The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-04-21
THE SPIRIT
OF CONGRESS.

| OF ! CONGRESS.
| April 11.-Yhe tSulberson amendment to
the Post Office Appropriation bill, provid
| ing for commission to investigate the
Post Office Department. was before the
Senate all day, and after being ruled out
of order in modified form was pending
when the Senate. adjourned. MIR. Cor
man made an earnest plea for an investi
CATION. saying the Post Office Department
had cast reflections upon members of Con
sress. and that i thorough examination
that the amendment finally modified
| meant nothing: that if an investigation
was to be had. it should be "a live one"
He said that if any specific charges We're
brought III, they should be looked into by
| Congress. but that the demand should not
be made q part of a general appropriation
bill. Semi-political speeches We're made
by Senators Teller and Simmons.
| The House passed bill reported by
| the Committee on Rivers and Harhors,
| appropria ting $3.OOO,OOO for the res.ora-
| ton or maintenance of channels, or of
| other river and harbor improvements. Mr..
Burton. Chairman of the committee. eX-
| planned it's provisions. and urged the
| adoption of settled principles with re-
view to considering each project accord
| ing to its merits.
Messrs. Burgess (Tenn.) and Ransdel
tl-a.) placed themselves on record as fa-
voring increases in the appropriations for
| river and harbor improvements, the for
| mer urging that they should be doubled
and the latter regarding $100,O0O,GOO as
not too much. Mr.. Clark (Mo.) made a
| plea Tor the improvement Of the Missouri
| River.
| A large number Of bills of minor i'm
pOrtance We're passed.
| April 12-The Senate was the scene of
a sharp colloquy between Senators Teller
and Hopkins, growing out of the reading
by Mr.. Teller of letter written by the late
Gen. II. II. Thomas, of Chicago. attack
ing the Civil Service administration of
took exception to the quoting of the let
| ter. and declared that the Colorado Sena-
tor would be willing to accept authority
| from the sums" whereupen Mr.. Teller
declined to yield further. declaring Mr..
Hopkins's reference to the Sums to be in
sulting. The incident occurred in connec-
ton with the discussion of the Post Of
flee appropriation bill. That measure was
| under discussion during the first half of
the session. and was passed. all amend
ments offered by the Democrats being
voted down.
ment for the Panama Canal zone was
then taken up and read.
The race question again was injected
into the proceedings of the House of Rep
resentatives, when Mr.. Scott Kan) deliv-
cred long address. in which he referred
to his previous statement that it was cur
rent in Kansas that ExPreSident Cleve-
land had dined c. ii. j. Taylor. Kansas
negro politician. He read several letters
from Kansas htiaans that il had been
TaylOr's boastbtl,at he had received such
also said that bMr. scleveland. while Coy
ernor of New 1York1 and signed bill pro-
vidng for mixed schools.
In spirited reply. Mr. Williams
NIiss.), the minority leader, defended the
attitude Of the South toward the negro.
and said that discussion of the race rues-
tion by the Republicans was nm old game
by which, when ethe Republican party
found itself c0nfrDnted with issues that
| threatened its' supremacy, it began to
wave the bloody shirt. -.
AT the instance, of Mr.. Bartlett (Gae n
letter from HzHPrdsident Cleveland was
| read. deny ing .!that he had ever dined a
negro. ..s LII; -. ..- ~:
Mr.. Bartlett also declared Judge
Parker. of New YDre. to be the man
whom the Democrats will nominate for
President.
.
April 13.-The. Senate began consider
alton of the bill providing for the Govern
ment of the Panama Canal zone The
greater part of the day was occupied by
Mr.. Morgan in support of amendments Of
fcred by himself, but none Of them was
accepted, and the reading of the bill was
nearly half completed Mr.. Morgan at
tackled the new Panama Canal Company,
and contended that the United States
should proceed to carry into effect the pro-
visions Of the treaty with Panama regard
less of the demands of that company.
Under n special rule, which was adopt-
ed after two roll calls. the House devoted
itself to the considera ton of bill amend
ing the law relating to the Philippine
Islands. The provision in the bin in ref
erence to the granting Of railroad fran
chises and the guaranteeing of per cent.
upon the cash capital actually invested in
such railroads was opposed by Mr.. Jones
(ta) who alleged that English and Bel
gian capitalists were ready to build the
roads without such guarantee.
Messrs. Cooper (Wis) and Crumpa cker
Qnd) in urging the passage Of the bill,
declared that it properly safeguarded the
April 1.-THE Senate devoted the en-
| tire day to the consideration of the bill for
| the government of the canal zone. and Mr..
Morgan again occupied the floor the
greater part of the session. The discus
| sion related principally to the details of
governing the canal, but some considera-
ton also was given to Mr. Hale's amend
ment requiring the use of American bot
| toms in the shipment of canal supplies to
| the zone.
| The House Of Representatives passed
the Philippine bill. following which there
was an extended debate over a resolution
to permit Col. Thomas w. Symons, of the
| Engineer Corps of the Army. to serve on
the advisory board Of consulting engineers
in connection with internal improvements
in the State Of New York. After several
fiery speeches had been made in opposi-
ton to the resolution, it was adopted by
an overwhelming vote. Consideration of
the general deficiency bill was begun, al.
though no one addressed himself to the
measure Mr. Hamilton (AIich.) discussed
the question of capital and labor, while
Mr.. Cochran Miss criticized the "usur-
patton of the legislative power by the Elk
ecutive," and said that Ex-President
Cleveland had given the most notable in
stance of such usprpation in forcing his
financial policies on the people. Mr.