the
4 bill. The closing speech was delivered
4 by Mr.. Simon Of Oregon, who, in criti-
/ cising the measure, entered into
j brief discussion of the political effects
4 Of It's passage.
/ The final vote on the bill will he
taken late this afternoon. It Is az.
1 ranged for 4 o'clock, but an effort VIII
4 be made to extend the time for debate
beyond that hour.
4 The House.
A possible reduction of the war tax
/ was foreshadowed in a resolution
adopted by the house yesterday call.
ing upon the secretary of the treasury
| for information as to the probable sur
/ plus existing revenue laws would ere
ate during this and the coming fiscal
/ year. The resolution was presented by
Mr.. Payne, the floor leader Of the ma
jority.
Under suspension Of the rules bills
i were passed to open to settlement
/ 418.OOO acres in the Fort Hall Indian
reservation and 100000 acres in Ok
! lahoma by ratifying the agreements
I. with the Banaock and Shoshone In
/ dams and the Kiowas, Comanches and
4 Apaches: to divide the Northern judi
/ cial district Of New York into two
4 districts and to appropriate 100000
i for military post at Sheridan, Wyo.
| The Sannte.
Washington, April 4. g This WIS q
i notable day in the United States sen,
| ate. 1t brought to, a close the sharp
est and most poignant debate upon
/ any measure since those discussed
1 during the memorable war congress
! two years ago. At o'clock yesterday
! afternoon the votes were begun upon
the Porto Riean tariff and civil govern
n ment bill and the pending amendments
4 and less than an hour later the meas
i ure about which there had been SO
much contention in and out of con
gress, was passed by a majority Of y,
4 the final vote being 40 to 81. Only
/ committee amendments were adopted.
4 Mr.. Davis amendment, providing
j that "no duties on imports or exports
{! after the passage Of this act should De
levied or collected on any articles I'M
ported from the United States into
/ Porto Rico or from Porto Rico into the
/ United States was lost, 30 to 40.
i Without division two other amend-
4 ments offered by Mr.. Davis, We're de-
i feated. Mr.. Nelson's free trade amend
ment was also lost. 20 to Al. 1t had
been evident for some time that the
i bill would command majority in the
senate. but Notwithstanding the fact
! the interest in the matter. both of sen
ators and Of the public, had not tagged
i bit
I, The particularly notable speeches Of
1 the day were delivered by Mr.. Mason
i of Illinois. in opposition to the meas
/ ure. and Mr.. Foraker Of Ohio, who re-
i piled to brief speech by Mr.. Yelling
| ton of Maryland. 1t was the ONO
1 senator's desire to clear up any mis-
understanding or misinformation con.
corning the bill. Mr.. Mason's speech
i was argumentative, eloquent and
i amusing by turns, and rs 1t covered
i the entire range of the conntry's duties
! and responsibilities to what the Ill
i nois senator sarcastically termed "our
in-su-lar possessions, 1t was very
/ interesting to his hearers
i Just before the adjournment SEN
satioDal episode occurred in which MI.
/ Woicott Of Colorado accused MT.
! Lodge Of Massachusetts, of uttering
i that which was "unqualifiedly false.
| The difficulty arose over an effort by
| Mr.. Lodge to have the Spooner bill
! made unfinished business. This dis
placed the Quay case, and the friends
of the Pennsylvania senator made
things lively for half an hour.
4 The House.
! The house yesterday entered upon
/ consideration Of the substitute for the
senate Hawaiian territorial bill under
/ a special order which will bring the
question to vote on Thursday after
/ noon at 4 o'clock. debate was in COM
/ mittec Of the whole, and only three OF
i the six speeches were pertinent to the
] bill. Mr.. Knox of Massachusetts,.
/ chairman Of the committee on terri
i tories. delivered a carefully prepared
/ speech in advocacy of it's passage.
Mr.. Robinson of Indiana criticised q
section In the bill. which. he said,