Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1903-02-21
DoINes IN CONGRESS.
Bills. Resolutions and Messages Before the
senate and House and How They
Are Dispcsed Of

| with the exception of few minutes
during which some routine business was
| transacted the session of the senate on
| the 18th was behind closed doors. the
Panama canal treaty being considered
most of the time. Senator Frye (Me)
introduced q bill providing fines Of $1,000
| for persons engaged In riots at sea. A
bill providing for postal checks In place
Of all bills OF less than s. was introduced
by Senator Penrose (Pa.)....The house
made slow progress with the sundry civil
bill. covering only q pages and leaving
| 10 pages still to be disposed of. The de-
lays were occasioned by a rather pro-
tracted discussion of the item In the bill
for the maintenance of the white house
and considerable debate upon the Item
appropriatng s3,000,000 for the relief of
distress In the Philippines.
| An immense crowd was attracted to the
senate on the 18th to hear the invocation
of Gen. William Booth, founder and COM
mander-in-chief of the Salvation army.
When the statehood bill came up Sem
ator Depew IN. " resumed his remarks.
| He attacked the Mormon church because.
he said, he believed its members still
| cling 10 the practice Of polygamy. Sem
ator Rawlins QItah) replied that II the
Mormons were not interfered with they
would work out their own destiny. I'm
der the operation of n special order which
cut of the opportunity to offer amend
ments the house by vote OF al to 0
passed the Elkins. bill to prohibit rebates
10 shippers. The six members who voted
against the bill were democrats. The
president transmitted to the house copy
Of the treaty entered into between the
United States and Great Britain relative
to the Alaskan boundary line.
i ~ =. 80 EA
reading of the Indian appropriation bill
and spent some time In the consideration
Of the measure. 1t was not. however,
finally disposed Of. The greater part Of
the remainder of the day was given over
| to eulegies of late members Of the house
Of representatives. The senate agreed to
the house amendments to the Elkins anti
rebate bill. The bill now goes to the
president. The house passed the sundry
civil bill and then broke all previous rec
ords In the matter OF private pension
legislation. 325 bills in all being passed.
Soon after the senate met on the 18th
Senator Quay CPa.) offered a resolution.
which went over under the rule. declar-
ing 1t TO he the sense Of the senate that
a date and hour prior to the I'd of March
should be fixed for final vote upon the
statehood bill. No debate occurred on tho
statehood bill, The Indian appropriation
bill and the Philippine currency bill both
were passed. Senator Morgan (Ala.)
spoke on q question of privilege regard
Ing the dispatch which recently appeared
In the public prints purporting to be
signed by the Colombian minister to Mex
leo, Senior Rafael Reyes, In which Senior
Reyes took exception to an alleged state
ment by Senator Morgan In the senate
that the Colombian president had sold
| ~. fa,
Morgan declared that there was be-
travail Of the senate in the matter OF
what transpires at executive sessions and
| that Senior Reyes had violated principle
Of diplomacy when he obtained informa-
ton surreptitiously from persons false to
their trust. The amendment offered by
Senator Patterson (Col) some days ago
providing for a conference between gold
and silver standard countries to nix
commercial exchange was agreed to with
out division. The house disposed OF q
number of bills under suspension Of the
rules, defeating two. The most important
measure was the senate bill to amend
the railroad safety appliance law. A spe-
cial order was adopted which practically
will make the Fowler currency bill con-
| tinuing order for the remainder OF the
session, not. however. to interfere with
appropriation bills and other privileged
matters.
The senate on the nth agreed to the
conference report on the army appropria-
| ton BILL Discussion of the statehood bill
was resumed and Senator Depew IN. ~
continued his remarks In opposition to 1t.
He had not concluded when the senate
adjourned. The house began considera-
| ton of the naval appropriation BILL MIR.
Richardson (Tenn.) introduced resolu-
ton asking the president why that por-
ton of the Plat amendment regarding
| the Isle of Pines had not been enforced.
He also introduced concurrent resolu-
ton declaring that 1t Is the sense OF con-
Gress that the Isle Of Pines Is territory
belonging To the United States and that
no sovereignty can be lawfully exercised
there except by the United States. The
senate amendments to the Indian appro-
priation bills were disagreed to and the
bill sent to conference. The house, by
decisive vote, refused to pass the bill
urged by Mr.. Stevens. of Texas. to open
EOS, 900 acres of land In the Kiowa-Co-
manchc reservation and dispose of 1t at
public auction.