Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-02-12
WORK OF
CONGRESS

Senator Rayner's address on the ex-
pansion of executive prerogatives, Sena-
tor Lodges brief reply and an extended
discussion of the administration of the
public land laws by Senator Hepburn
constituted the proceedings in the Senate
thursday. The river and harbor appro-
priatiop bill occupied practically all the
time OF the House. The debate was open
ed by Mr.. Burton of Ohio. chairman Of
the rivers and harbors committee. Other
speeches were made by Mcssrs. Bartholdt
of Missouri, Ransdeli of Louisiana,
Snapp of Illinois, Lawrence of Massa
chusetts, Caudrey of Missouri Morrell
and Moore of Pennsylvania, Bannon of
Ohio. Rhodes of Missouri and Juloi Tar
rinsga of Porto Rico.
The Senate suspended business at . 80
o'clock Friday, according to special or
der. for euiogies for Senator German OF
Maryland. Previous to this order many
bills of minor Importance were passed,
including one increasing the salaries of
city mail carriers. making the first yeav's
salary 5000, with an annual increase Ct
500 until a maximum of 81 200 has
been reached. Other bills passed increase
the pension of all Indian war survivors
from IS to $40 per month and grant the
city of st. Louis an extension of time for
one year to construct a bridge across the
Mississippi. The rivers and harbors bill
continued to occupy the attention of the
House. In the main the speeches dealt
with the proposed canal from Chicago to
r Al. L. e
siDpi river from st. Louis to the gulf to
fourteen feet, the speakers including
Messrs. Clark of Missouri. Rodenburg of
Illinois, Rainey of Illinois, Crumpacker
of Indiana, Madden of Illinois, Croft of
Illinois, Shackelford Of Missouri. Chand.
Ter of Mississippi, Mahon of Pennsylva-
MIA and Garrett of Tennessee. Bills were
passed fixing the boundaries of lands adj
joining the Occur d'Alene Indian reserva-
ton in Idaho, permitting persons owning
lands in the Kiowa, Comanche and
Apache Indian reservations in Oklahoma
to commute them for townsite purposes,
and creating two additional land districts
in Alaska, located at Nome and Fair.
banks.
-
The Senate devoted most Of Saturday
to the reading of the Indian appropria-
tion bill for the adoption of committee
amendments. The Senate adjourned at
3 80 o'clock out Of respect to the mem
DRY of the late Representative William II.
Flack of New York. Two hours were
spent by the House in further considera-
tion of the river and harbor appropriation
bill, after which eulogies were delivered
Oh the life of the late Senator German of
Maryland. Out of respect to the men,
DRY of the late Representative William
II. F'lack of New York, whose death was
announced, the House at ;05 adjourned
until Monday.
The Senate occupied the first two hours
Monday IN perfecting the House bill per-
hitting the government to take an APP
peal on points of law in criminal cases
similar to that against the meat packers.
Senators Hepburn and Newlands spoke on
the Carter resolution aimed at the recent
order of the Secretary Of the Interior
preventing the issuance of land patents
until after an examination on the ground
by a special agent, and Senator Bacon
made n Erief statement intended to show
that Senator Beyeridge had been in error
regal ding the operation of the child labor
law in Georgia. The House passed the
McCumber service pension bill, the ON
nibus lighthouse bill and the omnibus
revenue cutter bill. BY vote Of ITO to
So the Senate amendments to the urgent
deficiency bill, loaning the Jamestown ex-
position $1,000,000, were eoncurred in.
Resolutions were passed calling for an in
vestigation by the Secretary of Commerce
and Labor Of cotton exchanges and flucIn-
ations in cotton prices, giving a privileged
status to the bill codifying and consoi-
dating the patent and copyright laws, and
directing report by the Secretary of the
Interior of the number of existing patents
granted to officers and employees of the
Uni,ed States Bills providing for the
protection of game in Alaska and author
izing a refund of certain taxes collected
also passed.
81
The Senate spent the entire day Tues
day considering the 1hdan appropriation
BILL The army Appropriation bill, carry
ing $S1 100000, an increase of $1,000
600 over the amount voted by the House,
was reported and will be taken up as
soon as the Indian bill is disposed of. The
Senate committee amendments include
1872, 227 for barracks and quarters,
6.221. 100 for promoting and extending
the efficiency of the artillery corps, and
provision to exempt officers and men and
their families from the provisions OF the
rate bill and allowing them to accept free
or reduced rates of transportation. Sens-
tor HEPBURN introduced resolution In
structing the Secretary of the Interior TO
issue patents on all lands and mining APP
plications where the law is complied with
and no protest is filed. Senator Kit
tredge reported the copyright bill and SEN
ator Smoot gave notice of n minority re-
pert favoring the House provision giving
manufacturers the right to adapt musical
compositions to automatic musical instru-
ments. General debate on the rivers and
harbors appropriation bill was terminated
in the House at 3 o'clock, when the read
ing of the bill was begun under the five
minute rule. The reading of twenty pages
of the bin was completed before adjourn
nFeRt.
National Capital Notes.
tionc of $50 ONO "a oh