The semi-weekly messenger., 1906-06-22

washington, June 2O.-Ine meat IN
spectiOn provision of the agricultural
appropriation bill was today made the
The question came UP ON motion by
Senator Proctor to grant the confer
ence requested by the house, and
speeches were made by Messrs. Pr,c-
tor, Beveridge and Lodge against some
features of the house amendment anG
by Senator Warren in opposition to
drastic legislation. Mr. Lodge took oc-
casion to defend American morals as
quite as good as those of Europe The
bill went over without action
There were two speeches on the
Panama canal, one by Senator Morgan
in support of the sea level plan and
the other b. Senator Perkins in oy-
position.
The senate held it's first night ses-
sion which was devoted to the consid-
Grafton of the sundry civil apprOpria-
tion bill
THE HOUSE.
The bill appr0prialing $25, 900 to de-
fray the travelling expenses of the
president for the next fiscal year was
calledeu under suspension Of the rules
today in the house by Mr.. Tawney, of
Minnesota, chairman of the appropria-
tiOnS committee.
The sundry civil bill ctlried an item
apprOpriating 1000 for the travat.ng
expenses of the president, which went
out on point of order Mr.. Watson,
of Indiana, then in the chair. and who
sustained the point of order against
the item, introduced the bill which the
house had under consideration today.
Mr. Tawney stated that the whole
subject of providing for the president S
travelling expenses had been debated 1T
length during the consideration of the
s,indry civil bill.
Mr.. James, of Kentucky, wanted 10
know what official duty carried the
president abroad isn't it true that
there is no official duty requiring him
to leave the capital?' he asked.
Mr. Tawney said that while he could
not recall any official duty just at
present that might take him outside
the capital he could easily conceive
how, rs commander-in-chief of the
army and navy, he might be called
upon at any moment to travel.
Mr.. Underwood called attention 10
the clause in the constitution wherein
it is provided that the president shall
at stated times receive for his ser
vices a compensation which shall!
neither be increased nor diminished
during the period for which he shall
have been elected and he shall not re-
ceive within that period any other
emolument from the United States or
any of them" He said that it was
not of much avail to make a cOnstitu-
tional argument to the men on the
other side of the center aisle (mean-
ing the republican side) but he could
not consistently agree to the voting OF
this money. He said there were some
advantages 10 the country growing
ou. of the presidents trips, ''but the
utterance of a president of the United
States has worlds audience, no mat
ter where he makes it, and it is just
as effective made in the city of Wash
ington as in San Francisco or Chi
cagO."
This statement of Mr.. Underwood
brought Mr.. Bourke Cochran, of New
York, into the arena in support of the
bill, saying he was not willing to make
a partisan matter out of the measure.
Continuing, Mr.. Cochran said:
THE point l wanted TO submit to
the gentlemen and our side here and
to the entire house of representatives
is this:
"That in the operation of our consti-
tutional system the president has be-
come a great leader of public thought
and public opinion, quite as much as
a mere executive of laws and if the
circulation of the president throughout
the country adds practically in the di-
rection of improved legislation, giving
effective direction to public opinion,
whether that be not an expense that
ought legitimately be borne out Of the
public treasury"
Mr.. James, of Kentucky, interrupted
to saw that Mr. Cochran might suggest