The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-11
SENATE SPENDS
 DAY ON ALASKA
Fails to Act on MeasureAuthor-
 izing Delegates
INCREASE IN PENSIONS
Both Houses Adjourn Out of Respect for Representative Croft of South Carolina, Who Died Dur
 ing the Afternoon.

Washington. March 1O.-The senate to- l day passed a number of bills relating to Alaska but failed to act on the measure | authorizing the election of a delegate in | congress from that territory. Sir Morti- mer Durand, the British ambassador, and
 his daughter, were interested spectators
 at the beginning of the session. In the course of the routine morning
 business. the senate reached the resoln-
 ton introduced yesterday by MT. Car
 mack directing the secretary of the treas ury to send to the senate the papers re-
 lating to the nomination of H. Smith Wooley, the Mormon bishop whose nom- l 1nation to be superintendent of the assay office at Boise, Iadho, Is pending before
 the senate. It looked for a few moments as though there would be a sklrmish over the method of consideration, but the ques- ton was postponed for day.
 The following bills were passed
 Concerning the repayment of fees on public lands; authorizing the award of brevet commissions for gallant conduct of army officers in China and the Philip pines.
 
 Increasing to $lOo per month the pen sions of ex-soldiers and ex-sailors of the United States who have lost both eyes or become totally blind on account of their service. In connection with the pen sion bill, MT. McCumber, chairman of the committee on pensions, stated that six hundred cases were covered by the provisions of the bill, and that the in- creased cost to the government would
 be $l01 500 annually.
 In connection with previous agreement the senate entered upon the consideration
 of Alaskan legislation now on the cal
 endar. The first bill considered was one devoting the proceeds arising from license collection outside of incorporated towns in Alaska to the establishment of roads,
 the maintenance of schools and the care Of the insane, and it was passed after a brief discussion
 The bills codifying the laws relative to municipal corporations and extending the ! coal land laws of the United States to Alaska, were passed without any discus | sion or objection.
 The bill authorizing a judge. in addition to the three already provided in Alaska,
 was not passed. The bill providing for the election of a delegate in congress from AldShd was next OH the calendar or Alas kan measures, but when an effort was made to consid,r it, several senators made | opposition, and Mr Foraker made a mo- | ton to go into executive session. MT. | Teller objected on the ground of unan- nous consent the day having been set | aside for Alaska business As MT For | aker finally withdrew his motion for an executive session, the consideration of the delegate bill was brought up
 Entitled to Representation. l Mir. Nelson supported the bill, saying his l tour through Alaska last summer as d member of the senate committee on ter | ritories had convinced him that the peo- | pie of that territory were entitled to rep resentatioh in congress He expressed the | opinion that within the next fifty years | Alaska would have population of a mill l lion people. He said the agricultural pos abilities of the territory were as great as those of Finland and northern Sweden. l MT. Platt of Connecticut suggested an amendment providing that the act shall not be accepted as indicating that Alaska l at any time hereafter shall be admitted | as state of the union.
 | MT. Foraker moved to amend by author | zng a delegate from Porto Rico. MT. Foraker, who had been in confer ence with the friends of the Alaskan bill, moved an executive session at APO D. m. There was no oD1ecuon. The LOOPS were re-opened at 440 D. m., when announce ment was made of the death of Represen- l tative Croft. The chair appointed Messrs. | Tillman, Lattmer Fulton. Clark of | Arkansas and McLaurin a committee to attend the funeral, and at 4:42 as fur | ther mark of respect. the senate, on motion of Mir McLaurin, adjourned. THE HOUSE.
 Washington, March 1O-In the house of representatives today the chaplain feel inglv referred to the death here today of Representative Croft of South Carolina. The speaker announced the appointment of Bourke Cochran of New York as a
 member of the ways and means commit tee.
 MT. Finley of South Carolina, was recog- nized and announced the death of his co- league, George William Croft. The usual resolutions of sympathy and regret were presented and adopted
 MT. Overstreet of Indiana. secured unan- imous consent for a continuation tomor- row of the order limiting debate on the postoffice department matter. involving representatives and senators until 4 o'clock. The speaker announced the fol- lowing as the committee to represent the | house at the funeral of the late MT. Croft : Mir Finley, Aiken, s. C.; Johnson, South | Carolinat Legare South Carolina; Scar | borough South Carolina; Lever, South Carolina na;Ioudenslager. I New Jersey; Pat | terson. Pennsylvania; Richardson. Ala l hama; McLain Mississippi Houseton, Delaware: Sibley Pennsylvania; Weisse, Mississippi. and Jackson. Ohio, t,na- -lx ragnRct hOnSp