Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-02-14
THE SHIPPING BILL.
Intellectual Effort 10 Secure q Time
for q Final Vote.
The NAVAL APPROPRIATION BILL.


Many Pension Bills.
Washington, Feb. 9.-An Intellectual
effort was made in the senate yester-
day to secure an agreement upon
time for a final vote upon the ship
ping bill. Vigorous protests were
made by opponents of the measure
against any such agreement, even for
o date in the indefinite future. Sen
ator Pritchard, Of North Carolina,
spoke in support of the shipping bill
and at the conclusion OF his speech
the bill, without objection, was laid
aside temporarily in order that the
naval appropriation bill might be
considered.
An amendment was agreed to. pro-
viding that the promotion of officers
OF the navy and marine corps made
on account OF war services shall rot
interfere with the regular promotion
OF officers.
An amendment involving the length
of the course Of study at the naval
academy brought on long discus
sion. The senate committee had
stricken out the house provision that
na,al'cadets who had completed their
four years course at the academy
should be commissioned as naval Off
GERS at once.
Senator Hale explained that by the
house provision 142 officers would be
dumped into the navy at one time
at the foot OF the list, thus creating
what was known technically as a
hump in the list. This hump
would stop the promotion of the
younger officers. 1t was not expected,
Mr.. Hale said, that officers should be
provided Immediately for all the war
vessels authorized. II such plan
were followed IT would cost 100000
900 year for the navy. Senator Till
man defended the action Of the SEN
ate committee, while Senators For
aker, Gallery, McEnery and Butler
insisted the house provision should
be ireinstated. Senator Chandler, a
former secretary of the navy, said
that no greater mistake could be made
than to reduce the cadet course from
six years to four years, MS the house
had done. Without action the sena tc,
after brief executive session, at
six p. m. adjourned.
During the afternoon Senator
spooner offered the following amend
ment to the army appropriation bill:
"That all military, civil and judicial
powers necessary to govern the Phil.
ippine islands, acquired from Spain
by the treaties concluded at Paris on
the 10th day Of December, 1903, and
at Washington on the 18th day of No.
vember, 1900, shnll, until otherwise
provided by congress, be vested in
such person and persons and shall be
exercised in such manner as the presi-
dent Of the United States shall direct
for the establishment of civil govern
ment and for maintaining and pro-
tecting the inhabitants Of said is
lands in the free enjoyment Of their
liberty, property and religion, pro-
vided that all franchises granted un-
der the authority here shall contain a
reservation Of the right to alter,
amend or repeal tine same.-
Yesterday was probably the last day
to be devoted to private pension
legislation by the house Of repre-
sentatives in this congress. High
water mark, made in the Fifty-frst
congress, was almost reached when
1874 bills were passed, against .97
passed at q single session in the for
mer congress. In all the ,house at
this congress has passed 900 bills, a
number considerably exceeded in the
Fifty-first. A general pension bill
was passed to restore to the pension
rolls widows of soldiers of the 1e-
bellion who subsequently married and
became widowed or divorced. BY the
terms OF the bill, however, its benefits
are limited to widows of soldiers
who were married before the close Of
tho rebellion and who are now lie
pendent upon their own labor for
support
A bill passed to amend the act
creating the Mississippi river con-
mission so as to require the meet
ings of the commission to be held al
some city along the line Of the river.
Mr.. Levy, Of New York, introduced
a resolution authorizing the presi-
dent to appoint commission to as
certain the actual amount Of money
expended by the United States in the
prosecution of the war with Spain to
secure the freedom and the independ-
ence of Cuba, including probable pen
sion payments. The commission shall
report what just and fair proportion
of this total amount shall be borne
by Cuba to the president, who is d.
rected to communicate it to the con-
stitutional convention of Cuba, with
the suggestion that 1t is regarded by
the United States as a claim against
the island.
g. -