Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-04-18
CONGRESS.

Washington, April 12.-Senate.--A
feature of the Chinese exclusion de.
bate in the senate today was the sharp
criticism of Minister WI of China, be.
cause Of the protest he made to the
secretary of state against the enact.
ment the pending bill. Mitchell of
Oregon and Teller of Colorado, sharply
attacked him, declaring that he de.
served to have been given his pass.
ports and that no self.respecting nation
would have permitted such interior.
ence in it's legislative affairs. Foraker
Of Ohio and Hoar of Massachusetts, in.
sisted that the Chinese minister had
done no more than his duty and that
he would have been derelict of his duty
had he done less. Lodge of Massach,,.
sets. delivered speech in support of
the pending BILL although he antago.
nized that provision which prevented
American ships from employing
Chinese seamen. He vigorously urged
the enactment of the measure with the
notifications he suggested. maintaining
that congress should place permanent
and not merely tentative legislation
on the statute books. Patterson OF
Colorado explained that, in the alb.
sence of Vest, the provision exclud.
ing Chinese who might come to the
United States to participate in eXposi.
tons had been stricken out.
House.-The house today passed the
bill granting pension to the widow
of President Mckinley at $4,000 per
year. 1t had previously passed the
senate and now goes to the president
for signature. Although favorable &C.
ton on the measure was unanimous
an inquiry by Bell of Colorado, as to
the precendents for such action, led
to an animated discussion. Bell con.
tended that many widows of private
soldiers were without pensions, and
that Mrs. Mckinley had independent
means, making a pension unnecessary
Grosvenor of Ohio. severely criticised
Bells position. Richardson of Ten.
hessee, and several other democratic
members, spoke for the bill as in the
line Of presidents, and Kleberg of
Texas, an ex-confederate soldier, sup.
ported 1t on the ground that President
Mckinley had wiped out the last YES.
tige of sectionalism. The day was de.
voted to private pension bills, 1T be.
Ing passed.
Washington. April 14.-Senate.-
The Chinese exclusion bill occupied
the attention of the senate through
out today, Senators Foraker, of Ohio,
and McLaurin, of South Carolina,
making extended speeches in opposi-
ton. Foraker commended that the
pending measure was violative of our
treaty with China and was calculated
to prevent our commercial expansion
in the far east. While strongly sup
porting the policy of the government
to exclude Chinese laborers, the Ohio
senator maintained that this could be
best accomplished by an extension OF
the present law, holding that the dras-
tic provisions of the pending bill
would cut off our cotton trade with
China and thus wreck the cotton in
dustry of the south. Teller briefly re-
sponded to Foraker. urging that the
right time to abrogate treaties was
| recognized. Lodge. of Massachusetts,.
gave notice of an amendment striking
out the much discussed clause pro-
hibiting the employment of Chinese
| sailors on American ships.
House.-Interest in the Cuba reel.
procity debate in the house seems to
be waning, judged by the attendance
on the floor today, but the earnestness
| of the speeches on both sides of the
question increases rather than de.
| creases in intensity. That the repub-
lican opponents of the bill are deter
mined to prolong the struggle as much
as possible was made manifest today
| by their refusal to allow speeches to
be printed in the record. The speak
ers today were Mccall. of Massachus-
etts, and Brantley, of Georgia, for the
measure. and Robertson, OF Louisiana.
and Stevens, of Minnesota, against it.
Robinson, of Indiana, opposed Cuban
annexation on the ground that it
would threaten the welfare of the
| american wage earners.
Washington, April 15.-Senate.-
The debate on the Chinese exclusion
bill was practically concluded today,
and voting on the bill and amend.
ments will begin at l o'clock tomOr.
row. BY general consent a vote was
taken today on two important amend
ments offered by Fairbanks. of In
diana, striking out the definition as to
Chinese students and teachers, and
they were agreed to without division.
These changes were made with view
to reconciling some of the opposition
to the measure, which has been direct
ed against the rigid restrictions on
students and teachers, and the un-
necessary inconvenience this would
impose on the educated Chinese
classes coming to this country. The
debate was participated in by Sen
ators Heitfeld, of Idano, Penrose, of
Pennsylvania, and Turner. of Wash
ington. in favor of the bill, and Sen
ator Pritchard, of North Carolina
and Senator Spooner, OF Wisconsin, in
0p@os5tioD. ,.
HouseS|With the close of the Gu
pan reciprocity debate in the house
today the leaders announced that all
danger of the bill being weighted
down with undesirable amendments
was over and that they felt assured
the bill would pass in the shape in
which it came from the committee.
AS the bill in it's present form is sure
to command three-fourths OF the vote
of each side of the house, it's passage
was certain If it successfully passed
the stage when amendments could be
offered The only cause of anxiety
heretofore has been the possibility
that enough republicans would join
the democrats to overrule the chair
and tack onto the bill an amendment
to abolish the differential on refined
sugar. All the energies Of the leaders
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