Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1908-06-05
WORK OF CONGRESS.
Senate

| Senate on the 25th under the leadership of
Mr. Aidrich. The attempt was so success
/ 1ul that the net result in the way of ac-
| compliShment of the days session was the
adoption of the conference report on the
Sundry civil appropriation bill. Mr.. Bev-
! erldge was busy in an effort TO get vote
| on the bill compromising government en-
| poyeS for injuries while on duty but Mr.
! Hale said he had information from the
! House that no action could be expected
| there Monday on the conference report on
the public buildings bill. and that until
that measure should be disposed Of the de-
nclency appropriation bill could not be PER
fected. Despite Mr.. Beveridge's protest
the Senate at 4:4O O'Clock adjourned.
The session Of the Senate dragged along
on the 26th in such an unimportant way
that little effort was required on the part
OF managers of the flibuster to occupy the
! time by dilatory tactics. The conferees on
| the currency bills met and the Senate was
merely kept in session in the hope that
something might be done toward substan-
tal progress in the work of closing up the
! passed amending the navigation laws in
many minor respects and resolution was
! considered calling for names of former post
! masters who served from 1864 TO 1874 and
who have been adjudgcd by the auditor en-
! ttIed to additional compensation. At $40
| the Senate adjourned.
The conference report on the currency
/ bill was laiG before the Senate shortly he
/ fore adjournment on the 9th and MIR Aid
rich announced that on the 2Sth he would
move TO take 1t up and keep It under CON
| Slder?ton until disposed of While wait
| ing Tor tn" conference report the session
| was occupied with running debate on the
| for injuries sustained while in service. The
I senate passed resolution calling for au-
! served between 1864 and 1874 where ne
! counts have not been certified for payment
! under the act of March 3, 1888. At 5:4U
! the SCnats adjourned.
! The consideration of the conference 70
! port on the currency bill on the 18th
| showed plainly that there would be little CT
| no obstructive tactics against its passage
/ Senator Aldrich briefly explained the meas
/ uIe and a little political by-play was intro
! duced by Senators Culberson of Texas and
of the majority with disinclination to pass
ant-injunctiOn and campaign contribution
! publicity bills before adjournment, which
called forth claims of interest in Doth
measures by senators on both sides. but
| gave no promise of action at this session.
| Senators Teller of Colorado. Owen of Okla
homa and Newlands of Nevada all spoke in
opposition to the currency bill, and, no
other senators desiring to speak, the latter
part of the session was devoted to consider
ing unohjected bills on the calendar. House
DIS were passed requiring interstate rail
roads to equip locomotives with ashpans
that Will not require employees to 90 under
the locomotives to dump and clean them,
and to promote the safe transportation of
explosives. At 5:35 p. adjourned
When the Senate convened on the Goth it
became apparent that hlibuSter. small in
numbers but determined, was about to try
to defeat the currency bill. Senator Cul
| berson spoke at some length after the re
port of the confcreeS was introduced and
scored President Roosevelts administrations
for eXtravagance. During this speech Sen
atOI La Toilette conferred with Senator
Stono. who had just arrived from Missouri
! The Wisconsin senator called for roll cali
every time it appeared there was no quorum
present while Mr.. CulbersOn was speaking
| When the, speech against the administra.
ton was friShed Mr.. La Toilette took the
floor and announced his intention of talking
the currency bill to death He rcSorted to
| many devices to pass the time and keep the
floor, calling for roll calls, reading from
documents and answering questions. He
/ took the floor at 1 o'clock IN the afternoon
and held it till late at night.
The passage of the government employees
liability bill and the adoption of confer
ence reports on the public buildings and
the deficiency appropriation bills immCdl-
atcly followed final action on the AldriCh-
Nreeland compromise currency measure in
the Senate on the 30th and disposed o.
most of the remaining important Legislation
before that body. The deficiency bill car
RES appropriations aggregating $50 IT'S. S4S.
of which So, 1856, $50 is for beginning work
authorized by the public building bill The
Senate adjourned sine die at II p. M
House
Working under heavy pressure. with
single eye to adjournment at the earliest
possible moment the House on the 18th
disposed Of a great amount of business 1t
became manifest early that q better leel-
ing obtained between the majority and mi
nority. in consequence of which several
bills were permitted to be passed by unani-
nous consent. When the House took re-
cess the roll had been called 22S times since
Congress convened. Prior to March 30,
when the Democratic filibuSter began. it
had been called but fifteen times The
sum total Of the days business was as
follows: The conference reports the sun
dry civil and the pension appropriation bills
were agreed to- thus sending those meas
ures to the President for signature, and
leaving only the general deficiency and mil
itary academy appropriation bills to be
considered to complete the disposition of
the fourteen supply measures of the gov
eminent. The conference report on the
District of Columbia child labor bill also
was agreed to, and the following bills
were passed: Amending the navigation
laws; removing the determinations against
native officers of the Porto Rico provisional
regiment Of infantry; granting title to a
cemetery. in Dubuque. Ia. to the arch
bishop Of that city; authorizing the sale of
unallotted lands of the Spokane Indian res
ervation; encouraging the development of
coal deposits in Alaska, and prescribing
government property by soldiers. The ON
nibus bill relating to the disposition of the
public lands was sem back to conference
Following an active debate of an hour and
half the project for Il reduced House OF
Representatives was defeated by q large
majority.
The two floor leaders of the House again
on the 2fth occupied the center of the
stage, and performed their usual feat or
charging each other with responsibility for
the conditions III present existing III LuaL
body. The conference reports on the mill
tary academy appropriation bill was agreed
to. Bills were passed as follows: Refund
Ing certain stamp taxes on foreign Dllls OF
exchange and certain duties on anthracite
coal. illegally collected; providing for the
opening to settlement of portions Of the
Cheyenne and Standing Rock Indian agen-
ceS; promoting the safety of employees on
railroads by requiring the equipment or
locomotives with ash cans that can be
dumped without requiring an employe to
go under the locomotive; promoting the
safe transportation Of explosives. The
committee on appropriations suffered defeat
in the rejection of a bill to acquire certain
lands as an addition to Rock Creek Park
in the District of Columbia. After passing
resolutions reclaSSifyinG the clerks in the
government departments at Washington
and declaring entitled to their seat Messrs.
McGavin Republican, and SABBATH Demo
craft as reprnSen tativeS from Illinois, the
House at T:43 O'Clock. owing to the diff
Guilty OF keeping Il quorum. took Il recess.
Interest N the proceedings of the House
on the 9th centered in the report Of the
committee the currency bill After an
hours debate the report was adopted, l6G
to 40 all the Democrats voting against it.
Fourteen 'insurgent' Republicans voted
rency proposition there were passed the
following measures Providing for the
erection in Washington of a pedestal for
the statue Of John WitherSpOOn: requiring
greater space and better accommodations
on steamships for steerage passengers; au-
thOrzing the sale of certain lands at the
head Of Cordova Bay. Alaska. and granting
relief to the Alaska Terminal and NaYlga- /
completion of the Washington and West
ern Maryland Railroad in the District OF
Columbia; authorizing a resurvey of GER
tain townships in Wyoming; granting to
the interstate commerce commission addl-
tonal authority in the matter OF requiring
Ill Ion int f 20 r.