Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-01-30
F"ifty-Eighth Congress.
Washington, d. c., Jan. 80.
SENATE.
The Senate was not in session today.
HOUSE.

HOUSE.
Immediately after the reading of tn,
journal the House went into committe,
of the whole, resumed consideration o.
the urgent deficiency bill and proceeded
with debate relative to the right of th'
House to vote itself double mileage.
Representative Fuller expressed the
opinion that Congress is now in its sec
ond session, although there was no hiatus
between the first and the second sessions.
He held that the committee on appro.
priations had no right to leave out the
appropriation of $l45, 900 for the mileage
of members Of the House.
MIR. Praker, argued that as the Con-
gress has been in continuous session since
November 8 there can be no rightful
claim to double mileage. The law deals
in realities, he said, not in a fictitious in
terval between the two sessions, and
mileage cannot be paid where there can
have been no travel.
Mr.. Cooper did not discuss the ques
ton of mileage directly, but addressed
his remarks to the point of order raised
yesterday by Dir. Maddox, of Georgia,
Cooper's contention being that there,
were clearly, under the constitution.
two distinct sessions of Congress.
Mr.. Tawney, chairman OF the com.
mittee of the whole, announced hat he
was ready to rule, when Mr.. Littlefeld,
of Maine, took the floor in support OF
the point of order.
Chairman Tawney then read his
carefully prepared decision o~verruling
the point of order. He held that, under
resolutions adopted by Congress,
there were two sessions of Congress
this being the second. Under
the law of 1866, which was revived
by the repeal Of the law of 1874,
which raised salaries of Congress
men to 81, 800, per annum, the salaries
of members VAS fixed at So, 900, and, as
additional compensation. mileage at the
rate of twenty cents a mile for the short
est route is provided. This, Chairman
Tawney held to mean that the amount
in question is payable once a session,
whether there was really any travel or
not, as an additional compensation"
He quoted from the journals of tie two
Houses of Congress to establish the fact
that there were really two separate and
distinct sessions, although they merged
into one. The constitutional provision
calling Congress into session on the first
Monday in December, terminated the
extra session, which began Nov. 9th.
For these reasons he oyerruled Mr..
Maddox's point of order and held that
the appropriation for mileage was
properly in the bill.
Mr.. Underwood, Immediately after the
reading of the decision, moved that the
mileage provision be striken from the
bill. He explained again, that he OPP
posed a second payment of mileage to
the House, because, in fact, no matter
how many technical sessions there may
have been, there has been but one con-
.tinuous session of Congress.
Mr.. Grosyenor offered an amendment
so that any member who desired shall
have the privilege of covering bis mile
age back into the Treasury and receiving
a receipt therefor.
General Grosyenor declared that he
presented the amendment to force
demagogues 10 meet the issue, a remark
resented by Mi. Maddox, who was
paci6ed, however, when General Grosye-
nor declared that his expression had DO
personal application.
The House at 2:30 voted out the pro-
vision in the urgent deficiency appro-