Omaha daily bee., 1905-02-17
HOUSE SENDS BILL BACK
senste's Amendment Of Agricultural Bill
Alleged to Be Improper
IT ORIGINATES REVENUE LEGISLATION
Vote 60 Return Measure with state
ment that IL Infringes Privilege
of House f. Nearly
Unanimous.

| WASHlNGTON, Feb. lb.-Tne naNai dp-
preparation bill today further occupied the
attention of the house for a major portion
OF the session. but the debate was without
particular incident and no material amend
ment was adopted. Its consideration had
not been concluded when adjournment was
taken.
Before taking up the naval bill the house
| entered an emphatic protest against the ac-
tion of the senate In amending the agrtcul-
tural appropriation bill so as to intercept
the drawback feature of the Dingley tariff
act Affecting wheat. BY vote OF S1 to
the bill was sent back to the senate with
tho statement that its amendment was an
infringement OF the constitutional privilege
, of the house to originate revenue legtsla-
tion, Both Mr.. Payne OF New York, the
majority leader. and Mr. Williams of Mis-
sissippi, the minority leader, urged that ac-
tion.
Panama Bill Passed.
The Mann bill to provide a government
for the canal zone was passed without fur
ther discussion. The bill gives all the right
| of government of the canal zone to the
president until the end of the next con-
gress, but provides that the government
| shall be so exercised as to protect the in
habitants In the free enjoyment of their
| liberty, prosperity 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 per-
sons as he may appoint and employ. 1t
does not undertake to determine whether
the canal shall be constructed as a sea level
or lock level waterway.
| 1t is also provided that the persons ap-
pointed by the president, both in the gov
| ernment of the canal zone and in charge OF
the work Of construction, shall make an
nual estimates in detail as far as possible
of the sums needed for the ensuing fiscal
year, and says that after June 80, 1906. no
money shall be expended on the canal or
| canal zone government except in accord
ance with appropriations hereinafter made,
| thus doing away with the lump sum appro-
priation carried by existing law. Frequent
reports to the president and to congress of
the progress of the construction, as we'll as
the expenditures of money, are required.
The bill authorizes the president to re-
| tain the commission as a commission, or
| Its individual members as consulting en-
| gineers IL he shall so desire.
Authority to condemn 1,084 shares of stock
| in the Panama railroad, now in the hands
| of private owners, is carried in the bill
and the president is authorized when COM
plete control of the land is secured to
operate 1t through such persons as he may
select, in order that the road may be used
as far as is necessary as a part OF the
| construction work on the canal.
! In the house. today a bill was passed
making applicable to the Panama canal
zone all laws affecting imports and the
entry of persons into the United States
after which the naval appropriation bill
| was taken up. 1t was brought out during
| discussion of the paragraph providing for
| the purchase of torpedoes that the navy
had on hand at this time only a sufficient
| number of torpedoes to permit of but one
| shot to each torpedo boat.
Agricultural Bill Sent Back.
The Payne resolution sending the agricul-
tural appropriation bill back to the senate
because 1t contained original legislation
efrecting the revenues was adopted on a
| roll call, 261 to 8,
The bill to ratify and amend an agree
| ment with the Indians Of the Shoshone or
| Wind River reservation, in Wyoming, was
passed after eliminating the provision
granting a preferential privilege to Asmus
Baysen to select $40 acres of mineral and
coal land within that reservation.
| Rising to question of privilege, Mr..
Payne IN. W offered a resolution regard
| ing the action of the senate in adopting an
amendment Interpreting the Dingley act
with reference to drawbacks on wheat. The
resolution was as follows:
Resolved, That the amendment No. POS,
| added by the senate to the house bill, H. r.
IS, 32s, in the opinion of the house, con-
trayenes the f1fst clause or the sew
ta ~ ne OF tnd tng n5sS te & Oh t9s e1ns in
| fringement of the privileges of the house,
and that the said bill, with the amendments,
be respectfully returned to the senate with
a message communicating this resolution.
The reading of the resolution was greeted
with applause.
In explaining the senates action MIR.
Payne said the amendment abolished the
drawback clause in the Dingley bill on
wheat imported into the United States and
afterwards manufactured into flour and ex-
ported. He said he did not intend to dis
cuss the merits of the amendment, whether
1t was wise or unwise He was loudly ap-
plauded by both republicans and democrats
when he asserted that the main question
was whether that clause in the constitu-
tion which declares that all bills for raising
revenue shall originate in the house shall
be cherished by this house as one of its
privileges"
The question ne said, also was whether
We will resent any infringement from any
source OF that clause of the constitution"
Mr.. Payne called attention to the fact
that the house uniformly had insisted on
its rights as guaranteed by the constitution
of his assertion.
Mr. Payne said that the right to originate
revenue legislation was sacred one of
the house. He declared that none could
be originated, none should be" and, he
added, none will be originated In the other
body IL the house stands by its rights and
privileges guaranteed by the constitution. "
Mr.. Williams (Miss.), the minority leader
alluded to the action of the senate ''in en-
gagtng In a strenuous effort to prevent a
real or supposed attack by the executive
uEurpauon, In the opinion of the senate.
upon Its function and dignity and said
1t was a peculiar inappropriate time for
the senate to attempt to make a plain
palpable, obvious and aggressive attack
upon the dignity OF the house,"
Except in connection with legislation af-
feoting the revenue. Mr.. Williams said, the
house stood as body composed of a great
many house committees and that all II did
was to prepare legislation in some shape
or other and send Il over to the senate, as
was done with the rate bill. ito be put
into the shape that even a majority of the
house desired"
Mr.. Williams charged the republicans
with being afraid to touch the Dingley
law. Instead of making changes through
legislation he declared It was being done
by executive construction.
Mr.. Payne denied a statement by Spald-
ing IN. d. that there had been many vio-
lations or infrinRements of the nrivilsoss