Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-20
.BABCOCK'S CRITICISM,
Denounces Policy Followed
In Framing District Bill.
MR.. McCLEARY REPLIES
MEASURE UNDER CoNsIDERAe.
TIoN By THE HOUSE.
Point Of Order Against Increasing Ma.
jor Sylvester's Salary-Forty New
Privates Allowed.
MR.. McCLEARY REPLIES

After the reading Of the journal Of the
House Of Representatives today Mr.. Wads-
worth IN. ", chairman Of the committee
on agriculture, reported the agricultural
appropriation bill.
The House then resumed consideration Of
the District of Columbia appropriation bill.
An understanding was reached whereby
the minority was to have one and a quar-
ter hours and the majority three-quarters
Of an hour.
Mr.. Sheppard's Maiden Speech.
Twenty minutes OF this time were allotted
to Representative Morris Sheppard OF Texas
for a speech on the trust question. Rep
| resentative Sheppard succeeded to the seat
Of his late father. He is the youngest MEN,
ber of the House, and his arraignment Of
the republican party today for its inactivity
in passing antitrust legislation was his
first forensic effort in the House. A severe
criticism was pronounced on President
Roosevelt by Mr.. Sheppard. When his time
had expired unanimous consent was given.
allowing him fifteen minutes more time and
extending general debate on the bill until
2:1o o'clock. Mr.. Sheppard was warmly
| applauded by his colleagues. and when he
had concluded was heartily congratulated.
Representative Cochran (Mo) was grant
ed the remainder of the democratic time
on the BILL which he proceeded to use
in general speech on the Alaskan boun-
dairy, the Alaskan gold fields and the war
in South Africa, which he declared to be
the result of Great Britain's greed for gold.
A Startling Interruption.
During the course of Mr.. Cochran's
speech, when he was criticising what he
termed our surrender of valuable mining
property in Alaska to Great Britain WE'LL
dressed young woman arose to her feet in
the gallery and shrilly exclaimed: You
lie!' The woman sat down at once and re-
mained intent on the speech.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Cochran's re-
marks Mr.. Often of Wisconsin was
granted time to present protest from Mil
waukee against the establishment Of the
department Of commerce.
Mr.. Hepburn replied briefly to Mr..
Cochran. holding that nothing had been
he called forcible attention to the surren-
der of the Northwest territory and of
Texas by democratic administration.
Reading Of Bill Resumed.
The reading of the District bill was then
resumed.
Increase Of Major Sylvester's Salary.
When the section of the bill dealing with
the metropolitan police was reached Repre-
N~sSo>ANAN
Of order against the increase in the SAL
ary Of Major Sylvester from $500 to
1000, and also against the provision for
forty privates of class 3 at $720 a year
each. The point of order was that the in
crease in the salary changed existing law.
and that in the existing law there
such thing class for privates.
Dealing with the point of order against
Major Sylvester's salary, Mr.. McCleary,
in charge of the BILL explained that the
lay authorizing the establishing of the po-
lice department authorized the Commits
Sioners to fix salaries.
Mr. Fitzgerald cited precedents in the
House where the amount of salaries fixed
In preceding appropriation bills haG been
held the salary fixed by law. For the
last two or three years. he said. the amount
appropriated for the superintendent of po-
lice had been $3.50; this bill proposed to
increase it to. $1,000.
Mr. Grosvenor in the chair sustained inc
point of order, which brought the salary
to $500.
Mr. McCleary remarked that the appro-
prations committee was aware that the in
crease might be subject to point of order,
but said the general excellence of the gem
tleman for whom the salary was in /
creased was so generally recognized that
the committee believed objection would
be made to the increase.
On the point of order regarding the forty
privateS the chair also made the same
ruling.
Mr. Babcock offered an amendment in
creasing the number of privates of class
two by forty.
Mr.. McCleary offered substitute for this
however, providing for forty additional
privates of class one at s720 each.'
The Forty Privates Allowed.
This Amendment was agreed to and al
though Mr.. Fitzgerald made point OF or
der against it the chair overrued the point
BY unanimous consent the section OF the
bill providing for the sealer of weights and
measures was returned to the committee
at the request of Mr.. Pearre, who suggest
ed that either the salary of the sealer was
too large that he had too many assist
ants, as the revenues of the office. he de-
clared, were barely sufficient to pay the ex-
pense of its maintenance. No change how
ever, was made In this section.
Mr.. Babcock Criticises Committee.
Mr.. Babcock made slight amendment
to the bill in order that he might get time
to debate the measure, and then took the
appropriations committee severely to task
for what he termed the cheese-paring
policy it had pursued. He presented a list
of what he said contained over hundred
items for street and park Improvement
which the committee had cut out of the
estimates.
Rock Creek Park was called attention to
particularly. The estimate for this im-
provement had been 100000. the appropra-
ton carried in the bill $500; the esti-
mate for country roads improvements was
10000 and but $4,000 was carried in the
bill. Street work. which. he said, was alb
solutely necessary. had been estimated for
at 100000, while but $4,000 appro-
priated. No provision had been made for
street opening, and he called attention TO
the urgent need for the opening of 10th
street extended. Mr.. Babcock then referred
to the S6O0000 appropriated Tor the filtrat on
plant and the SCAT ,000 for the sewage dis
posal system.
Mr.. Cannon insisted on interrupting here
and explained that these two items were
exactly what had been asked for.
Mr. Babcock replied that he was rot
critScIing that appropriation, but only
wanted to call attention to the fact that
these two large items which were necessary
made it necessary to cut down the street
extension and other improvements which
were absolutely needed.
He said the poHcy of the committee, as he
understood 1t. was that no Appropriation
should be made until the tax levy had been
fixed and the money raised to make the ap-