The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-21
REPORTS ARE CORRECT
BOWIE COMPLIMENTS FEDERAL DE-
 APARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
Government Reports on Cotton Have Not Deviated More Than One seventh of 1 Per Cent.
 in Six Years.

Washington, Dec. 20.-The House continued to shoot clay pigeons" to- day, as a member put it, and the debate on general topics continued for hours. It Is understood that with adjournment today the general debate on the Pres ident's message. which has been in progress for seven days has been con- cluded and that the session tomorrow is to be a brief one when adjournment for the holidays will be taken.
 A feature of the discussion today was defense of the Agricultural Depart ment by Southern members who en- dorsed the Government cotton statistics. The accuracy of these statistics during the past year as stated by Mir. Bowie (Ala ), has been but seven-tenths of l per cent. from the actual crop. The House agreed to the conference report on the Panama Canal appropriation bill.
 The conference report on the emerg ency appropriation for Panama Canal work was taken up in the House today immediately on the convening of that body. MT. Williams was informed on inquiry that the House provision in the bill requiring information to be given to Congress on it's demand from canal employees had been eliminated. He wants a separate vote on the amend
 
 rule the conference report must be &C., cepted or rejected as a whole. After protest by MT. Williams the conference report was adopted without further op- position.
 MT. Payne reported from the Ways and Means Committee the Philippine tariff bill and gave notice that 1t would be called up for consideration January 4. The minority was given permission to file its views and a substitute bill Thursday.
 Efforts to conclude the general de- bate on the reference of the Presidents message today failed. It was agreed, however, that this debate should con- clude tomorrow and in putting this question Speaker Cannon remarked: General debate will close tomorrow, whether the committee of the whole is in session or not" A beneficial result to insurance was predicted by MT. Ma con Ark ), as a result of the recent developments in New York. He strong Iy opposed interference with State con- trol. On the railroad rate question Mir. Macon expressed hearty sympathy with President Roosevelt T believe the President to be right. I believe it is his purpose to be the President of the whole people of this Union," he said.
 Referring to the recent bank failures in Chicago MT. Prince Ull) made the point that with the present limited number of national bank examiners 1t was impossible for those officials to cover the ground required by them There were he said, two sections of the revised statutes which the department of justice might do well to consider for the purpose of applying penalty to delinquent bank officials. One of these sections prohibits national banks from lending to one borrower more than a tenth If their capital. The other sec tion applies to embedding bank off cials and provides a penalty of fine and imprisonment. ...-
 MT Prince said there were 5.S5S na- tional bankers and but fifty-eight ex- aminers Perhaps Congress was at fault in this respect He did not think there was laxness on the part of the comptroller of the currency, but 1t was evident there was fault somewhere.
 MT Gillespie (Tex.) suggested that the Comptroller had declared the law restricting loans was too stringent to be enforced.
 MT Prince replied that the best way to get rid of bad law was to en- force 1t.
 The word maximum" MT. Gillespie asserted. was the joker in the railroad rate situation. This word. he said, was the only change the President had made in his recommendation on the subject since which great calm had come over the railroad opposition.
 The rresident of the Pennsylvania Railroad, said MT. Gillespie, had told a Senator from Pennsylvania that his road would make no opposition to the legislation and believed this change all lowing a maximum rate only to be fixed would afford no remedy for unjust rates.
 Demand for an investigation of haz- ing at Annapolis was made by MT. Chandler (Miss.).
 Bowie Took Floor.
 Contending that the cotton crop es- inmates of the Department of Agricul- ture had been assailed by the cotton growers because the estimates were too small, MT. Bowie (Ala.) expressed sat isfaction with the estimates. For the last six years, he said, the estimates of the department had been within seven-tenths ot one per cent. of accu- racy. For all practical purposes this was as satisfactory as possible and vim dicated the accuracy and honesty of the report. He opposed the suggestion to discontinue the December estimate for one in January.
 Mir Wanger, (Pa.) suggested it was the cotton spectators and not the growers. manufacturers or consumers which fixed the price of cotton. Mir Bowie after admitting it. contended that the actual supply and demand dlSo was AIpoiI IdHt. SnOuIQ the de- partment estimates be abolished he said reports would be made by private associations and firms who are oppon- ents. all of which he alleged would be confusing. With 5000 men on their lists he contended the government could make more impartial report
 MT Lowering (Mass) asked for an explanation of what he said was a dis crepancy in the report of cotton ginned. The answer Mir Bowie said would be found in the variation of the bales. He concluded with praise of the Secretary of Agriculture The de- bate concluded with ten minute speech by MT. Garrett (Tenn.) on the subject of insurance The House at 4:55 adjourned until tomorrow.
 Railway Rates Debated,
 The only notable feature of the open session of the Senate to-day was a brief discussion of the question of rail road legislation by Mir Foraker and MT. Culberson. The controversy was precipitated by some remarks made by MT. Foraker in connection with a re- quest preferred by him for the print ing of papers connected with a case re- cently before the Interstate Commerce Commission The Ohio Senator reit- erated his position on the question of rate legislation, saying that he differ ed from other Senators only on inc point as to the remedies to be applied for the evils of which complaints have been madA3