Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-04
SLOW IN MEETING
Senators Tardy at the Final
Session.
ALLISON'S STATEMENT
MONEY APPROPRIATED BY THE
FIFTY-sEvENTH CONGRESS.
Mr. Lodge Expresses Regret for Fail
ure of Philippine Tariff Bill-Mr.
Mason's Farewell.
ALLISON'S STATEMENT

The Senate was called to order at 10
o'clock today for the last sitting of the
Fifty-seventh Congress. but business did
not begin until some time later. The delay
was due to the absence of a quorum and
TO the fact that Mr.. Cockrell insisted upon
the presence of the necessary number be-
fore taking up the work of the day.
President Pro TEN. Frye was. as usual,
on the minute in ascending to the seat of
the presiding officer. but only about dozen
senators faced him. The countenances of
most of them bore evidence Of the two pro-
longed sessions of Monday and Tuesday,
but the indications of fatigue soon vanished
and business proceeded as smoothly as 1t
would have done If the Senate had adjourn
ed at o'clock yesterday instead Of 2
o'clock this morning. 1t was noticeable,
too. that the senators who have been most
busily and most continuously occupied in
the closing days of the session were among
the first to respond to their names.
The attendance in the galleries was also
compa ratively small. The crowd increased
gradually. however. so that by the time a
quorum was secured on the floor the audi
ence was respectable in dimensions and sp-
parently sufficiently wideawake to give due
attention to the proceedings.
The Appropriations.
Mr.. Allison. chairman Of the committee
garding the amount of money appropriated
by the Fifty seventh Congress as compared
with the appropriations of the Fafty-sixth
Congress. The total appropriation for the
present Congress, he stated, was 81 ,554, 1OS,-
DIS as compared with 81, 40, 4S9, ,43S for the
Fifty sixth Congress
1t was curious but necessary thing he
said. to make this comparison more in de-
tail than by mere statement of aggre-
gates. The first and most important Item
In tafa fnr tho
Congress is an appropriation Of $50 100 900
for the Panama canal. which, he said ac-
counts for nearly one-half of the increase
There Is also, he said, an aggregate ap-
preparation for the Post Office Department
OF $l53. .401 $40 for the next fiscal year as
compared with s13S 600 600 for the current
year. making difference of more than $50
Uo,OOo In excess Of the appropriations for
the last Congress for the postal service
This, he explained, arises from the enor-
nous increase In expenditures caused by
said. the rural free delivery service re-
Quired large sums. There was he said q
smaller deficiency than there has been in
many years in the postal receipts as COM
pared with the expenditures.
He called attention to the fact that the
last Congress passed no river and harbor
olli; In the first session of this Congress, he
salo, 81 $4,000 was appropriated for riv-
ers and harbors. in addition to which 500
VW,UO was appropriated in the sundry civil
OH for carrying out contracts. He said
tnat while 1t appears that the appropria-
tons or this Congress have been largely in
excess OF those Of the last Congress, the
increase Is chiefly made up of three items,
namely the s5O.OOO,OOO for the Panama ca
nal the Increased appropriation OF $50 OOO,-
VOo FOR the postal service and the river and
harbor approximations
he concluded by saying that the people
OK the country indorsed these items of in
crease, crease, ana that the opposite political party
Mr.. Bailey (Texas) called up bill
amending the river and harbor act so as
TO provide that the $125 900 heretofore an
proprlated Tor certain river and harbor I'M
provements in Texas shall be used for the
construction Of a channel in Sabine lake,
Tariff Bill Displaced.
On yea and nay vote, demanded by Mr..
Mason, the Senate agreed to take the bill
up, Al to o. The effect of the vote was to
displace the Philippine tariff bill 1t was
then temporarily laid aside, and Mr.. Hoar
spoke on the Philippine bill. The bill had
been talked to death, he said. This was
not IN criticism of senators who think that
IN the closing hours of the session this
remedy shall not be dealt with In an hour
The point he made, he said was that the
Senate. the executive, the House of Rep
resentatives and the public are not fit to
govern the destinies of a people s coo miles
away, who have voice in the govern
ment: 1T is the first great object lesson"
said SAD ne; the wretchedness, the iniquity of
ago In regard TO these people"
Mr.. Lodges Regret.
hr. Lodge referring to the Philippine
tariff bill, said that Its defeat was not
through any fault Of the committee nor of
the House Of Representatives. From the
beginning of the session down to the pres
ent time, he said. he had tried constantly
to find an opportunity to pass this bill. He
said that as regards the bill affecting any
Industry in this country It is absolutely I'M
possible on the face of it. He then made
vigorous reply to Mr.. Hoar In which he
said he did not agree with him in the view
that the American people are not able to
deal with great problems In the east Il
believe they are thoroughly able to deal
with II as they dealt with greater and
mightier problems before" said Mr.. Lodge
Continuing. he said in these closing hours
he could not undertake to argue that ques-
tion. 1t Is great misfortune. he said,
that the Philippine tariff bill has failed.
II was the bill of the House. the commit
tee and the majority of the Senate
1t has been defeated here" he said
raising his voice. Senators have not hesi-
tated to take the responsibility of killing
1t was their province to do SO. and the
country can judge. On their shoulders the
blame will lie
When he concluded there was loud ap-
plause in the galleries
Acting upon a resolution, President Pro
Tenn. Frye appointed Messrs. Allison and
Jones (Ark) committee to meet a similar
committee from the House and notify the
President that Congress was ready to ad-
Journ.
Mr. Mason Gll) took the floor and dis
cussed the statehood bill and the Panama
canal treaty.
Mr.. Bailey CTex) interrupted and said
II was apparent that Mr. Mason's object
was to talk the Sabine lake bill to death,
and he would relieve him OF the necessity
OF making this kind of valedictory
Mr.. Mason's Farewell Speech.
This Mr.. Mason denied, claiming the floor
In his own right. He said that he had
never enlisted under the banner Of filibus-
tering. He declared he had never taken
advantage of the weak and childish rules
OF the Senate. and he resented the charge
that even in the last moment he was en-
deavoring to delay legislation. He injected
some hnmor into the proceedings by saying
that the statehood. bill has gone floating
out on the isthmian canal The Aldrich
bill stands like the first mourner In the pro-