The National tribune., 1902-02-06
A WORDY CONGRESS.
Endless Talk Over the Philippines
in the Senate-The Permanent
Census Bill Passed in the House.

, and in the Senate, with a long and drear.
program of talk upon the Philippine
. Tariff Bill ahead of it. The fact is tina
the House has done very little for tn
two months during which it has been il
session. The only bills of general i'm
: portance acted upon, up to this week
have been the Philippine Tariff Bill, thu
Isthmian Canal Bill and couple of ap
preparation bills, neither of which latter
would have taken two hours had the body
been busy.
This Incidence on the part Of tho
House, however, is rather apparent than
real The fact is that work is going for
ward in committees, and timidity on ac
count of next Falls election, sparring fol
political advantage, and the Importance
and novelty of many of the questions be-
fore the members, and especially those
relating to our new possessions, all lead
to caution and hesitation.
Congress, too. still feels strange with
the new President. Mckinley, by long
personal acquaintance with the leaders,
was thoroughly known and relied upon;
| but President Roosevelt is practically an
unknown quantity 10 the great majority
of our National Legislators. Although his
/ -
decided approval and evidences Of conf
dcncc, yet. for all that, there is Il feeling
! of newneSS about the relations of Con-
gress to the President that is uncOnforta-
BILE and disturbing.
Then, too. there is Cuba. II is q thorn
in the flesh demanding. perhaps with rea-
son, concessions which are claimed to be
the key to the life or death of the island,
which, however, are violently opposed by
Influential interests in several great Re
publican States.
All of these things and many more tend
to keep members of Congress locked up
all of the fOrenOonS behind committee
doors and all the afternoons doing little
but caucuSing on knOtty public problems,
upon which, among other things, their
own reelection is believed to largely de
pend.
1t must be remembered that one Of the
chief subjects ever before Il member of
Congress is his own reelection, since pol
itics, with perhaps four-iifths Of the
members of the House at least, is not Il
patriotic recreation, but simply Il matter
of business.
The vital question, after all, is the
5000 per annum which comes with the
approval of admiring constituencies.
On Tuesday the Senate finally passed
the bill creating new Department,
which is to be called the department of
commerce. anu lsdVbI. subsequent 10
this action the Senate again took up the
Philippine Tariff Bill. and the debate de
generated into Il simple quarrel between
Tillman, Spocner, Teller. Lodge and Bny
eridge and disorderly scene cnsued
which compelled the Chair (SenatOr Frye
to call the attention OF Senators to the
rules of procedure regarding the proceed
ingS in debate. No progress practically
was made in consideration of the bill.
The House did moi meet
On Wednesday the House of Repre-
sentativcs, having 10 business Of any i'm
pOrtance, adjourned after session Of
less than 80 minutes, and the Senate
again spent the day in heated discus
sion of various side issues concerning our
administration Of the Philippines under
the guiSc of discussing the tariff bill
On Thursday the Senate passed the day
in heated controversy, chiefly between
Money, Tillman and Dubois, on the Dem
ocratic side, and Lodge, Teller and
81 O0mer. on the other side, over the al
legged censorship of the press in the Phil
ippiucS, and restrictions reported TO have
been made by Gen. Wheaton upon public
uttcTanCes in the United States, which he
had characterized as dislOyal and inju-
riouS to the interests Of the United STATES
in the islands.
On that day, also, the Senate, in Ex
ccutivc session, received from the Prcsi-
dent the treaty with Denmark, providing
for the purchase by the United States of
the Danish West Indian possessions for
S!',G0OOOO. and ratified the eXtraditiOn
Treaty with Servia and the trademark
treaty with Guatemala.
The House of Representatives took up
the bill for making the Census Bureau
permanent. 1t was brought forward by
Mr.. Hopkins, of Illinois. 1t was vigOr-
ously opposed by members who desired to
have the new Census Bureau placed under
the Civil Service law without any pro
yisO, protecting clerks now employed. The
bill contained provision which took care
of all clerks who shall be in the employ of
the Bureau July | next, and without this
provision it was apparent, and was so de-
clared repeatedly, that the bill could not
pass. The fact has been notorious that
the Census Bureau has been made sort
Of Botany Bay for the asylum of friends
and relatives of members of Congress who
could not pass the Civil Service eXamina-
ton, appointments under the census law
having taken that Bureau out of control
Of the Civil Service Commission. Almost
every member of the House has some
friend or relative in the Bureau. and these
people have to be taken care of at the
public's expense
based upon this point, the bill was adopt
ed making the Census Bureau permanent
and keeping in place all the clerks who
shall be in position July l, and throwing
over them the protecting shield of the
Civil Service law. The Bureau hereafter
will be under control of the Commission.
so far as clerical appointments are con-
cerned.
On Friday the Senate listened most OF
the day to long speeches from Senator
Morgan, of Alabama, who discussed the
cOnstitutionality of the Philippine Tariff
Bill. He avoided political illusions, and
the debate therefore passed off smoothly.
The Senate adjourned over until Mon
day.
In the House OF Representatives the
time was chiefly spent in political spar
ring. 1t has become apparent that prob
ably the question of reciprocity with Cuba
MAY be deferred until the establishment
OF the Cuban Republic, and its recogni-
ton by the United States as an independ-
cnt nation, when it will be competent for
Cuba to make treaty with the United
States, practically settling the tariff ques
ton as between the two countries, with
out the interpositiGn of the House. Upon
the announcement that the President and
Cabinet are in favor of reciprocity ar
rangcment with Cuba, which will give the
island an advantage Of % per cent. tariff
reduction in the markets of the United
States, the leaders of the House became
apprehensive that its prerOgatiye to con-
troll the revenue bills is to be infringed by
the Senate, and therefore it was proposed
by Mr. Richardson, OF Tennessee, to make
a declaration on this point.