Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-12-14
SENATE AND HOUSE GO FROM
SPECIAL TO REGULAR SITTING.
TRANSITION IS NATURAL
Presidents Message Read in Both
Houses-Senate Will Investigate
Postoffice Frauds-CoIIum Speaks
on Cuban BiIl-MckinIey NaionaI
Hollday-congress Adjournment.

Washington, Dec. S.-The senate
yesterday closed the extraordinary
session and entered on the duties Of
the regular session, but the transition
was so natural as to be scarcely notice
able The unusual features were the
close ofthe called session by announce
ment from the chair and the offering of
two prayers in the senate within a
half hour of each other. The business
transacted consisted of reading the
presidents message and the beginning
of the discussion of the Cuban reci-
procity bill Senator Cullom, who has
charge of the Cuban bill, made a
speech, advocating its passage in the
interest of American trade.
Postoffice Investigations.
After the reading of the message
was concluded the senate took up a
resolution calling on the postmaster
general to send TO the senate commit
tee on pcstoffices and post roads, the
papers bearing on the recent investi-
CATION into the irregularities in the
postoffice department. Senator Ger
man suggested a number of amend
ments, the effect of which was to
make it mandatory for the committee
to make an investigation in postofice
affairs and to compel the committee to
make a report to the senate by May l.
Senator Penrose, as author of the res
olutiOn and chairman of the commit
tee, indicated his willingness to ac-
cept the amendments, but Senator
Platt of Connecticut objected.
coIIum on Cuban Bill.
After some informal discussion the
resolution was laid over until today
and Senator Cullom began his speech
on the Cuban reciprocity bill. He
dwelt especially on the effect of the
bill on trade with Cuba, which he con-
tended would be greatly stimulated by
its passage. He said that, situated as
we were. within a few miles of the
Cuban coast, we should control the
Cuban market, but as a matter of fact
this country supplies less than one
half of the Cuban imports. Spain has
'Cst most of her trade with Cuba, but
the trade thus lost had gone to Great
Britain, France and Germany, instead
of coming to the United States.
Senator Cullom conceded that an
increased production Of Cuban sugar
was probable, but he did not believe
there was any danger to the American
sugar industry because of the CORES
ponding increase in population of this
country, making a great capacity for
consumption. Senator Cullom said we
should treat the Cubans more liber-
ally than We treat other countries.
Senator Teller took the floor but,
without proceeding, yielded to a mo-
ton to adjourn out of respect to the
memory of the late Representative
Burk of Pennsylvania.
Senate Gets Canal Treaty.
The Panama canal treaty was sent
to the senate, but as there was no ex-
ecutive session after its receipt, il
was not referred to the committee on
1oreign relations.
In the House.
Washington, Dec. S.-The house
convened in regular session ard lis
te ed to the reading of the presidents
n assage. The special session robbed
the day of many interesting features
incident to q new congress. The
house having organized four weeks
ago, the ceremony Of opening COM
prised merely a rollcall, to develop
the presence of a quorum and the Gus
tomary notification to the president
and senate. No reference was made
TO the special session.
More than an hour and a half was
consumed in reading the message. at
the conclusion of which there was
general applause on the republican
side of the chamber. A considerable
amount of routine matters necessary
to facilitate the work of the commit
tees was transacted prior to the re-
ception of the message.
The house adjourned at $3.50 out CT
respect to Henry Burk of Pennsylva-
MIA, the member who died Saturday.
Mckinley National Holiday.
Representative w. A. Smith of
Michigan introduced a new bill
making the late President McKinley's
birthday, January 20, a national hol-
iday.