The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-03

HOUSE PASSES THE BILL
 Virginia Members Had to Ap- l peal to Members.
 Purpose of Bill is to Provide Funds for
 Celebration of Founding of First | English Speaking Settlement. participation in the exposition to cele-
 brate the first permanent settlement of English speaking people on the Vest | ern Hemisphere in the vicinity of
 Jamestown, Virginia. on the waters of Hampton Roads, was provided by the l House today when, by @ vote of 192 to | 91. the bill for that purpose was pass
 ed under a suspension of the rules. | The amount appropriated Is $250.000. To put the bill through a two-thirds I vote was necessary and this was ob-
 tained only after a spirited debate. The members of the Virginia delegation
 during the roll call mingled among
 their colleagues and personally appeal ed to them to cast their votes In sup port of the measure.
 | Conference reports on the fOrtihca-
 tions and agricultural bills were agreed | to, while the conference report on the naval appropriation bill after being
 partially agreed to, was sent back for | further conference after lively de- bate over the question of Investigating | the cost of armor plate and the build | ing of an armor plate plant. Amend ments by Mir. vandiver. of Missouri, de- 1 signed to have the investigation con-
 ducted by a special naval board. was voted down as was also a motion by Mir. Rixey. of Virginia, to concur in the | Senate amendment to have the investi- | gation made by the Secretary of. the navy.
 Shortly after half past five o'clock the House recessed until 9 o'clock to- night. the evenings session will be de- | voted to conference reports and bills of
 minor importance. | When the House convened today a
 number of members questioned the ao- curacy of the record last night on the | mileage question.
 Messrs. Dickerman, CPenn.) Stafford. l tNeb.) and Macon, (Ark.) declared that l the yovted against the proposition, whereas they were recorded in the af- l armative. Mir. Lewis tGa.) had been recorded as voting present" but he | insisted that he was not in the chamber when the vote was taken. While Me-
 Dwight, .(N. Y.) protested against his
 having been paired in favor of the amendment.
 The river and harbor appropriation
 bill was sent to conference with Messrs.
 Burton. (Ohio) Doverner, (W. Va.) and | Lester (Ga.) as conferees on the part | of the House.
 The conference report on the fortifi- cations appropriation bill was agreed
 to which finally passed the measure. Agricultural Bill Passed.
 The conference report on the agri- I cultural appropriation bill then was 1 taken up. The report was agreed to-, | which finally passed that measure. The House insisted on it's disagreement to
 the Senate amendments to the Panama | Canal zone government bill and the bill
 was sent back for further conference.
 Mcssrs. Hepburn, (Ia.) Mann. (Ill) and
 Adamson, (Ga) were reappointed man. l agers on the part of the House. Attention was next given to the con 1 ference report on the naval appropria- | tion bill, which represented only partial agreement. MT. Foss explained that the proposed increase of 1900 of- fcers and men in the marine corps was still in dispute. In so far as the con- ference had agreed the report was adopted.
 Mir. Bedigar moved that the House recede from it's disagreement to the senate amendment requiring the secre- tarv of the navy to inquire into the cost of armor plate and of an armor plate plant and agree to it with the provision that in the purchase of armor and armament appropriated for by the bill all contracts in the bill shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder, but that no contract for armor plate shall be let at a price exceeding $398 per ton.
 point of order by MT. Ross against the provision was sustained by the speaker.
 Mir. Vandiver then moved to accept the senate amendment amended so as to provide a naval board of inquiry to investigate whether in bidding for con- tracts for armor persons or corpora tions have entered into a combination to deprive the government of free and open competition, If so to lay the facts before the attorney general for proper action under the law.
 Determined Mir. VandIver. Against this proviso the speaker all so sustained a point of order. Still insisting on getting in an amendment. MT. Vandiver offered on similar to the others eliminating the reference to the attorney general, which the Speaker declared was in order.
 In supporting the amendment, MT. Hughes, N. J) asserted that fin the last six years $22,000.00O had been stolen from the government by the Carnegie and Bethlehem plants" The idea of an Investigating board was also favored by MT. Rixey, (Va.) He declared that several secretaries of the navy had stated there was evidence of a combination among the armor plate manufacturers.
 Mr. Vandiver urged that upon that ground alone his amendment should be adopted.
 MT. Foss opposed the amendment for a naval bill on the cost of an armored plate plant, saying that testimony was abundant that private contractors could do the work for less than 1t could be done in a government plant
 Replying to MT. Vandiver. MT. Foss admitted that there were indications of a combination among the several com panies. Notwithstanding that, he said that the United States procure armored plate for $100 ton less than any for eign country.
 Mir Williams Miss said he did not know whether there is "anything rot