Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-03-15
WORK OF CONGRESS.

The senate was not in session on the
| Sth. In the house the bill to classify
| the rural free delivery service and place
| the carriers under the contract system
was debated. Mr.. Burkett (Neb.) intro
| duced bill authorizing the president tc
appoint in the regular army and place
upon the retired list certain officers whc
served in the volunteer service in the war
with Spain. the Philippines and Porto
Rico. a bill was passed authorizing the
! South Omaha Bridge company to con-
struct a bridge across the Missouri river.
| A bill to establish an information bu-
reau at the capitol was also introduced.
The purpose of the bill is to assist mem
bers of congress in answering and sup
plying their constituents with public doc
uments.
For nearly two hours on the 10th Sem
ator Vest (Mo) addressed the senate in
opposition to the pending ship subsidy
bill. He attacked the present naViga-
ton laws, which he declared were relics
| of barbarism and responsible for the de-
cline of our merchant marine. The sem
ate passed a considerable number Of UNI
| objected bills on the calendar. The bill
| to classify the rural free delivery serv.
| Ice and place the carriers under the con-
| tract system was passed in the house.
Before it was passed the bill was al
tered radically by its opponents. A bill
was passed authorizing the G. A. R. to
erect in the District of Columbia monu-
ment to Benjamin E. Stephenson, found
er of the G. A r. Mr.. Ray IN. W and
Mr.. Jenkins (Wis.) filed minority re-
port on the Newlands bill for the irriga-
ton of arid lands. The report character
ICES the matter as an unfair, unwise and
improvident scheme and says the land
grant railroads are behind the scheme.
The senate on the 18th had the ship
subsidy bill under consideration. Sen
ator Mallory (Fla) made an extended
speech in opposition to the measure.
Prior to consideration of the subsidiary
measure a lively debate occurred over
an effort on the part of Senator Berry
(Ark.) to ascertain when the committee
on privileges and elections might be ex-
pected to report to the senate the reSo-
luton providing for the election OF
ators by the direct vote of the people.
| Senator Hoar (Adass.) indicated his vigor-
Gus opposition to such a resolution,
| the-ground that it would subvert the
fundamental principles upon which the
senate founded. Eighty-one private
pension bills were passed. A message
| from President Roosevelt vetoing the
bill to remove the charge of desertion
| from the naval record of John Glass
| was read. The house entered on the
consideration of the post Office appropria-
| ton bill, the members who spoke de-
voted themselves to everything except
the bill before the house. The feature of
/ the day, however, was a speech by Mr.
| Burleson CTex.) attacking Secretary Hay
| for declining to request the British
| thorities to finnish passports to go
| through the British lines to Rev. Hiram
| w. Thomas and wife, who desire to go
| to South Africa to distribute Boer re-
| lief funds collected in Illinois. Mr.. HIT
( Qll.), chairman of the foreign affairs
committee, made a spirited reply, show
| ing that it was contrary to international
| law and usage to allow those in sym
| pathy with the enemy to go through the
lines in time of war
! The ship subsidy bill again occupied
practically the entire time of the sem
ate on the 18th. Senator McCumber On.
| ID presented carefully prepared argu-
ment in which he favored the bill
the ground of its protective features.
Senator Depew IN. " delivered an
elaborate speech in favor of the meas
ure. A few minor bills were passed, in
| Guiding one providing for the redemp-
ton of Hawaiian silver coins and the
substitution therefor of American silver
coins. -. General debate on the post office
appropriation bill continued in the house,
number of topics being discussed The
| proceedings were enlivened by a clash
| between Mr. Corliss C4ich.) and Mr..
Richardson (Ala.) on the subject of the
Pacific cable. Mr.. Sims (Fenn.) devoted
some time to showing how the house had
| been ''buncoed" in connection with the
| permanent census bill. Mr.. Dougherty
| (AIo0 discussed rural free delivery, Mr.
Jackson (Kan.) the government owner
ship of telegraphs and Mr.. Greene (Pa.)
the Philippine situation. The house ad-
journed at 4:3O out of respect to the men,
ory of Doorkeeper Glenn, who died the
previous day.