The Springfield herald., 1902-02-07
LATE WASHINGTON NEWS AND
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS


lands has ordered favorable report
on the irrigation bill recently agreed
upon by the senators and members of
the House of Representatives from the
semi-arid states. There was no objec-
tion in the committee and the motion
to report the bill was unanimous.
In the United States Supreme Court
Monday Attorney General Douglass of
Minnesota renewed his motion for
leave to file bill of complaint on be-
half of the state against the Northern
Securities Company in the matter of
the merger of the Northern Pacific
railroad with other railroads, saying
that he had given notice to the defend
ants, as required by the courts. Per-
mission was granted and Mr.. Douglass
presented the matter. Attorneys for
the railroads replied and the court took
the question under advisement.
Rising to n question of privilege ear
ly in the session, Mr.. Dubois Of Idaho
had read an Associated Press dispatch
from Manila in which General Whea-
ton was quoted as critlcising some ut
terances of Professor Schurmann in n
speech delivered in Boston. Mr.. Du-
bois thought the President, in the cir
cumstances, would be warranted in
reprimanding General Wheaton for his
utterances. He declared that such
comment upon the action of the SEN
ate was Outrageous and indecent"
and that the minority had had quite
enough of threats and blackmail. The
debate thus precipitated took n wide
range, covering the entire Philippine
problem.
Senators Clark of Montana and
Clapp of Minnesota, as II sub-commit-
tee of the regular committee on Indian
affairs are drafting bill to entirely
abolish the tribal relations of Indians.
1t is proposed to have all moneys in
the United States treasury credited to
the tribes divided per capita and In
dividual accounts kept with each In
dian. Allotments are to be treated
the same way. The property Of de-
ceased Indians is to go to heirs, in
stead of revert to the tribe. The whole
idea of the bill is to treat the Indian
rs an individual, instead of IN unrec-
ogniZcd part of tribe, in all govern
ment transactions. The plan is sup
ported by the Indian commissioner and
favored in the Senate and House.
An extended speech on the pending
Philippine tariff bill was delivered in
the Senate Friday by Mr.. Morgan of
Alabama. Speaking of the claims
which had been made that there was
no lawful government in the Philip
pines. Mr.. Morgan, with earnestness.
said there is a government there, and
he was glad to say, II very good gov
ernment, suitable to the character of
these people and the circumstances in
which we found them. 1t would ad-
vance the esteem of the Filipinos for
the United States if they could have n
delegate in Congress. as in the case of
Hawaii, said Mr.. Morgan. This, he
thought, would be no violation of the
constitution Referring to the work of
the Philippine Commission, their per-
sonality and their ability, he paid n
tribute to the late President Mckinley,
who, he said, was the happjest man in
the world in making selections of men
for responsible position, who always
could be relied upon to do the right
thing at the right time and in the right
way.
The bill creating a Department of
Commerce. which passed the Senate
Tuesday. was amended in various par
ticulars. The most important amend
ment was on changing the title to read
department of Commerce and La
bor." 1t provides for secretary, who
is to be a member of the Cabinet: an
assistant secretary and other officials
and clerks necessary. The proposed
department is especially charged with
the collection and distribution of sta
tistical information and with the de-
velopment and fostering of foreign
and domestic commerce In the de-
partment there is to be n new bureau
of manufactures, and many bureaus
now included in other departments are
transferred to it, including the life
saving. light house, marine hospital
and steamboat inspection service, the
bureaus of navigation, shipping and
immigration, as well as control of the
fisheries and the Chinese exclusion
questions, all now within the jurisdic
ton of the Treasury Department; the
Fish Commission and the census bu-
reau. The department is also given
Jurisdiction over the consular service
so far as it pertains to commerce.
1t has been years since there has
been such a hurricane of bitter vitup-
Grafton, of personal taunt, of ugly
charges and of unmoditied criticism as
was witnessed Tuesday in the Senate.
Not since the discussion of the resolu-
tions leading up to the Spanish-Ameri-
can war has any scene occurred in the
Senate chamber comparable with
Tuesdays. Even that debate lacked
the personal bitterness manifested at
times to-day. Irritation was aroused
on both sides of the chamber, and once
or twice personal encounters between
senators seemed imminent. Once,
when Senator Teller taunted the Re
publican senator's by declaring that
they knew the statements made in n
recent dispatch from Manila. in which
Genertal Wheaton was represented as