Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1893 — DOINGS OF CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

DOINGS OF CONGRESS.

measures Considered and ACTED UPON. At the Nation’s Capital—What Is Being Done by the Senate and Bouse—Old Hatters Disposed Of and New Ones Considered. The Senate and House. The House Tuesday made fair progress with one of the great appropriation bills. That legislative bill appropriates upward of $21,500,000. Aside from a review of the condition of the treasury by Messrs. Dingley and Dockery—divergent views—and an attack on the civil-service law by Mr. Dearmond the proceedings were uninteresting. Senator Chandler managed to give a political twist to the debate In the Senate on the automatic-coupler bilk He brought up a resolution In the National Democratic platform which denounces the Republican party and the Republican Senate for not having provided legislation for the protection of railroad employes, and he insisted that the position of so many Democratic Senators against the bill was 'nconsistent with their party fealty. He twitted them with the fact that only seven of them had voted to take up the bill for the repeal of the Sherman act, knowing the declaration of the National DemocratlcCon ventlon on the subject of silver, and knowing the entreaties of the President-elect to have the Sherman act repealed before March 4. Mr. Wolcott, while arguing against the automaticcoupler bill, said that no other Senator than Mr. Chandler could have found a political advantage In It. After a great deal of talk back and forth no action was taken on the bllL On Wednesday the Senate resumed consideration of the rallwuy car-coupler hill. Mr. Peffer took exception to some remarks made by Mr. Wolcott, reflecting, as Mr. Peffer thought, oa the farmers and workingmen of the country, and he hoped that the bill would pass, no matter how much It might cost the railway companies. He had no qualms of conscience on that point Mr. Gorman argued that the organization of railway employes could accomplish more In the way of Improvement than all the legislation that could be piled on the statute book. Mr. Cullom declared it had got to he a question whether Congress would put money against the blood of railroad employes, and whether money was more valuable than the lives of these men. Various amendments were offered, but without action the Senate, after an executive session, adjourned. The Speaker laid before the House the House quarantine hill, with Senate amendment, and Mr. Raynor moved a concurrenca A few moments before 1 o’clock Doorkeeper Turner announced the presence of the Vice President and Senate of iho United States, and the vast assemblage rose with one accord to do them honor. The Vice President took the chair assigned to him at the right of the Speaker, and the Senators occupied the first four rows of the seats to the right of the presiding officer. The counting, of the electoral vote was then proceeded with, and at Its completion the Senate returned to Its own hall. When the Senate retired the House resumed In committee the consideration of the legislative appropriation hill. Without disposing of the bill the commltteo and the House adjourned. Thursday was silver day in the House, and the friends of silver were victorious In the fight by a majority of a They sustained tho demand for the previous question on the i-esolutlon setting apart Thursday and Friday for the consideration of the bill repealing the Sherman act. The whole of the day's session of the Senate after the morning hour was devoted to a discussion of the railway automatic car-coupler hill. At noon the Senate went into executive session. rg'.d the doors remained closed for more that* half an hour. When they wore reopened the unfinished business, the automatic car-coupler bill, was taken up, but. without concluding tho consideration of the hill the Senate adiourned. The time of the House Friday was taken up by the pension debate. The hill proposes an expenditure of 5160.000.000, a cut of $0,000,000 from what was asked. Mr. Mutckler argued In support of the changes in the pension laws recommended by the committee. There were, he said, thousands and many thousands of men who were on the pension rolls to-day who had never heard tho whistle of the bullet or yet tho roar of artillery. Mr. Grout admitted that the amount of money required for the payment of pensions was p large one. But it must be remembered that the hulk of It was for invalid veterans or for the widows of men who had lain down their lives for their country. He was opposed to the transfer of the Pension Bureau as proposed by the bill. Without closing the general debate the committee rose and the House took a recess. The debate In the Senate on the automatic carcoupler bill was not of an enlivening or even an Interesting character. The Vice President presented the memorial of the Chicago Chamber of Commerce favoring the anexatlon of the Hawaiian Islands, and It was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. The bill 1o provide for sundry lighthouses and other aids to navigation was passed as It camo from tho House. The calendar was taken up and several minor hills were passed. The conference report on the bill to restoro to the public domain a portion of the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation was presented and agreed to, and the Senate adjourned. The bill to promr.tj the safety of employes and travelers upon railroads by compelling railroad companies to equip their cars with automatic couplers and continuous brakes, and their locomotives with driving-wheel brakes, was finally disposed of In Die fena'e Saturday. The substitute for the House hill of last session was agreed to and the bill passed—yeas, 39; nays. 10. Tho only other Important piece of legislation done was the agreeing to the conference report on the fortifications hill and making the Nicaragua Canal hill the unfinished business. The session of the House was not without interest, hut It was without result. The attempt of the Democrats to limit the time for debate on the pension appropriation bill was firmly resisted by the Republicans, and the strong minority came out victorious. The result was that, without termination of general debate, tho House adjourned. The Senate chaplain bad the unique experience Monday morning of beginning his prayer for a legislative body not a single member of which was present to get the benefit of D. Ia the course of half an hour there were enough Senators present to constitute a quorum. The Senate refused to consider the New Mexico Statehood bill In the morning hour—yeas. 14; nays 30. Senator Cullom Introduced a joint resolution to transfer to the State of Illinois at the close of the Columbian Exposition the naval exhibit of the United States Government as a naval armory for the use of the naval militia of Illinois, and asked to have it considered and passed. Senator Cockrell objected, saying that, this was simply the entering wedge for Chicago to get everything that would bo sent there for exhibition. The resolution was referred to the committee on naval affairs. Tho Senate then took up Ihe Nicaragua Caual bill and Senator Frye addressed tha Senate in support of the measure.