The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-04-21
OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS
What the House and Senate Have
Been Doing.

ler and Hopkins, growing out Of the
reading by Mr.. Teller, Of letter writ
ten by the late General H. II. Thomas,
Of Chicago, attacking the civil service
administration Of the Treasury De-
partment. Mr. Hopkins took exception
to the quoting Of the letter and de-
clared that the Colorado Senator will
be willing to accept authority from
the slums, whereupon Mr. Teller de-
clincd to yield further, declaring Mr..
Hopkins reference to the s!ums to be
insulting. The incident occurred in
connection with the discussion o, the
postofice appropriation bill. That meas
ure was under discussion during the
first half Of the session and was passed.
all amendments offered by the Demo-
Gratis being voted down.
| Mr.. Germans amendment providing
for the appointment Of a commission
to investigate the affairs Of the POST
Office Department was, on motion Of
Mr.. Lodge, laid on the table. 40 to
| 10. The division was on strictly po-
litical lines. Mr.. Teller presented an
amendment for an investigating COM
mission composed entirely of Senators.
He charged that Republican Senator'S
were unwilling to have an investig2-
ton when Mr. Aldrich interrupted with
| denial and Teller repeated his state
ment that no Investigation was wanted
The Senator can speak for himself,
but not for anyone else," Mr.. Aldrichs
replied sharply. and Mr.. Teller re-
sponded by saying that every resolution
looking to an inquiry had been voted
down.
!"Can the Senator Of his own knowl--
edge make specific charge OF malfea-
sance in Office that has not been in
vestigated?" Mr.. Adrich asked
Mr.. Teller replied that it was EVIL
dent to all that there was corruption In
the Postofice Department taat had
not been uncovered and that the Re-
publicans were afraid to let in the"
| light.
The conference report on the Indian
| appropriation bill was agreed to. The
bill providing form Of government for
! the Panama Canal zone was taken up
and read and amended, but the debate
upon it had not begun when the Sen
ate adjourned.
House Proceedings.
The House Wednesday passed the
| bill reported by the committee on
rivers and harbors appropriating 3d.
| 100000 for the restoration or MAIN
tenance of channels, or Of Other river
and harbor Improvements. Mr.. Bur-
ton, chairman of the committee, ex-
planned it's provisions and urged the
adoption of settled principles with
regard to river and harbor work with
the view to considering each project
according to its merits. Mr.. Burton
said that the amounts expended for
rivers and harbors when the vast eX-
tent Of our waterways was consider
ed was very small. He favored the
adoption of policy Of pushing mat
ters to completion as rapidly as pos
sible, and declared that Congress
should not undertake anything which
could not be completed within reas-'
onably short time. The system pur-
sued in the United States, he thought,
| contrasted most unfavorably with
those of foreign countries. The one
great defect in our system was the in
suficiency of the engineering corps
of the army He favored the policy
of recurring communities interested
| in river and harbor Improvements to
participate in the expense and SAID
that preference should be given 10
channels and harbors which benefit
a great area. Discussing the ques-
ton OF inland waterways, Mr.. Burton
| called attention to the vast sums,
amounting to many millions OF dol
lars, which would be required to con-
| struct them, and declared that the
adoption of any one Of them would
| furnish a precedent for the adoption
| Of all.
In favoring broad and liberal treat
| ment of rivers and harbors, Mr.. Rams
dell, of Louisiana, a member OF tne
committee, said he would support
bill carrying s1O0,OO0,0OO because the
people now are ready for 1t and
| would applaud its passage. He re-
, GREETED the present measure simply
was an emergency one. The Ameri-
can people, he said, are not afraid OF
large sums, but rather liked them:
He charged that the Republicans had
been lavish and even reckless OF ex.
| pense in all matters except river ana
harbor improvement and called at
tention to the hundreds Of millions
which, he said, had been spent in con.
nection with the war with Spain and
| on criminal aggression and passive
| warfare"
Mr.. Humphreys, Of Mississippi. also
a member Of the committee, spoke OF
the fallacy of the levee system OF i'm
proving the Mississippi river, and
said it was not possible for levee
or a system of leyees to Withstand
floods such as occurred in 1897 and
1903.
General debate was closed by Mr..
Small. of North Carolina. who spoke
OF the necessity for an inland water
way between Chesapeake Bay and