Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1908-12-18
WORK OF CONGRESS.
Senate.


loth, during which agreement was
[eached for taking up the omnibus claims
OH MONDAY with the understanding that II
shall not interfere with the consideration
Or the postal savings bill or any other
measure IL which senators are especially in
terested. Senator Lodge gave notice that he
would on Wednesday speak the Browns
vile affair. After a short executive session
t9e senate at los O'Clock adjourned until
Eonday In respect to the memory OF the
late Representative Charles L. Dunwell or
New York.
The Senate was not in session on the 11th.
The Senrte was not in session on the 18th
The Brownsville affair consumed nearly
the entire session. Senator Foraker OBJ
talned the floor early and read letters from
former soldier Of the Twenty-hfth regl-
ment telling of the procedure Of govern
ment detectives In attempts to get Il con
fessiOn from him. Mr.. Foraker introduced
an amendment to his original bill for the
re-enlistment Of these soldiers providing
that n commission Of three retired army
officers be created to determine whether
discharged soldiers are innocent of com
plicity In the shooting up Of Brownsville as
prerequisite for their re-enlistment In
stead of leaving that duty with the Presl-
dent, as provided by the Warner bill. The
PRESIDENTS message giving the results or
the war departments investigation of the
brownsville affair was read and Mr.. For
aker again took the floor to comment upon
the message Senator Carter announced
that on the 10Th he would speak upon the
postal savings bank bill and would ask that
1t be made the unfinished business Of the
Senate.
was read on the 18th and it's reading was
received with loud laughter by some Of the
senators. Senator Foraker endeayored to
have adopted a resolution calling on the sec
rotary of war for detailed information con,
corning the men employed. instructions CIV
en- and expenses incurred in the invest1ga-
ton by detectives into the Brownsville af-
fair, referred to by the President in his mes
sage Of the 14th. Senator Warren objected
to Immediate consideration. The postal saw
ings bank bill was the subject Of speeches
by Senators Carter and Depew, both of
whom advocated the measure. The bill was
made the unfinished busineSsc, displacfng
the joint resolution for the repeal of the
commodity clause OF the interstate COM
merce law. on motion of Senator Fulton
the omnibus claims bill will be taken up
January g. Brief memorial services were
held for the late Representative George w
journed.
Considerable time was devoted on the
10th to Il discussion of the Presidents
course in placing structures on Congress In
the matter OF the secret service, and q
searching resolution proposed by Mr.. Aid
rich and amended upon the suggestion of
Mr.. Cuberson, providing for n thorough
Investigation by the committee on apprO-
priations of the Presidents charges, both i'll
respect to the acts and the course that
should be taken by Congress to resent the
imputatfonS believed to have been cast upon
that body, was adopted. Mr.. Aldrich, in in
Producing his resolution, made no comment
upon it, but Senators Bailey. Bacon, Till
man, CulbersOn and others declared that the
Presidents words should be resented by the
Senate as highly insulting. Senator For
akors resolution calling on the secretary Of
war for informatin concerning the work of
detectives in the Brownsville affair also was
adopted. Senator Lodge spoke in support of
the Warner bill permitting the President
to re-cnlist the discharged soldiers of the
Twenty fifth regiment at his discretion.
The Senate at $3.50 adjourned.
house.
At no time was there a quorum in the
House The legislative approximation bill
was presented and several bills passed,
among them being one authorizing the re
moval of the imposition of loss of citizen
ship upon deserters in the military and
naval services. The rest of the day was
taken up in discussing the bill to provide
for the arbitrary investigation of difficulties
between employers and employees. Its con-
sideration had not been concluded when the
House at 1853 D. III. adjourned until Friday
The legislative, executive and judicial ap-
preparation bill, which usually eXcites con
siderable discussion, lasting for several
days, was passed with little debate and
practically in the shape in which it came
from committee. An unusual feature was
that no member asked for time to indulge in
general talk The bill carries an appropria-
ton Of S31, 66J,320. The House, Immediately
after converting, unanimously and without
debate adopted a resolution providing for
the appointment of 4 committee of five to
consider the reference to the secret service
in the Presidents message and to suggest
what action, If any, should be taken in the
matter. At oil p. M the House adjourned
No particular programme had been mapped
out for the 18th, but under call of com
mtteCs several measures in which the
members were especially interested were
considered With few exceptions they en-
gendred the liveliest sort of debate. Par
lamentary tactics were freely resOrted to-
with the result that five times the roll was
called. The first wrangle occurred on a
resolution fixing the boundary line between
the states of Colorado, Oklahoma and New
Mexico, which was adopted by good ma
jority, but not without two roll calls. The
House then by decisive vote refused
further to consider the bill providing for
arbitrary settlement of disputes between
nd bn h
viding for the protection of aliens in the
United States was thrashed out at length.
The measure had rough sailing, and it was
passed by slim majority after the roll had
been called twice. At 5:21 p. II. the House
adjourned.
While considering bills dealing with ar
fairs in the District of Columbia the House
the 14th passed Il measure for S5-cent
gas in Washington The bill now goes to
the Senate. as well as another bill abolish
ing bucket shops" in the district. bin
providing for free lectures in the public
schools was voted down. An attempt by
Representative Henry of Texas to obtain
a change in the reference of a bin pro-
agricultural products brought forth the
promise from Chairman Scott of the agr1-
cultural committee that his committee
would soon grant hearings TO farmers
unions and others on this subject. The
House voted to adjourn Saturday, Deem
Der 10, to Monday, January 4, and ad-
journed for the day at p. IN.
The hopes of the So-called insurgents for
revision of the rules of that body were
NlSSlpdCeu, LOT lue llue beius Ut ISdSl, Wuen
Mr. Gardner of Massachusetts failed to OBJ
tain the adoption of an amended resolution
calling for the appointment of 4 committee
of eight members to consider the subject
and report the changes deemed necessary.
BY substantial majority the House voted
to take away from the committee for
eign affairs consideration of the resolution.
which In its original form, simply called
for information from the secretary of state
regarding what the British House of Com
mons had done in that regard. ruling by
the speaker that the amendment of Mr..
Gardner changed the character of the reso-
luton in such way as 10 make it not pri-
vileged sustained and the resolution
then was laid on the table. After passing
1umbia the remainder of the Gay was taken
up with the bill to revise the penal laws of
the United States. At $50 p. N. the House
adjourned.
Except for n few moments spent in the
transaction of routine business and the
passage Of two bridge bills. the House on
the 10th devoted its entire time to the
further consideration of the bill to revise
the penal laws of the United States. The
last night and which prohibited the sending
through the mails of information bearing on
transactions in futures, was defeated by n
decided vote Without opposition an amend
ment by Mr.. Houston (Tennessee) was
adopted making II an offenSe to deposit in
or ship through the mails intoxicating
liquors. There was still pending when the
bill was laid aside an amendment by Mr.
Humphreys of Mississippi providing for the
ported by interstate carriers. This propo>
sition evolved extended debate. At 400 p,
III. the House adjourned.