Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-03-03
THE 56TH CONGRESS
ON ITS LAST LEG
Legislation by Unanimous
Consent In the House.
IT SOON STRUCK A sNAG

Scheme to Protect Savages of the Pa
cific From Baneful Effects of Fire
arms, Opium and Whisky Charac-
terized as Insincere.
WASHINGTON, March 2.-The house
reconyened at o'clock this morning,
after the recess taken last night 1t had
been agreed that two hours, from 8 to
IL, should be devoted to unanimous con.
sent legislation. Owing to the unusually
early hour of meeting, the hall was al
most empty when the speaker dropped
the gavel, but the fact that members
were to have an opportunity to pass
bills by consent was great inducement
and within few minutes they began
arriving, each with bill in his hand
After bills had been passed to amend
the Chinese exclusion act, to authorize
the striking of medals for the Spanish
war heroes, to authorize the deposit of
moneys collected from customs in au.
thorized government repositories, and
to authorize the appointment of Thomas
Lewis to the navy, objection was made
to action on all bills by unanimous con.
sent. There were many appeals not to
block proceedings, but the objection
stood. The speaker had refused recog-
milton.
benevolent Assimilation.'
The speaker then recognized Mr..
Sperry of Connecticut to move the pas.
sage. under suspension of the rules, of
the senate bill to prohibit the sale of
4
in certain islands of the Pacific
Mr.. Bailey demanded a second and
then brought matters to a complete
standstill by making the point of no
quorum. A call OF the house was or
dered and the sergeant-at.arms instruct
ed to bring in absentees.
1t was 1920 o'clock before enough
members were brought in to make up
the quorum. Mr.. Sperry then proceed
ed TO explain that the bill was designed
to prevent the sale by Americans of
firearms and intOxicants to the aborigi-
ness of the New Hebr1des.
Manifest Insincerity.
Mr.. Bailey declared that the men be-
hind the pending bill were not entirely
sincere in trying to protect sayages
from the baneful influences of intoxi-
CdGlug liquors. w ny were not Un6 mil
ippines and the Hawaiian islands in
cluded? He understood that since the
American regime began there over 1000
saloons had sprung up in Manila In
Hawaii, where saloons were unknown
until we 'benevolently assimilated'
them, there were now over 400 saloons
Mr.. Bailey contended that offenders un-
der the bill could not be punished. They
could not be tried in any federal court
in America, in spite of the fiction in the
bill that such offenses should be consid-
cred to have been committed on the
high SEAS
Mr.. Gillett of Massachusetts,, in reply
to Mr.. Bailey suggestion regarding the
legal phase of the bill, said that the
"fction' was copied from law applying
to the guano islands which had been
sustained by the supreme court.
The bill was defeated, III to 10. 1t was
11:10 when the rollcall was completed
and the result was announced. AS the
regular hour for meeting, II o'clock,
had been reached, the house could not
adjourn, so the executive day of Friday
continued AS the house will not adj
journ again until the sine die adjourn
ment at noon on Monday, there will be
no Saturday in the house proceedings
Mr.. Mercer of Nebraska moved the
passage, under suspension of the rules,
of the omnibus public building bill The
hill was DaSSad