Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1902-03-14
CONGRESS.

| CONGRESS.
Washington, March House. The
house today closed the general debate
upon the bill to classify the rural Tree
/! delivery service and place the carriers
| under the contract system. It II ex-
| pected the vote will be taken on Mon
day.
Washington, March 1o.-Senate.
For nearly two hours today Vest. OF
Missouri, addressed the senate in OPP
, position to the pending ship subsidy
bill. No member of the body has been
! accorded more f1attering close atten-
| ton than he received. Despite his
| evident feebleness, he spoke with force
! and fire, and at times became bril-
/ liantly eloquent. He carefully ana
| lyzed the pending measure. and par
| ticularly attacked the present naviga-
| ton laws, which he declared were rel
| les Of barbarism, and responsible for
| the decline of our merchant marine.
Tillman, Of South Carolina, followed
| with brief speech In opposition to
the bill. He denounced the policy OF
giving subsidies to anybody. particu-
larly to individuals and corporations
engaged in the formation Of shipping
trusts.
House The bill to classify the rural
free delivery service and place the car
riers under the contract system, which
has been debated in the house for over
q week. was passed today, but In
form that completely changed the pur-
pose for which it was framed. Be-
fore 1t was passed the bill was alter
ed radically by its opponents. All the
provisions relating to the placing of
carriers under the contract system
were stricken out, and the salary sys-
tenn not only was continued, but the
maximum salary of carriers was in
creased from $500 to 5000 per annum.
A motion offered by Williams, demo-
erat. OF Illinois, to recommit the bill
with instructions to report back an
amendment providing for the dismfs-
sal from the service of carriers who
should use their influence in favor of
any particular candidate, was voted
down, SO to 141.
Washington, March 11-Senate.-
For several hours today the senate
had the ship subsidy bill under con-
sideration. Mallory, of Florida, made
an extended speech In opposition to
the measure. He analysed the bill
carefully and held that there was no
good reason for it's enactment into
law, saying he believed it would not
accomplish the results hoped for 1t by
its promoters. His opposition was
based chiefly on the ground that it
would extend the favor of the United
States treasury to private individuals
and corporations without just re-
turn for the expenditure. Congress
never in its history" Mallory said,
passed a measure Of this character.
It has passed many laws to advance
private gains under the pretence of
public policy, but never one SO alb
solutely bald and bold in its advance
ment of private purposes as this
measure" He would go as far as any
senator to put the American merchant
marine on footing of equality with
that of other nations, but he could
not endorse measure so at variance
with every public principle of right
and justice. Frye referred to the fact
that it had been claimed that the
clause in section of the ship subsidy
bill, which directs payment to the
| owner or owners of any vessel Of the
United States "duly registered by a
citizen of the United States" would
| place under the provisions of the bill
| the four ships that had been admitted
| to an American register. He there
| fore submitted an amendment, which
| was adopted, making the clause read
hereafter built and registered in the
United States or now duly registered
House.-The house today entered
into consideration of the postoffice APP
| preparation bin, as usual during gen.
| eral debate on an appropriation bill.
| the members who spoke devoted them
selves to everything except the bill
Thayer. of Massachusetts, attempted
] to take advantage of the division
| among the republicans on the subject
| of reciprocity by bringing forward a
resolution to Investigate reports that
! the sugar trust would be the chief
beneficiary of Cuban reciprocity. He
! tried to Overturn decision of the
| speaker in order to secure action on
his solution, but the republicans came
up solidly against such a course and
he. was checkmated. Brantley. a
| Georgia democrat, made a speech in
| favor Of Cuban reciprocity, and Meyer,
+! Louisiana democrat, against it. Hill.
! of Connecticut, made some remarks
on his monetary bill. The feature Of
the day, however, was a speech by
| Burleson, of Texas, attacking Secre-
| tary Hay for declining to request the
| British authorities to furnish pass
! ports to go through the British lines
to Rev. Hiram w. Thomas and wife.
who desire to go to South Africa to
distribute Boer relief funds collected
! In Illinois.
Washington, March 12-Senate-
I Again today the ship subsidy bill occu-
| pied practically the entire time of the
I senate. McCumber presented care
fully prepared argument, in which, as
| a representative of an agricultural
state. he favored the bill on the ground