Arizona republican., 1902-03-31
SENATE'S CLUB
over HOUSE
Is The Rivers and HaTbOr's
Bill Lately Passed
1t Will Be Held Up to Force Favora-
BILE Action on Many Senatorial
Measures, One of them the Irriga-
tion Bill.


trouble ahead for the house on several
important bills which have already
been disposed of by that body and
which now rest in the senate. 1t IS
the avowed intention of a number of
senators to use the rivers and harpors
bill as a club to force the house to the
enactment Of certain legislation.
Nearly every member of congress
who is a candidate for reelection, and
nearly all of them are candida teS, has
one more items in this bill on which
he depends for political capital; in fact
some of the members have staked their
political future upon their successful
championship of certain river and har-
Dor appropriations. To have this bill
fail in the senate would be a severe
blow to many members OF the house
and the senate is fully aware of this
situation.
There are two bills which have been
passed by the senate and are now in the
house which are each backed by i
strong following in the senate, but OF
which there is little hope of enactment
in the house. These are the omnibus
claims bill and the irrigation bill. The
senate has passed the omnibus claims
bill and the house committee on appro-
priations is quite prepared to defeat the
final enactment of the same. This bill
carries several million dollars and its
items are of local Importance to many
senators. An enormous amount of
work has been done on the bill by Sena-
| tor Warren of Wyoming and his COM
| mittee on claims, and the members of
the committee are fully determined to
force its passage through the house if
possible. There is little question as to
| the business of practically all of the
claims included in the bill and many
of them have been standing fer years.
/ the government thus depriving its
creditors of money to which they are
legally and morally entitled. 1t swells
the total amount of appropriations,
| however, and is one of the bills which
can be dispensed with without inter-
fering in any way with the movements
of the government machine, hence it Is
often sacrificed.
1t is proposed in the senate as soon as
it is determined that the house will not
pass the claims bill to add it to one OF
the vital appropriation bills and force
I ulon the house in conference under
threat of defeating the appropriation
bin to which it is attached. The
J friends of the measure are in fighting
mood and if the house does not yield
something of dead lock will result
A similar situation exists in regard
to the irrigation bill. Senator Hans
broush said yesterday that the active
friends Of the irrigation bill numbered
twenty-siX in the senate, with which
formidable following he believed it
/ would be possible to force the irrigation
bll! through the house by threatening
the deieat of the rivers and harbors
measure. If it is found by the senate
that the irrigation bill is to fail in the
house it is proposed to have the COM
lnittee on commerce to put the bill as
an additional clause upon the rivers
ana harbors bill and report the same to
the senate in that shape. This will
throw the rivers and harbors bill with
its irrigation rider into conference with
| the house committee and the senatorial
friends of the irrigation bill belfev,
! that before the house would allow tn.
defeat of the rivers and harbors bill
they would accept the irrigation amend
ments.
There is a decided atmosphere of ir-
ritability in regard to both these senate
acts, the claims and irrigation which
! promises>a lively scrap with the house
before any legislation along those
lines is finally enacted or defeated
The claims bill. if accepted by the
| house, would probably be taken with
out any amendment as the senate COM
mittee on claims has spent many weeks
on the bill and thrashed out the merits
of each particular case to final con-
clusion. The house committee on irri-
CATION with bill of its own has al
ready decided to substitute the senate
bill for the proposed house bill and to
make certain amendments which arc
being demanded by those interested in
securing proper irrigation legislation.
which amendments would probably be
agreed to by the senate if it was
thought bill of this character could be
/ got through.
--O-