| Show i CONTRACTORS T DEyDEATH Congressman Lewis Would Try Them For Treason 4 POISONED SOLDIERS AND AIDED THE ENEMY 0 4 Greedy Corporations That Fattened During the War 4 Terrific Arraignment of the Army Contractors Who Refused to Bid Against Each Other and Robbed the GovernmentGrosvenor Rashly Rash-ly Replica and Was Held Up to Eidicule Payne Succeeds Ding ley as Republican Leader + Washington Jan OThe proceedings proceed-ings In the house were enlivened In a wordy debate between Mr Grosvenor of Ohio and llr Lewis the picturesque member from Washington During the discussion on a private bill to refer to the court of claims the claim ot Cramp Sons the Philadelphia shipbuilders for damages from the government for delays incident to the building of the warships New York Massachusetts Indiana and Columbia due to the failure fail-ure of the government to deliver armor slate and other materials for these ships on time Mr Lewis got the floor Mr Lewis made the bill the text for a general attack on army and navy contractors con-tractors whom he charged with being traitors for taking advantage of the necessities of the government In time of stress Mr Simpson the Kansas Populist followed along the same lines and Mr Grosvenor undertook to rebuke them both Mr Lewis In his reply made one of the wittiest speeches ridiculing the Ohioan for his alleged pretensions thai has been heard in the house for month Just before the recess in the afternoon after-noon Speaker Reed put an end to the speculation regarding the chairmanship chairman-ship of the ways and means committee by appointing Mr Payne Rep KY to the vacancy caused by the death of Mr Dingley This carries with it the floor leadership of the majority At the same time he filled the vacancis In the minority representation on wa > 5 and means and rules caused by the retirement of Mr McMiHIn by appointing appoint-ing Mr Richardson of Tennessee to both places Mr Crumpacker of Indiana Indi-ana was appointed on census An arrangement was made for the consideration of the army reorganization reorganiza-tion bill beginning next Tuesday Fifteen Fif-teen hours are to bajUlfBved for general gen-eral deh ate exclusive night sessions uesuay Wednesday and Thursday nights A night session was held tonight f ° r pension legislation and the house then adjourned over until Monday When the house met today the pend ing question was on the motion of Mr Swanson to recommit the postofflce appropriation ap-propriation bill with instructions to strike from the paragraph appropriating appropriat-ing 300000 for mail facilities in Cuba I Puerto Rico and the Philippines the words newly acquired territory The Democrats opposed this language To I avoid a roll call which had been ordered I or-dered Mr Loud in charge of the bill I asked unanimous consent that the I words bo stricken out as they were unnecessary There was no objection and the bill passed The first bill considered was for the relief of William Cramp Sons of Philadelphia I Phil-adelphia It referred to the court of i claims the claims of this company for damages and losses alleged to be due for delay caused by the government In the supply of armor and other material TRAITOROUS CONTRACTORS The history of the claim was thoroughly thor-oughly exhausted during the debate hich Mr Lewis Dem Wash en ivened by making the bill the text of a general attack on the methods of gov rLment contractors During the war with Spain when the country was confronted con-fronted with an enemy from without traitors he said threatened it fran thin These contractors who should have upheld the government in the I hour of its peril he declared declined o bId against each other In some ases they had furnished he said rotten rot-ten and decayed food which had been prepared for the ChineseJapanese ar It was mussed and blue autrid nd corrupt but was sent to our svil ders at the front and they aerlshed Jrcm it and from the plague These men had earned the Ignominy hand h-and contempt of congress If he were ittorney general he should arraign before be-fore the grand juries of his country those who had furnished poisoned food to the army those who had sold armor plate to the pnemy and those who had sold coal for the use of the enemys ileets and he would convict them of treason and have them shot as Nape eon did or have them Imprisoned as Grant did Mr Simpson Pop Kan remarked upon the peculiarity which always secured se-cured a hearing for large claims in the house bill and which always kept l the modest but often meritorious claims in the background In conclusion Mr Simpson said he had no complaint to iiake against the members from Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania who were pressing this bilL He readily understood their position Men were not elected to congress in Pennsylvania They were selected by corporations and they were compelled to carry out the wishes of these corporations cor-porations They must do that to hold their jobs said he amid laughter GROSVE ORS REPLY Mr Grosvenor Rep 0 repljng to Mr Simpson recalled the tact that this gentleman who so vigorous attacked jorporations was yesterday i > n the floor advocating a coldbhwd clean cut contribution to one of these soulless soul-less conscienceless corporations which is the Populist so delighted to StY defied de-fied the laws against trusts He referred re-ferred to the appropriation of SJ5000 for fast mail facilities from Kansas City to Newton Kan in the Pustoflke appropriation bill Mr Simpson interrupted to say that the railroad which was to receive the appropriation did not ask it The ap niCDriatlon was for the benefit if the leople of western Kansas not the railroad rail-road readMr Grosvenor amid laurh r expressed ex-pressed his great amazenHrt that the gentleman had sought to gu i t j a cor pi ration that which it did n t irt Mr Grosvenor prcced te s ak of he effect of the reject n f th p ace treaty It w c aId he si3 > L f the country again iitn a f r > We have not had quite graces enough to suit the ancient methods nor widows enough to satisfy the feelings of those who desire preclpitatens again into a bootless war + J y f Does the gentleman contend That It the treaty falls we will be at war with I Spain asked Mr Carmack Dem I Ten I I do replied air Grosvcnor A 4 truce now exists The failure of the treaty would leave u exactly where I we were the day before the protocol vis signed Mr Carmack recalled the fact that I the treaty with Mexico was not adopted adopt-ed a It was sent to the senate and he 1 tried to force from the gentleman from I Ohio the statement that the failure of I the treaty would be followed by a resumption 1 re-sumption of hostilities He contended that Spain would accept any terms we I made Mr Grosvenor claimed there was no authority for such 1 statement and i charged that the deathof every volunteer J volun-teer soldier who would be mustered out the moment the treaty would be rati 1 fP should be laid a the door of those 1 who contributed to the defeat ot the A trcstir t t 1 A LIVELY EXCHANGE fl The death of every soldier In the Philippines henceforth declared Mr 1 Carmack wU be laid at the doors of I those who are now the ar prosecuting war against applause the Philippines Democratic I How would you meet the situation I I would sail away from Manila and I never look back Renewed Democratic Demo-cratic aDDlause And all the world would brand you a a coward retorted Mr Grosvenor to the accompaniment of a burst of Republican Re-publican applause The brand should go on the back of the administration declared Mr Car mack for waging a causeless and unprovoked I I un-provoked war to destroy the liberties of the people of the Philippine islands Democratic arralause I belong to a party responded Mr Grosvenor that has always upheld the cause of liberty I thought the party belonged to you interjected Mr Carmack And I belong to a party continued Mr Grosvenor not noticing the Interruption Inter-ruption that has never pulled down me flag of liberty You contend then said Mr Ca mack sarcastically that the liberty of those islands was due to the Republican Repub-lican party and that the Republican party proposes to collect tnat liberty and own It 1 I desire to know Interrupted Mr Bailey Dem Tex If this new cru I vide against liberty is to be lberty a compan i ion piece of the presidents recent declamation dec-lamation about decorating the graves of confederate soldiers In the graves of the noble men who fought In a mistaken cause replied Mr Grosvenor was burled the opposition oppo-sition t the Republican cause of liberty lib-erty and It Is proper that the leader of the Republican party should have made that generous suggestion Republican Repub-lican applause IMPALED BY LEWIS Mr Lewis replied to Mr Grosvenor in a twentyminute speech He convulsed con-vulsed the Democrats with laughter at I the expense of the veteran Ohioan and repeatedly drew from them rounds of applause He referred to Mr Grosvenor a the security of liberty and the de lender of the honor of his country He I did not wonder at the applause Mr Grosvenors speech had evoked from ills colleagues i naa neen maue many times and was entitled to recognition on account of Its antiquity But he said Mr Grosvenor had now wDea in a new role He had undertaken to warn the United States senate of its duty and to portray the terrible bloodshed blood-shed and devastation which would follow fol-low Its failure to act in accordance with his Ideas The United States wIh Idea Unted senate sen-ate had been solemnly warned that if i did not ratify the treaty It would hear from the gentleman from Ohio maln In concluding Mr Lewis expressed his regret that the service of so distinguished dis-tinguished and able an advocate should always be enlisted on the side of those who in time of peace under the plea of patriotism asked bounties and free gifts but who In time of the national iiciil and stress took advantage of the governments necessities Mr Grosvenor declined to make an xtended reply to the gentleman from Washington The speaker announced the appointment appoint-ment of Mr Payne < Rep NY to the chairmanship of the committee on ways and men to succeed Mr Dingley Ir Richardson Dem Tenn on ways and means and rules to succeed Mr McMillin and Mr Crumpacker Rep Ind on C sus to succeed Mr Hooker of Xew York At 430 p m the house recessed until 8 clock the evening session to be devoted de-voted to private pension legislation |
