The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-02-15
EXECUTIVE BUSINESS AND COUNTING
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
RETIREMENT UF HAWAIIAN MONEY
The Senate Passes the Bill Providing
Therefor-Charges of Extreme Par
tisanship Made Against the Philip
pine Commissions Report-Slow
Progress on the Appropriation Bills.
Increase in the Sums. Carried by the
Appropriation Bills.
SENATE.

SENATE
Washington. February 13.-The SEN
ate was engaged most of the day in
executive session and in the counting
of the electoral vote for the president
| and vice president of the United States
Late in the afternoon consideration of
the agricultural appropriation bill was
resumed, but little progress was made.
| AT night session on motion of Sen
ator Pritchard, beginning at o'clock.
the District of Columbia code bill was
read. The senate returned from the
electoral vote ceremony in the house
chamber at 2:05 O'Clock p. m.
Senator Chandler. of New Hampshire.
one of the tellers in the electoral count
on the part of the senate. reported the
state of the vote.
Senator Frye president pro tenn, an
nounced formally the state of the vote
in order that it might be entered upon
the journal of the senate. The an
nouncement was Identical with that
made before the joint session in the
| house.
| Senator Lodge asked for the adoption
| of a resolution providing for the print
| ing Of additional copies of the report
| of the Taft Philippine commission.
| Senator PettigreW charged that the
| al. ieport was partisan report mace
! ~ = Iarusan commission, and he urged
! that it was designed to conceal the
| facts and convey a false impression OF
| the situation. The resolution was then
agreed to.
A bill for the retirement Of the
| Hawaiian coinage of currency, was
passed. Senator Foraker explained
that the old Hawaiian government had
issued $1,000,000 OF silver coins in dol
lars, half dollars, quarters and dimes,
against this $4,000 in silver certificates
had been issued, the $272, 900 of silver
being retained in the treasury.
The purpose of the bill was to sub
stitute silver coins Of the United States
for the Hawaiian coins, both being OF
the same weight and degree of fineness.
The senate agreed to a conference on
the naval appropriation bill.
At 2:20 O'Clock, on motion of Senator
HaWaey, the senate resumed considera-
ton of executive business.
! At AIS o'clock the doors were opened
and consideration of the agricultural
appropriation bill was resumed. The
amendment relating to the seizure OF
imported foods, drugs and liquors in
case they should be found to be adul-
terated injuriously, which was discuss
ed at length yesterday, was agreed to-.
! When the committee amendments
providing for the mapping of the soils
of the United States was reached Sen.
ator Teller protested that no such
project ought to be authorized. 1t would
prove to be not only a gigantic task.
useless aS to practical results, but IL
would involve an expense ultimately of
millions of dollars.
Senator Teller offered an amendment
striking out the provision.
The amendment was not disposed OF
when the senate at $50 O'Clock took a
recess until O'Clock.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
The house devoted today, except ar
hour and a half consumed in counting
the electoral vote and promulgating the
, result of the presidential election, {,
the sundry civil approximation bill. Gen
eral debate upon this measure was
completed and the bill was read fol
| amendment. Little actual progress
however. was made with the bill.
Messrs. Cannon. of Illinois, and
} Moody, Of Massachusetts,. defended the
| record of congress in the matter Of ap
preparations. Fifteen OF the 134 pages
: of the bill were disposed of.
Mr.. Bell, Of Colorado. a member OF
the appropriation committee. produced
figures to show that in single decade
j, | the per capita cost Of Carrying on thu
, governmental machinery had increased
l from $475 to over $40. The speech wa:
{ interrupted to permit the counting o.
electoral votes and was concluded i'm
7 | mediately after that ceremony.
Mr.. Cochran. Of Missouri, declared
that the total appropriations for th'
next year, if reckoned in gold, would
exceed the appropriations in 1864 wheI
! the federal government had ZOO ship:
} ON the sea maintaining a blockad'
: from Galveston to the Chesapeake, and
7 100000 men on land engaged In thu
r most tremendous military enterprise
3 in the history Of the age. Talk abou
t | progress and Christianity" he con
: tiued, IF progress and Christianit!
mean marching under many flags o.
plunderers and the swords Of Christian
soldiers dripping in the blood OF plum
! dered people it is time to quit or fiint
away the masquerade and say prog
, ress has turned freebooter. Christian
.. ity slumbers and God is dead lDemo
cratic applause.)
Mr.. Richardson. Of Tennessee. th'
| minority leader. said the total appro
, | priations at this session would reacl
$500 900 900. Four years ago whel
, | President McKinleys administrator
, began the annual appropriations wer
= about $410. .000. coo. He conceded that tn
appropriations would naturally in
crease every year, but why, he asked
this prodigious increase of over $500,
. 000, 900. The war which had been eve
two years could not be charged witt
these increases, for the increases wer
not confined to army and navy appro
e priation bills. There was an increas
in every one Of the appropriation bills
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