The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-24
FIRES RAGE ABOUT
 LOUISIANA TOWN
FALL OF SMOKE ENVELOPES MoN- ROE AND FLAMES ARE DOING
 GREAT DAMAGE TO CROPS-PEO- PILE ARE SUFFERING GREATLY.

Monroe, La, November 2s-This city IS enveloped in a pail of smoke from forest fires which are burning on the lines of the Vicksburg Shreveport and Pacific and the Iron Mountain railroads. A great 1 deal of damage has been done by the de- struction of timber crops and fences, and no relief is looked for until rain comes
 No rain has fallen here in sufficient quantity to wet the ground since about the middle of August All the small streams and bayous In this section are drying up fast, and in the big swamps there is no water except in very deep holes
 Between the smoke and dust here, the people are suffering greatly.
 --~-~-~----------------~-- that conveyed in cablegram from a junta at Panama.
 He read the correspondence bearing upon the revolution to show, as he said, that the President had known of the up- rising in the isthmus before it began, and had stood ready with armed ships to protect those engaged in 1t.
 The pretense in Assistant Secretary Loomis dispatch that 1t was our desire to maintain peace MT. Morgan declared was the grimmest piece of irony that had ever graced diplomatic annals.
 Becomes Sarcastic.
 MT. Morgan expressed the hope that MT. Hay had been asleep when some of the messages of his subordinates had heen living over the wires. As for the Pres ident' he said, he never sleeps on his post of duty, or desire, although he sometimes closes his eyes to what is go- ing on about him."
 He contended that Colombia had a per feet Iigbt to suppress an uprising of inc Isthmians and declared that the United States had failed utterly to observe it's treaty obligations in pursuing the course it had taken. Indeed, he said our course there had been such that it would bring down the censnre of future generations upon us, and he predicted that the i'm mediate result would be disastrous and cause the loss of both men and treasure. The consequences would be such, he said. that the President would have no time for dreams of diplomatic triumphs.
 MT. Hay had not been. in his (Morgan's) opinion, free agent in negotiating either of the canal treaties. MT. Morgan charg- ed that the President had resolved when the Hay-Herran treaty was under con struction to push the canal, and if au- thority did not exist had made in his mind to create It.
 With the understanding that he should continue his speech tomorrow MT. Nor gan yielded the floor.
 Mir. Cullom presented an agreement that the Cuban reciprocity bill shall be taken up on the converting of the regular ses- sion Of congress, December [ and remain the order of business each day after the routine morning business until the 16th on which date vote shall be taken, the time on the 18th and 16th to be enuallv diNded between the friends and oppo- nents of the bill
 Agreement was accepted without dis sent and at 4:05 D. m. the senate went into executive session adjourning at 4:39 D. m until tomorrow.
 Republican Dope.
 Washington November 23.-The follow ing Is the republican membership on the senate committees agreed upon in the republican caucus today The democratic membership heretofore has been pubish- ed:
 Agriculture and Forestry - Proctor, chairman; Hansbrough, Warren. Foster, Worren, Deliver, Quarels Quay.
 Appropriations Allison, chairman; Hale, Cullom, Perkins. Warren. Wetmore, Quay, Gailinger.
 Canadian Relations Fulton chairman; Dryden, Hoar. Hale. Fairbanks
 Census-Quarels. chairman; Hale Platt of New York; McCumber, McComas, Bur ton. Long. Civil Service and Retrenchment-Per- kins. chairman: Lodge, ElSins. Platt of New York. Willard.
 Claims-W Warren. chairman; Stewart, Kean Clapp. Durham. Burton. Alice. Fulton, Shoot.
 Coast and Insular Survey-Ankeny, chairman-Foster of Washington; Haw- ley Fairbanks. Alice.
 Coast Defense Mitchell. chairman; HawIev. Alger, Bell, Ankeny. Hepburn Commerce-Frye, chairman; Elkins. 
 Continued on Second Pase)