Abilene weekly reflector., 1900-05-17
NAVAL BILL PASSED.
The Senate Finally Agreed to the
Armor Plate Proposition.
FREE HOMES BILL ALSO PASSED.
The House Passed ths General Deficiency
Appropriation Bill, Carrying e3,839,.
021-Mr De Almond. Of Missouri,
ArrAigns the Administration.

Nuohhhf ecait @"oy
cussion lasting five full days the SEN
ate yesterday passed the naval appro-
priation bill. Practically four days
were devoted to the consideration of
the armor plate proposition, which
was agreed to finally as reported by
the committee, with the exception
that the secretary of the navy is au-
thorized to make contracts only for
such armor as may be needed from
time to time. The secretary of the
navy is authorized to procure armor
of the best quality at S445 per ton; but
il he be unable to obtain it at that
price, he Is then authorized to pay
Sj4j per ton for the armor for the bat
tleships Maine, Ohio and Missouri and
proceed to erect an armor factory to
cost not to exceed $4,O0O,OOO one-half
Of which amount is made Immediately
available. The committees PROPOSE
tion carried by vote of 80 to 10. The
secretary of the navy is directed to
purchase five Holland torpedo boats at
price not exceeding $4,000 each.
Senator Nelson, of Minnesota, Sc
cured the passage of an act providing
for free homesteads ON the public
lands for actual and bona fide settlers
and reserving the public lands for
that purpose. A bill also passed to
supply portion of the proceeds Of the
sale of the publicIlands to the endow-
ment, support and maintenance of
schools or departments Of mining and
metallurgy in the several states and
territories In connection with the col
leges for the benefit of agriculture and
the mechanic arts.
Senator Jones, of Arkansas, intro
duced a bill to prevent and punish
blacklisting by railroad companies,
express companies, steamboat COM
panies, telegraph and telephone COM
panies engaged in interstate COM
msrce and also to provide civil rem
edy in damages for blacklisting.
The senate committee on inter-
oceanic canals Monday offered a fa-
vorable report on the Nicaraguan CO.
nal bill as 1t passed the house.
General Deficiency Bill Passed.
Washington, May 15.-The house
yesterday passed the general def
cheney appropriation bill and the mill
tary academy bill, the last of the sup
ply bills, will follow to-day. The def
cheney bill carried $3,s39,O2l and was
passed substantially without amend
ment. Little of the general debate
that followed was pertinent to the bill.
Mr.. Brosius, of Pennsylvania, made a
statement of the progressive opera
ton of the new financial law, supple
mentary of statement made by him
q few days ago. 1t showed that the
total amount Of bonds refunded to
May 10 was S26S,4ll,o00, a little over
20 per cent. of the bonds having been
presented by other than national
banks The national bank circulation
since the passage of the financial bill,
he said, mad increased S36, l52,Osl
Mr. Coriss, of Michigan, had let
ter read by native Porto Rcan, en-
Enthusiastically indorsing the action of
congress in passing the Porto Rcan
tariff law.
Mr. De Almond, of Missouri, ridi-
culed the letter read by Mr. Corliss.
He described the ecstacy with which
the native population must have re-
ceived the views that they were to be
governed by carpet baggers, who,"
he said, would take everything
portable and nail ,down everything
they could not carry away" 1t would
De the SAD ana shameful story OF car
pet baggism in the south over again.
Mr. De Almond charged the admin
istration with cowardice for allowing
no official utterance in sympathy to
go out to the Beers struggling in
South Africa to repeat the splendid
story of the American revolution.
He concluded by charging that there
was either secret understanding
with Great Britain or an American ad-
trucking to wealth and
power had overlooked and forgotten
the rights of humanity.
Two Nevroes' "a ,diss Eourd