New-York tribune., 1901-02-12
TAKEN UP BY PARTY VOTE.
MIR. CAFFERY SPEAKS AGAINST THE
SUBSIDY BILL-A WARNING
FROM MR. FRYE

/
mainder of the day. Mr.. Canery Dem. La)
occupied the floor throughout the session. Oppo-
sition Senators made the point of no quorum sew
| erai times and demanded a call of the Senate.
! Finally this drew out warning from Mr. Frye.
chairman Of the Committee on Commerce. that
| if Senators desired a River and Harbor bill TO
! be reported this session they would better
not interrupt the committee having the measure
under consideration. Even after that there was
| one call of the Senate.
Mr.. Hanna moved TO take up the Subsidy bill.
Mr.. Jones, of Arkansas. demanded the ayes and
noes. The motion prevailed by 33 to IA, party
vote.
Mr. Caffery said the title of the bill furnished
the hope that some great public purpose was
TO be subserved by its enactment No one could
doubt that Ito promote the commerce and in
crease the foreign trade of the United States and
to provide auxiliary cruisers transports and sea-
men for Government USE was a great public
purpose. but a careful inspection of the bill in
dicated that it was for the purpose of furnish
ing gratuity. donation, subsidy. TO certain
steamship lines now in existence, and 10 others
which may come into existence if the bill should
become a law He believed however, that
lines would spring into existence. the
entire subsidy would be absorbed by the present
lines. He maintained that the contract arrange
ment proposed by the bill was unconstitutional.
He dwelt particularly the large amount OF
subsidy which under its provisions would be re-
ceived by high speed ships.
THE NEW SHIP AMENDMENT
Mr.. Aldrich. nterrupting Mr. Caffery, directed
his attention to a proposed amendment to
new ships. giving subsidies TO vessels already
contracted for.
Mr.. Cafferty retOrted that the bill could not he
patched up by amendments. He believed the
only remedy for il to destroy IT. Ito cut off
its tail right back Of its ears" He asked Mr..
Aldrich if the Senator from Ohio CMr. Hanna)
had been consulted to the proposed amend
ments
Mr.. Adrich replied that he had not and Mr..
Caffery remarked sarcastically that he had sup
posed Mr.. Hanna the consulting engineer
of the pending bill
Mr.. Jones' of Arkansas. thought there must he
some good reason for the manifest indiffer
ence" Of large a part Of the Republican Sem
ators 10 this bill. In his opinion, the reason
that no idea prevailed that in the seven
teen days of the session remaining the bill could
be disposed Of He moved that the Judiciary
Committee be discharged from consideration of
the Antitrust bill passed by the House. and
that the Senate proceed to its consideration.
Pending that motion. Mr. WolcOtt said he felt
it his duty 10 say In reply 10 Mr.. Jones's state
ment that at this time in the session many Sen
ators were obliged absent themselves from
the chamber in order to attend 10 important
committee work. Their absence did not at all
indicate an indifference TO the Shipping bill.
On objection by Mr.. Chandler. the motion of
Mr. Jones under the rules went over until to-
morrow the Arkansas Senator giving notice
that he would press 1t at that time II he could
do without antagonizing the appropriation
bills
Mr. Platt. of Connecticut. explained that the
Judiciary Committee for several days had had
rTratGV undo q he
urged that the committee should not he sum
marily discharged from It's work on IT,
Mr.. Caffery asserted that there was nothing
in the pending bill that would be OF advantage
TO American seamen.
Mr.. Hanna interposed to say that one OF the
objects subserved by the bill would be the In
creased number OF places afforded TO seamen on
American vessels He pointed out that the
wages paid by vessels under the American flag
were Just about twice as large az those paid un
der any other flag. and under the provisions of
this bill American ship owners would be able 10
pay such wages and at the same time meet for
eign competition in the carrying trade
BY actual count" interjected Mr.. Jones'
there just ten Republican Senators In the
chamber / suggest the absence OF quorum
Mr. Hanna-HOw many Democrats are here?
Mr. Bacon-We don't need instructions.
Mr.. Tillman-We've got thirteen Senators
Mr. Hanna-That's an unlucky number.
The rollcall disclosed the presence OF 1fty-six
Senators
SENATOR FRYE'S WARNING.
During Mr.. Canery'S speech the senate was
called several times TO produce quorum
Finally at the conclusion of one of the calls.
Mr.. Frye. chairman OF the Commerce Com
mittee said: The Commerce Committee has
permission of the Senate TO sit during sessions
of the Senate. II Senators desire to have River
and Harbor bill at this session 1t may be pos
sible for the committee to report II II not con-
tinualy interrupted by calls of the Senate
In order to aid the committee suggested
Mr.. Jones, lit might be we'll for the Senate TO
take recess while the committee is in session"
Mr.. Caffery yielded the floor temporarily to Mr.
SpOOner TO offer resolution. which agreed
to. requesting the Secretary of the Treasury to
furnish to the Senate the number and tonnage
OF vessels engaged in foreign commerce, the
number now engaged in the coastwise trade
pending bill. and also the amount OF subsidy
each vessel would receive under the bill The
resolution also calls for the number Of foreign
built vessels authorized to come under Amer-
can registry and the amount Of subsidy each
would receive, and the number of foreign ships
registered as contracted to be built under the
provisions of the bill.
Mr. Bacon again demanded a call of the
Senate saying that there only six Repub-
ncan Senators present, and one of them was
leaving the chamber.
The rollcalI disclosed the presence of forty
seven Senators.
Without concluding his speech Mr.. Caffery
yielded the floor and at 5::}5 p. m, motion of
Mr.. Hawey. the Senate went into executive ses-
sion, and at p. m. adjourned
THE DEATH Of CONGRESSM4N SHAW.