Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-03-06
AN EXTRA SESSION CALLED
THE PRESIDENT SUMMONS THE SENATE
TO REC0NvENE ON MARCH s.

Inc 1lm6 mas oe6u IO0ieu h""J ."
ings and Obstructive Measures Due to Va
rious Party Interests President lnsis'a
that Some Few Things Shall Be Done
The sundry civil bill was passed
in the senate on Thursday morning.
Dramatic scenes were enacted in the
house during the unseating of the
democratic congressman, James j.
Butler of Missouri, and the seating OF
George G. II. Wagner, republican, IN
his place. The democrats had decid-
ed that if this case was called up they
would prosecute a filibuster until Mar.
4 regardless of legislation. They
blocked things for several hours, but
were finally over ridden rough shod
and Mr.. Wagner was seated. The ma
iority report of the elections committee
had recommended the unseatlng OF
Mr.. Butler, but the minority protested
that the whole proceeding before the
committee was irregular A protest
was presented to the senate regarding
Senator-elect Reed Smoot of Utah.
Rev. j. l.. Leilitch of Salt Lake City
charges that Smoot is polygamlst
and now has a plural wife: that the
only record of the plural marriage Is
the secret record of the Mormon church
authorities and asks the senate to com
pel the production of such record. DIR.
Leilitch also asserts that President
Joseph F. Smith, the president of the
Mormon church, is living in open po-
lygamv and has had a child born to
him by his plural wife as late as 1898.
And also that President Lorenzo Snow
lived and died in the practice OF po-
lygamy, and that his plural wife, MIN
ME Jensen Snow, bore him child as
late as the winter of 1867 " These
charges are brought independently by
DR.. Leiltch but it is said that the
ministerial alliance of Salt Lake City
will stand back of him.
The senate Friday passed the naval
and appropriation bills. The motion
to take up the Littlefield antitrust
bill was lost, % to 30. The immigra-
ton bill was called up and the section
providing for an educational test was
agreed to; the head tax was reduced
from s. to 81 and the provision for the
deportation of immigrants who become
insane within two years was stricken
out. Considerable debate was had or
the motion TO strike out the provision
embodying the contract labor law. Ii
was claimed that high official hao
said that if it should be incorporated
in the immigration measure this OH
cial would see it is applied in keeping
out French Canadians who come te
the United States TO work temporarily
and then return and that if the provls.
ion were retained. New England would
rue the day the bill passed. The house
had another stormy session, owing to the
carrying out of the threat of the Demo
Gratis to block legislation Oh account
of the unseating of Mr.. Butler. Tive
special rules were brought in. to pre-
vail for the rest of the session, to ex-
pedite the passage of appropriation
bills, everything else being practically
impossible. Even with these, an s.
hour session and ID roll-cslls were nee
essary to get the agricultural, sundry
civil, military academy and postoflice
appropriation bills into conference,
and to adopt the conference report on
the Indian appropriation bill. The
president sent message to the senate
asking for action on the house Philip
pine tariff bill. He said that Gov.
Taft had cabled him that business and
industrial conditions were growing
worse each month and the necessity
for the passage of the tariff bill was
most urgent.
The senate Monday passed the gen
eral deficiency bill after agreeing to
endments appropriating 81, 600, 600
to carry out the provisions of the omni-
bus public building bill and providing
that claims for rebate on tobacco and
snuff shall not be paid unless presented
prior to April /, 1908 The amount
appropriated for the payment of the
claims was increased to Sl,370, 600
During the course of the day the con
ference report on the Notifications APP
preparation bill and the Alaskan home
stead bill were agreed to. The lmmi
grafton and omnibus public building
bills were sent to conference and the
Aldrich financial bill was taken up.
The house continued its laborlous
struggle against democratic tilibuster,
but despite another special rule adopt
ed early in the day, legislation pro
ceeded very slowly. From Thursday
to Monday there were over GO roll-calls,
against 81 for the entire last session
from December to July.
The president issued proclamation
calling special session of the oSth
congress to meet March 3, especial in
terests' and an extraordinary coca
sion" requiring it.
When the Aldrich financial bill was
laid before the Senate Tuesday, Sena-
tor Aldrich explained the measure in
4 ~ II hnt said that all nnnhar nf
men had deliberately murdered it.
They would be responsible, he de-
clared, for any evil to the business of
failure to pass it. The two senators
a full membership of 80. The confer
ence reports on the naval, sundry civil
and general deficiency bills were
agreed to.
Mr.. Elkins said it was a calamity
that the Aldrich bill had been defeat
ed, but the Republican party was re-
sponsible, the defeat of this bill, the
Philippine bill and the treaties being
due to the filibuster against the state
hood bill which for IA weeks MAORI
ty of the Senate had been kept from
voting on. The Philippine tariff bill
was taken up, Mr.. Lodge explaining
it. Mr.. McEnery declared. that the
bill was scheme worked up by the
sugar trust of the United States in Or
der to get control of the sugar market
of the world, and thus destroy the
sugar industry in the United States.
The House continued its program of
roll-calling and obstruction. All but
two conference reports to necessary
legislation were disposed of. Party
passion showed itself in politi-