Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-02-01


post office appropriation bill in the in
terest of the various classes of post
office employees. but they all went down
before points of order raised by Loud,
the chairman of the post office com
mittee, who is in charge of the bill.
DalZell of Pennsylvania, from the com
mittee on rules. reported a substitute for
the Senate resolution for the counting of
Che electoral vote, Feb. Il. Dalzell ex-
planned that in 1887 a law was passed pre-
scrbins the method in which the vote
should be counted and declared. Prior to
that time the count had been made under
a resolution providing that the President
of the Senate should declare the result.
But since the passage of the. law il had
not been followed and the Senate had
adopted the old. abrogated resolution I'M
der which the count was made prior to
1887
The House substitute was. he said. in
the language of the law There could be
no declaration of the result by the pre-
siding officer. but simply of the state of
the vote which the law declared to be
sufficient 1t was important, he said.
that this change should be made while
no partisan controversy existed over the
result.
Tex, said they considered the change
proposed advisable. The resolution was
adopted.
The House then went into committee of
the whole and took up the consideration
Of the Qualifications appropriation bill. 1t
was agreed that the general debate should
be limited to TWO hours Hemenway. Ind.
in charge of the bill. made a preliminary
statement of it's contents. 1t carries 81
32I i6l. being Sl5i. l0I less than is carried
by the current law.
Hemenway was closely questioned as To
the appropriation of S100.O00 for the pur-
chase of the patent on the Isham shell
and the formula for the manufacture of
''thoritc' He stated that the Isham
shell was undoubtedly the best shell III
existence for firing high explosives, but
he admitted that Gen. burlington chief
of the bureau of ordnance. had recently
stated that there Were other high explo-
SiveS which equalled "thOrite, although
until recent GATE he had contended that
'thorito" was unequalled and unex-
celled.
Taking advantage Of the latitude al
lowed in general debate, Lanham, Tex.
submitted some remarks upon the ques-
ton of the reorganization Of the Demo
cratic party. He was given very at
tentive hearing by his political colleagues.
The Gold Democrats. he said. who bore
none of the scars of battle. now with I'M
bridled audacity did not propose to return
like the prodigal son in humility, but
they came demanding as a condition of
their return that they should head the
procession. The talk of the reorganza
ton of the Democratic party. he said.
was pueTllt ana ulklnu. the tdlk OF
changing the name of the party was dis :
tasteful to the rank and file. The Demo
cratic party had suffered defeat many
times but it would survive as long as
free institutions did.
The talk of shelving Mr.. Bryan was
premature. 1t was improbable that he
never again would aspire 70 the nominal
ton. Republicans differed in preliminary
skirmishes but they We're always united
when the real shock of battle came He
referred to the action of Senator Hoar a $
a striking example and proof of this fact.
He contrasted the course of the Massa
chusetts senator with that of Cleveland,
twice elected President by the Demo-
cratic party, who in two campaigns, sub
sequent to his own election. turned his
back on his old party associates.
The post office appropriation bill was
then taken up. Loud. in charge of the
bill. explained the measure. which he said
carried s122, 1Se,6SS, being $l.515,539 more
than the estimates and 40 more
than the appropriation for the current
year. When the bill was read for amend
ment the appropriation for salaries for
postmasters was increased from $10,000,00j
| to SO, 100000.
| a host of amendments were ruled out
| on points of order. After completing u
pages of the bill, the House, at 80 =. NJ.
| adjourned.