Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1905-02-22
Telegraphic Briefs


major portion of the session, but
the debate was without particular in
cident and no material amendment
was adopted. The consideration was
incomplete when an adjournment was
taken. Before taking up the naval
bill the house entered an emphatic
protest against the action of the sen
ate in amending the agricultural ap-
preparation bill so as to eliminate the
drawback feature of the DingIey .aTiH
act affecting wheat. Both Payne. OF
New York, thu majority leader, al!
Williams, of 81 ssissippi, the minorit,
leader, urged hat the bill be sell,
back to the nate The Mann bill
providing To- government for the
canal zone, ia=sed without further
discussion. 1ae bill gives all the
right of the government of the canal
zone to the president until the end'of
the next congress, but provides that
the government shall be so exercised
as to protect the inhabitants in the
free enjoyment of their liberty, pros
perity and religion. 1t abolishes the
Isthmian canal commission and places
the work of the construction of the
canal in the hands of the president
and such persons as he may appoint.
1t also provides that all persons sp-
pointed by the president, both in the
government of the canal zone and in
charge of the work OF construction
shall make annual estimates in detail
as far as possible of the items needed
for the ensuing fiscal year ana says
that after June 80, 1906, no money
shall be expended on the canal or the
canal zone government except in &C
cordance with the appropriations here
matter made, thus doing away with
lump sum appropriations carried by
the existing law. Frequent reports to
the president and to congress of the
progress of construction as we'll as of
the expenditures of money are re-
quired While the bill aboIishes the
canal commission so far as the law is
concerned, it authorizes the president
to retain the commission as a commits
sion or its individual members as con-
sulting engineers if he shall so desire
The authority to condemn 1884 shares
of stock in the Panama railroad, nov
in the hands of private owners, is
carried in the bill, and the president
is authorized. when full and complete
control of the railroad is acquired, to
operate it through such persons as be
may select in order that the read may
be used as far as is necessary as part
of construction work on the canal.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16.-Aside
from two hours spent in routine bust
ness the senate today gave its entire
attention to the Swayne Impeachment
trial. Two hours and one half of that
time was spent behind closed doors
considering the admissibility of state
ments made by Judge Swayne before
the house committee. The point was
argued at length by number of law
yers of the senate. 1t invovled the
construction of the statute of 1862,
which provides that a statement made
by a witness called before the congress
sional committee cannot be used
against him in a criminal proceeding
in court. The senators favoring the
admissibility of the statements as rule
commended that the Impeachment pro-
ceedings are not of a criminal charac-
ter and the senate sitting in the trial
of Swayne is not court in the sense
in which that word is used in the stat
ute. Bailey presented this view at
length. Spooner took practically the
same ground, but Foraker and Nc
Cumber argued that the statute ap-
piled to all witnesses. Clarke, of Ar
kansas was speaking when a recess
was taken.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 16.-President
Roosevelt's message transmitting to
the senate the new dominican protocol
of an agreement providing for the col
lection and disbursement by the Unit
ed States of the customs revenues of
San Domingo and for the adjustment
of all obligations of that government,
vas today made public by order Of
the senate in executive session. The
document includes the new agreement
as we'll as the original protocol and
the award of the commission of arbi-
tration for the settlement of the claim
of the San Domingo Improvement
company, under which the agent of
the United States is already collecting
the revenues at certain of the ports of
the Dominican government. Few
documents that have come to the sen
ate in relation to any of the South OF
Central American or West India re