Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-06-27
WORK OF CONGRESS.

The session of the senate on the 18th
was mostly taken up in listening to
speeches on the isthmian canal The fol-
lowing bills were passed: To amend the
act providing for permanent census
Office, SO to include .'unskilled labor
erS in the list of those employees not in
cluded in the civil service; to provide
for refunding taxes paid on legacies and
requests for uses of religious, charitable
or educational character; for the
cour2gement or art, etc. THE house
considered bills reported from the judi
ciary committee. By far the most i'm
portant measure was that to amend the
existing bankruptcy law. The minority
made a vigorous effort to repeal the
present law in toto, but was overwhelm-
ingly defeated, 65 to 1877. The bill passed
amends the law in Is particulars to meet
defects which, it is said. experience has
proven. An evening session was held
for the consideration of bills reported
from the Indian committee.
The senate on the 18th devoted practi-
caily its entire session to consideration
of the isthmian canal question. Little
that is new to the discussion was de-
veloped by any of the speakers TAX
ing advantage of the latitude allowed
during general debate on the deficiency
bill in the house several speeches were
made by democrats. night session was
held at which the house considered bills
reported from the committee on Indian
affairs. Mr.. Shattuc (O) introduced a
bill excluding from admission to the
country Immigrants over 10 years OF age
who cannot read the English language
or some other language. Mr.. McDer-
mott On. j. introduced a bill for the
appointment of a federal board of in
veStigation and arbitration to deal with
labor disputes.
The senate on the 18th, by a majority
of eight votes. adopted the Spooner SUBJ
stitute for the Hepburn Nicaragua
nal bill, the vote on the substitute being
AZ to 34 After two amendments to the
had ad ling
for a commission to supervise the con-
struction of the canal and the other
providing for the issuance of S130, 600
of two per cent. gold bonds to raise
money with which to construct the wa
terway, 1t was passed by a vote of 81 to
6. The SpoOner substitute in brief pro-
vides that the president shall select
the Panama route if he can obtain a
clear title to the Panama Canal COM
pany's property, but otherwise, he shall
adopt the Nicaragua route. The senate
had some debate over the trouble into
which it had gotten with the house over.
amendments to the army appropriation
bill and finally asked for a conference
with the house, ignoring the "offensive''
message which caused the trouble Bills
were passed authorizing the construction
of bridge across the Missouri river
within five miles north of the Kaw river,
Wyandotte county. Kan, and Clay coun-
| ty, Mo-; to set apart certain lands in
| South Dakota as public park to be
known as the Wind Cave national
| park. The opening day of the week.
| debate on the Philippine government bill
in the house was signalZed by re-
markedly strong and exhaustive speech
by Mr.. Cooper (Wis.) chairman of the
committee insular affairs. Much of
| the speech was general defense of the
policy pursued by the administration and
| drew repeated applause from his side
| of the house. Mr.. Jones (Va.), the rank
| ing member of the minority of the COM
mittee, made an able presentation of the
| democratic position.
| No business of Importance was trans
| acted by the senate on the Goth in open
| session except to agree to a conference
| report finally disposing of the military
| academy appropriation BILL Soon after
| the disposition of routine business the
| senate went into executive session and
| afterwards adjourned until the 23d. :. De-
bate the Philippine civil government
| bill continued in the house from IL a. m.
| to five p. m. and at a session held at
i night. The speakers were given close
attention, each side enthusiastically ap-
plauding its respective orators. The
| iSthmian canal bill was sent to confer
| been nOn-concurred in. The house reit-
| Grated the position it had taken on the
| army appropriation bill by ignoring the
| action of the senate and sending the
| bill back to the senate after voting to
| adhere to its disagreement to the SEN
ate's Objectionable army post amend
| ments. Mr. Kern 0ll.) introduced a bill
to provide for the pensioning at $50 per
month of all the natural blind over 1e
years of age until the end of their natu-
raj life.
The senate was not in session on the
21st. The debate on the Philippine civil
service government bill Jagged in the
house. Earlier in the day the confer
ence reports on the military academy
and sundry civil appropriation bills were