Waterbury Democrat., 1903-02-13
SLOW WORK IN HOUSE
Relief Fund of $3,oOO,ooO
 For Philippines Voted.
SENATE DISCUSSES CANAL TREATY.
During Five Hour Sitting Behind Closed Doors NIT. Morgan Opposed Ratihcation--WiII Offer Thir-
 ty Amendments.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13.-The house made slow progress with the sundry civil bill yesterday, covering only twen- ty-seven pages and leaving forty pages still to be disposed of. The delays were occasioned by a rather protract- ed discussion of the item in the bill for the maintenance of the White House and considerable debate upon the item appropriating $3,000,000 for the relief of distress in the Philippines. MT. Gaines Dem., Tenn.) and MT. Fitz- gerald (Dem., N. Y.) criticised the greatly increased cost of maintaining the White House. An amendment to cut in half the appropriation for the relief of the distress in the Philippines was defeated, but the language of the paragraph was modified to require a1l- .nual reports of the expenditure of the money.
 With the exception of few minutes. during which some routine business was transacted, the session of the sen ate was behind closed doors. After being in executive session for five hours the senate adjourned.
 The Panama canal treaty occupied the attention of the executive session.
 Senator Morgan, speaking against the treaty, said that there had been a failure to embody the act of congress providing for the construction of the canal in the treaty, as was set forth in the preamble, and dwelt at length on what he termed the unreliability and revolutionary character of the govern ment He asserted that the price of $10,O00,OO0 in cash which the United States had agreed to pay to Colombia was exorbitant and more than was necessary in view of the former agree ment to take STOOD, ,Oo0: He also criti- cised the provision for perpetual an nual payment of $250,00O and declared that in all probability much of these payments would go into the pockets of private individuals. Tn this connec- ton he declared that recent chief executive of the Colombian govern ment had sold out and abdicated for $1,O0O,O ,OOO He repeated his declara- ton that the existing government has no power to enter into treaties and as- serted that treaty with that govern ment would not be binding. He de- clared that it would be folly to make the payment of SAT, ,OOO,O ,O0O as was pro- posed by the treaty depend on so un- stable and unsubstantial an institution as the Colombian congress, especially in view of the chronic insurrectiona condition of the people.
 Senator Cullom, chairman of the committee on foreign relations, made a brief speech in the middle of Sena- tor Morgan's address. It was devoted to an explanation of the terms of the treaty. @
 Senator Morgan gave notice of thirty proposed amendments to the treaty.
 The senate committee on Indian af- fairs concluded consideration of the In- dian appropriation bill. The commit tee recommends a number of changes, and it's amendments add $1,4S8,185 to the aggregate of the bill as passed by the house, making. a grand total of SIC, ,434,213 The most important item of increase is $1, 100000 to pay awards to loyal Creek Indians whose property was destroyed during the war of the rebellion.