Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-04-25
WORK OF CONGRESS.

inaily framed by the senators and repre-
sentatives from the Pacific states, met
defeat in the senate on the 18th and in
It's place was submitted a measure Of
fered by Senator Platt (Conn-) extend
ing the provisions of the present exciu-
sion law and also applying that exclusion
to all insular territory under the juris-
diction of the United States. Once the
substitution had been made. all senators
had Joined in its support with the single
exception of Senator Hoar, the substitute
being passed. rs to l. The senate failed
to substitute the enacting clause of the
house bill for the senate measure, so that
the bill now Will go to the house as an
original measure and from a parlia-
mentary standpoint will have to be acted
on and treated the same as though the
house had not passed a Chinese exclu-
sion bill already. Resolutions were in
troduced, directed to the secretary of
war and to the secretary of the navy,
making inquiry as to the cost of the war
in the Philippines, covering the period
since May, 1885,. The friends of the Gu
ban reciprocity bill won a substantial
victory in the house by carrying a mo-
ton to close general debate on the 18th
at three o'clock. The vote was 153 to
123. Thirty-three republicans voted
against the motion, but this detection was
Offset by 80 democrats who voted with
the great body of the republicans for it.
The debate was featureless. Mr.. Hay
Wa.) introduced a resolution inquiring of
the civil service commission to the ex-
.
est in civil service examinations had been
passed over and appointments made of
persons lower down on the list.
For more than four hours the 18th
Senator Morgan (A1a.). chairman of the
fsthmian canal committee. addressed
the senate the subject of the Nicara-
guam canal. He devoted the greater part
of his speech to a consideration of the
desirability and practicability of the two
principal routes, Nicaragua and Panama.
He strenuously favored the former, main
tanning that In every possible respect
it had many advantages over the Panama
route. Senator Hoar (Mass.) introduced
an amendment to the Sundry civil ap-
preparation bill authorizing the commits
sioner of labor to make an investigation
of the question of divorce in the United
States and appropriating SOS, 900 for the
purpose. Senator Nelson (dinn-) intro
duced an amendment to the same bill
creating the office of Pacific railroad
commissioner and fixing the salary of the
commissioner at $500 per annum. The
Cuban reciprocity bill debated in the
house, the opponents of the measure Oc-
cupying most of the time. Mr.. Cushman
CWash), republican, made vigorous
speech against the BILL Mr.. DeArmond
(Mo.) delivered a forcible speech in ia
vor of tariff reduction on trust articles
and Mr.. Loud (CaL) declared that di-
rect1y and indirectly Cuba already had
cost the United States 500, 600 600, 900.
At the session of the senate on the 18th
consideration was begun of the bill tenn
pOraf1IE TO PROVIDE form OF government
for the Philippine islands. The measure
was read and the committee amendments
were agreed to tentatively, but no action
on the bill was taken. Fifty-f1ve private
pension bills and a few minor measures
were passed. The democrats and the
republican insurgents rode rough-shod
over the house leaders when the voting
began on the Cuban reciprocity bill. They
overthrow the ruling of the chair in COM
nittee of the whole on the question of
n
move the differential from refined sugar
during the existence of the reciprocity
agreement provided for in the bill. The
vote to overrule the decision of the chair,
made by Mr.. Sherman On. ", was III
to 100, republicans to the number of 81
joining with a solid democratic vote to
accomplish this result. Having won this
preliminary victory, the amendment was
adopted in committee, 164 to Ill, and later
in the house by a still larger majority,
1919 to 105. On this occasion Ga republic
ans voted with the democrats for the
amendment. The bill then was passed
by an overwhelming majority 247 to 3d.
The senate amendments to the Chinese
exclusion bill were disagreed to and the
bill was sent to conference.
Little business of national Importance
was transacted by the senate on the 10Th,
Numerous measures of minor character
and nearly 60 private pension bills were
passed. In the house the fortifcatiop
appropriation bill was passed and the
conference report on the legislative ap
preparation bill agreed to- The bill te
increase the number of judges of the su.
prone court of Oklahoma from five tc
seven; the bill offered by Mr.. Bowersock
(Kan.), providing for the establishment
of federal court at Kansas City, Kan:
a bill providing for the extension of the
time in which the new bridge across the
Missouri river at ST. Charles, Mo-, must
be completed, and several other minor
bills were also passed.