The bee., 1908-03-19
CONGRESSIONAL

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Consideration Of the postoffice ap.
preparation bill was resumed in the
house Of representatives Tuesday. AL.
though amendments were in order, the
bill, when It was laid aside for the day,
with eleven pages disposed of, had I'M
dergone no material change
A noteworthy speech by Mr.. Hamil-
ton of Michigan, upholdlng the right
of the federal government to control
corporations and sustaining the pres.-
dent in his attitude toward them,
which was the feature of the days
proceedings.
A number of other addresses were
made by Messrs. Small of North Car
DINA and Finley of South Carolina,
each OF whom attacked the PROPOSE
ton TO increase the pay for ocean mail
service on the ground that It was but
a subterfuge for a ship subsidy.
If the house and senate concur in
an action taken Tuesday, the house
committee on immigration and natu-
ralization in reporting the Burnett
bill, 1t will cost $40 instead of s..
after July 1, 1908, for a foreigner to
become a citizen of the United States
So great has become the bulk of natu-
ralization business, especially in cen,
tiers such as New York. Boston, Phil
adelphia and Chicago, that the discov.
cry has been made that the lawful
fees are insufficient to cover the act
ual cost of the clerical work, and as a
result some courts have practically
refused to have anything to do with
the business.
Cotton as basis for the issuance
of treasury notes In times of money
stringency was the chief feature of a
speech on the pending currency bill
by Senator McLaurin of Mississippi.
Mr.. McLaurin thought there was no
special need for currency legislation
and claimed that the policies of the
republican party were responsible for
the recent panic.
The senate Tuesday ratified and
made public six of the treaties nego-
tiated at the second Hague confer
ence. The conventions adopted are
those to which no opposition had been
made.
The ocean mail shipping bill will be
voted on in the senate on Friday.
March 20. in pursuance OF an agree
ment made Tuesday.
The final reports Of the committee
on military affairs in relation to the
Brownsville ARRAY will be made to
the senate today. Senator Warren.
will present the report of the majority
of the committee. sustaining the action
of the president in discharging with
out honor a battalion of the Twenty
fifth infantry on the ground that the
negro soldiers had done the shooting.
Senator Foraker will present the re-
port of the minority, declaring that
the guilt of the negroes had not been
proved
A resolution was passed by the
house Tuesday calling on the secre-
tary of the navy for all letters and
data regarding the cost and bearing
upon removal of the wreck of the bat,
tleship Maine and providing burial
for the dead now lying in the hulk of
that ship.
The military committee of the house
Tuesday ordered favorable report
on a bill authorizing the secretary Of
war to have constructed a direct road
leading from tho soufbarn and IF tha
new highway bridge across the ,Poto-
mac river to the National Cemetery
at Arlington and to Fort Meyer. The
road is to be sixty feet in width and
$4,000 is appropriated by the bill for
carrying out the project.