Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-01-19
TO AVOID LYNCHINC.
Senator Cullom Presents a Petition
Asking for Legislation.
CONGRESS- is pOWERLESS TO ACT.
Itural Free Delivery Discussed in the
House in Connection with Ur-
gent Deficiency Bill-A
Costly Experiment..

| gent Deficiency Bill-A
Costly Experiment..
Washington, Jan. 17-With the
opening of Tuesdays session of tn,
senate Senator Cullom Qll.) presented;
| petition, handsomely bound and signed
by 5000 colored persons, asking fol
such legislation as will protect coloret
men of this country from the "barbar
GUS practice of lynching and burning
oolored men,
POwerless to Act.
| Mr.. Hoar, chairman of the judiciary
committee, said he believed every sen.
ator would be glad to have such meas.
ures adopted as would suppress this
wrongdoing and enable the officials &c
enforce the laws. No senator, he
thought, would disagree to that. He
directed attention to the fact that the
state laws take cognizance of the
crimes referred to in the petition. BY
what constitutional method the Unit.
ed States could take action in this
question is difficult query
The petition was referred to the
committee on judiciary.
Holds Brief Secret Session.
The senate went into executive ses-
sion at 1910 p. m. on motion of Senator
Davis, chairman of the committee on
foreign relations, who was at the time
addressing the senate on the various
resolutions and amendments relating
to the Philippine archipelago. The
Minnesota senator made the point of
order against the amendment calling
for the instructions to the peace COM
nissioners at Paris. Thiswas overruled
and Senator Davis, who was the chair
man of the peace commission, began
speaking. He finally said he was
much embarrassed in speaking of the
subject i'll open session, and moved
that the doors be closed, and the SEN
ate agreed to the motion.
Laid on he Table.
After the doors of the senate were
closed Mr.. Davis did not continue his
speech as had been supposed he would,
but Immediately moved to lay on the
table the Pettigrew amendment call
ing for instructions to the peace COM
mission. Senator Hoar made the
point OF order that this motion could
not be properly made or debated in
secret session. President pro TEN.
Frye ruled in accordance with Senator
Hoar's suggestion, and the doors were
reopened to permit the making of the
motion in order. The motion pre-
vailed Al to 90
Senator Teller made brief speech,
saying that the president had the
right to withhold information or
transmit it in secret session.
Senator Hoar pointed out that such
information ought to be sent when re-
quested by a senator il not incom-
patible with public interests.
Objects to Being Muxzled.
Senator Vest (Mo.) said that the
friends of the administration SHOULD
desire to have the whole of the Paris
correspondence placed before the
American people He said he denied
the right of anyone to muzzle him in
his expression of his honest opinion
by calling him public enemy.
The senate then took up the finaa-
cial bill and Senator McLaurin Is. C.l
addressed the senate thereon
Senator Wellington (NId.) intro
duced joint resolution declaring the
purpose of the United States toward
the Philippine islands and gave no.
tee that he would address the senate
On the resolution next Thursday.
Question of PoIygamy.
Washington, Jan. Ex-senator Raw
Inns presented to the senate a brief me-
mortal from President Lorenzo Snow.
of the Mormon church. on the question
OF polygamy. Mr.. Snow says he is
persuaded that there is much msun-
Outstanding upon this question. He
adds:
In accordance with the manifesto Of
President Woodruff of 1850 the church has
positively abandoned the practice of
polygamy or the solemnization of plural
marriages in Utah and every other state
and no member or officer thereof has any
authority whatever to perform plural
marriage or enter into such a relation
Nor does the church advise or encourage
Unlawful cohabitation on the part of any
Of it's members. If, therefore, any mem
Der diSobeyS the law either as to polygamy
on unlawful cohabitation he must bear his
own burden: or, in other words. be answer
able to the tribunals of the land for his
acton pertaining thereto"
Rural Free Delivery.
Washington, Jan. 17.-Immediately
after the reading of the journal the
house Tuesday went into committee of
the whole and took up the considera-
ton of the urgent deficiency appro-
priation bill. 1t was agreed that gen
eral debate on the bill should continue
throughout Tuesday, and that
to-day the bill should be read for
amendment under the five minute
rule. Mr.. Cannon, chairman of the
appropriations committee, opened the
debate with a general explanation Of
the items in the bill. Mr.. Cannon was
asked by Mr.. Loud (Cal) about the
item OF $150,00O for rural free delivery
and replied that it had been found
that 100000 had been appropriated
for the present fiscal year. That
money had been largely expended and
unless this appropriation We're made
much oe the service now in operation
would have to be discontinued. Mr.
Cannon frankly confessed that thu
manner of the expenditure of this
money did not meet his approval He
believed it the duty of the executive