The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1908-04-23
WORK OF
CONGRESS



| for his approval. The Senate adjourned
| until Monday. Three times in the House
the Democrats caught the Republicans
| mapping and forced them to produce
| quorum. On one other occasion a vote by
| tellers disclosed the absence of a quorum.
but Speaker Cannon peremptorily applied
| the Reed rule and declared a quorum to
| be present. Both the army and the fort:-
| fcations appropriation bills were sent to
| conference: the Senate bill to increase the
efficiency of the revenue cutter service
| was, with Democratic help, passed. and
| the bill to promote the safe transportation
| in interstate commerce of explosives was
considered. The Democrats prevented the
| adoption of the conference report on the
| Indian appropriation bill and caused it to
| be sent back to conference.
| ." -
The Senate was not in session Friday.
| Instead of interminable roll calls and
| clashes of party leaders on questions of
| parliamentary law in the House, there
was an orderly session devoted almost en-
| tirely to the consideration of the naval
| appropriation bill. Chairman Foss of Illi-
| nois and Mr.. Padgett of Tennessee made
| exhaustive speeches justifying the action
of the committee in reporting what they
| characterized as a conservative naval pro-
gram for the next fiscal year. Messrs.
| Favrot of Louisiana and McKinlay and
Knowland, California, pleaded for a navy
| of such size as to be capable of uphold
| ing at al lines the honor of the country
at home and abroad, while Mr.. Bartholdt
Of Missouri advocated halt in naval in
crease and the substitution for 1t of arbi-
| tration in matters of international dis
putes. Consideration of the bill had ND
been concluded when the House took
recess until IL 80 Saturday.
The Senate was not in session Satur
day. Debate on the naval appropriation
| bill in the House resolved itself into
| discussion of the possibilities of war
| between the United States and Japan.
Mr.. Hobson of Alabama pleaded for four
battle ships instead of two for the next
| fiscal year. A war between the yellow
! and the white races he regarded as inev-
| TABLE and he asserted that Japan's pres
| ent military activity was with view to
| the supremacy of the Pacific, and as a
| natural consequence there would be
| clash at arms with The United States. On
the. other hand, Mr.. Burton, Ohio, and
| W. w Kitch1n, North Carolna, disputed
| that contention, each of them avowing
that the clash would not come, but that
tho Limited States should remain in the
forefront OF modern civilization as the ex-
ponent of peace.
The brief session of the Senate Mon.
| day was devoted to the transaction of
routine business and the delivery of
| speech by Senator Scott of West Vir-
ginia, urging adequate appropriations for
| public buildings so that official business
may be transacted with the greatest eff
cheney and economy. When the naval
| bill was laid aside for the day in the
| House it had been one-half disposed of.
| The hopes of the officers of the navy and
marine corps for an increase in pay were
dashed to the ground when, on a point of
order by Mr.. Madden of Illinois, there
was stricken from the bill the provision
for such increase. On a similar point by
Mr.. Mudd of Maryland, an amendment
| by Mr.. Bartholdt of Missouri prohibiting
naval or marine bands accepting private
employment in competition with civilian
| musicians was lost.
The two features of interest in the
Senate Tuesday were the speech of Sem
ator Foraker on the Brownsville affair
and the Presidents message advocating
the building of four more battle ships.
The delivery of the speech and the read
ing of the message consumed practically
the entire time of the session. The ex-
pected fight in the House over the ques-
ton whether there shall be two or four
battle ships authorized for the coming
year did not materialize, while the naval
appropriation bill was under considera-
ton. Instead. most of the session was
| devoted to a lively debate in regard to
naval stations in the Philippines. The
sum of 100000, as recommended by the
committee for improving and developing
the naval station at Olongapo, Subig Bay,
was allowed to stand. The special mes
sage from President Roosevelt urging
four battle ships elected loud applause.
The naval bill was not concluded when
the House took a recess until II 80
| Wednesday,
49, "..
The Senate devoted its entire time
| Wednesday to considering bills on the
| calendar. Among the measures passed
were those suppressirg betting on races
and games of various kinds in the Dis
| trict of Columbia, providing for the pur-
chase of land between Pennsylvania ave
nue. and the Mall in Washington as sites
| for government buildings, creating a bison
| range in Montana, and enlarging home
steads on non-irrigable lands. The
| swamp land reclamation bill was con
| sdered for time and was made the un-
| finished business of the Senate. The
| House devoted the entire session to the
navy increase provision of the naval APP