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Show J i Resolved to X : Cut War taxes I Washington, May 23. The house t6-day t6-day adopted the resolution to allow the I committee on ways and means to sit J during the recess of congress for the j purpose of framing a bill for the reduc-i reduc-i lion of the war revenues, and the reso-I reso-I lution for a sine die adjournment on June 6. .-";-' ! The Democrats insisted. that congress ! should reduce the war taxes at the ' present session, but Mr. Payne," the j majority leader, said the treasury fig- tiros showed that the refunding of the bonds now going on would practically wipe out the surplus -for this fiscal i year. He contended that- ft; would" bo unsafe to reduce the taxes at this time. Mr. Richardson of Tennessee-, the minority leader,' declared emphatically that congress duglit not to .adjourn until un-til some provision had been made for i the reduction of the war taxes. The j j report of the secretary of the treasury j j showed that the surplus at the end of j I the fiscal year would be $90,000,000. The j j gentleman from New York might jug- ; ! gle figures, but he could not get away j from the fact that the secretary of the treasury said there would be a vn;t ' surplus June CO. Mr. Richardson said i i he was in favor of repealing the tr:: : 1 on beer. (Democratic applause.) I Mr. Silver (N. V.) declared that the I Republicans never intended to rer--?;:l i the war revenue act, and were planning plan-ning politics. Mr. Grosvenor (O.) called attention to the straits to which the government govern-ment had sometimes been put by failure of confidence in administrations, administra-tions, and of the situation that arose in 1S94 when a Democratic secretary of the treasury asked congress for power to borrow $200,000,000 to meet current expenditures. Contingencies must be guarded against. If there was any assurance that the present regime would continue,, congress would proceed pro-ceed with more confidence. "We can give no such assurances," observed Mr. Richardson. (Democratic (Democrat-ic laughter.) The adjournment resolution was adopted without division. The house passed without division the extradition bill framed by the judiciary ju-diciary committee, but only after a debate in which considerable political rancor was aroused. There was no division di-vision of sentiment as to the duty of congress to pass a bill to permit th? extradition of Neeley, but the Democrats' Demo-crats' objected to the language of the bill, which covered "any foreign country coun-try or territory, or part thereof, occupied occu-pied by the United States." The Democrats wanted the bill to apply- specifically to Cuba, contending that the broader language assumed the possibilities of further acquisitions by the United States of a character similar sim-ilar to that of Cuba. A motion to recommit re-commit with instructions to change the language was defeated by a strict Dartv vote. Mr. De Armond (Mo.) unsuccessfully endeavored to offer an amendment to the bill. He then launched into a bit- j ter and scathing denunciation of the "peculation and wholesale robbery proceeding pro-ceeding with the rapid exploitation of imperialism in Cuba." He said the disease dis-ease might not be confined to Cuba, but might exist elsewhere, where it was contended the constitution did not extend, but where only arbitrary power pow-er "controlled, dominated, plundered and disgraced." Mr. Cannon (111.) supported the bill. Mr. Lanham (Tex.) said the United Slates occupied such a fiduciary and confidential relation toward Cubans that the utmost endeavors should be used to secure absolute faith and the fullest integrity in our relations with Cuba. A motion to recommit was lost. De- j bate being cut off by Mr. Ray calling for the previous question, the bill was passed without division. The postoffice appropriation bill was sent to conference. The senate bill to provide a collector of customs at Honolulu, at a salary of $6,000 a year . and deputies, was passed. It was arranged that the house should meet daily at -11 o'clock until the Alaskan code bill was disposed dis-posed of. The blind chaplain, in his invocation in the house today, rather startled the house by referring to the Cuban frauds which he said brought the blush of shame to the cheeks of every true American. "We pray," he continued, "that the culprit will be brought to speedy justice jus-tice that we may give an object lesson to the 'world in dealing with perfidy and fraud." |