Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-02-10
WORK OF
CONGRESS
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So-~NI~-~~~I~~O~0~
The Senate was not in session Sat.
urday. A large number of pension bills
were passed and by the decisive vote
of AZ to 103 the House refused to in.
crease the pension of Julia B. Coghlan,
widow of the late Rear Admiral COgh-
| Ian, U. S. N, from $50 month, as rec
commended by the Committee on Pen.
sions, to 800, as proposed in an
amendment offered by Representative
Olcott Of New York. Consideration OF
a bill to prohibit the importation of
opium except for medical purposes was
| prevented by Mr.. Payne OF New York
on the ground that such action would
reduce the national revenue $1OOO,OO0
a month and would not lessen the Use
of the drug. At o'clock the House
adjourned until Sunday when memo
rial services were held for the late
Representative Dunwell of New York.
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The postal savings bank and the
omnibus claims bill were before the
Senate Monday for discussion and
ress was made on either measure. An
amendment was made to the postal
bill limiting to $500 the amount of the
deposits of any one person and fixing
the rate of interest to be paid at 2
per cent, with the understanding that
the amendment would be subject to
further change by the Senate. The
urgent deficiency bill was passed. Leg
islatiOn affecting the District of Co
lumbia was considered by the House
An interesting feature of the day was
a tribute paid by Mr.. Boutell of I'LL
nOis to the herOism of John r. Binns,
the wireless operator aboard the
steamship Republic recently in COLI
sion with the Florida.
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A speech by Senator Davis of Arkan-
sas, favOring legislation to prevent
dealings by exchanges in futures in
products of the soil, and maiden
speech by Senator Cummins of Iowa
against the passage of the postal saw
ings bank bill as reported to the Sen
ate by the Committee on Post Offices
and Post Roads were the features in
the Senate Tuesday. Mr.. Cummins
spoke in favor of the deposit of postal
savings in State and Territorial banks.
The Senate voted to purchase an oil
portrait of the late Senator Allison of
Iowa. A sensational and bitter attack
on William Nelson Cromwell and Pres
ident Obaldia of Panama and others
by Mr.. Rainey of Illinois was made
in the House of Representatives. The
post office appropriation bill was under
consideration, but Mr.. Rainey spoke
under license of general debate, and he
was unsparing in his charges of cor
ruptiOn and fraud against the persons
named. At the conclusion of his
speech, which consumed over an hour
and a half, Messrs. Stevens of Mime,
sofa and Kustermann of Wisconsin ex-'
pressed their disapproval OF his re-
marks and entered defense of the ac-
cused. During the morning hour the
House passed joint resolution making
Feb. u. 1909, which marks the one
hundredth anniversary of the birth Of
When the House adjourned the post
office bill was still pending.
-
A short legislative session Of the SEN
ate devoted to routine morning business
was brought to an abrupt close Wednes-
day by motion to go into executive
session to consider the Canadian water
ways treaty. Senators desiring to con-
slider various pending measures resist
ed the wish of the majority to dispose
of this treaty and yea and nay vote
was required to close the doors for ex-
ecutive business. The treaty was not
disposed of. Proceedings in the House
began with the adoption of the special
committee report recommending the ex-
punging from the record of the recent
speech of Mr.. Willett of New York, de-
mandatory of President Roosevelt
Then during further consideration Of
the pOstoftice appropriation bill the
charges made by Mr.. Rainey affecting
Panama Canal affairs cropped out
again with the result that Mr.. Weeks
OF Massachusetts entered a defense OF
Senator Locke, while Mr.. Rainey reit-
Grated his statements regarding the
purchase of two ships at the instance
of the Massachusetts Senator. The
postoffice appropriation bill was amend
ed in several particulars, the most i'm
portant being the transferring of 500
assistant superintendent, clerks, etc,
of stations from the $1,000 to the ST.
100 class, while the provision for the
payment of necessary expenses of divis-
ion superintendent, railway mail
clerks and others while away from
headquarters was stricken out AS
amended the bill was passed, carrying
an annrorriatiOn of over S2S4 O(0 90