Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 March 1894 — THE NATION’S SOLONS. [ARTICLE]

THE NATION’S SOLONS.

SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Our National Uw-Maktn and What They Are Doing for the Good ot the CountryVarious Measure. Proposed, Discussed, and Acted Cpon. Doings of Con grass Tbs President transmitted some additional Hawaiian correspondence to tbs House Thursday morning. The Senate bill to amend the act to establish the Smithsonian Institution was passed. The conference report on the urgency deficiency bill was presented by Mr. Ayres and agreed to. Mr. R chardson, ot Tennessee, from the joint commission on expenditures In the executive departments, called up the bill to reform the method of accounting and auditing In the customs department of the treasury. The bill abolishes the office of Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of Customs The discussion over the bill took a wide range and was participated in by Messrs. Baker. Henderson. Hepburn. Cannon and Dockery. Tbs bill was passed. The House then went Into committee of the whole for the consideration of the District of Columbia appropriation bill and, after debate, adjourned. The Senate in executive session confirmed a lot of postmasters in Kansas, Illinois. Michigan and lowa In the House Friday, after transacting some business of minor Importance, the Houre wont into Committee of the Whole for further consideration of the District of Columbia bill. In the course ot debate Mr. Kilgore denounced the District nress as subservient to all jobs in the District to plunder the Treasury. At 3 o’clock the debate closed and voting took place on various amendments Without completing the consideration ot the bill the House took a recess until 8 o’clock, the evening session to be devoted to private pension bills The night session was devoted to the passage of individual pensions and at 10:23 the House adjourned. In the Senate Mr. Peffer introduced a resolution for an investigation Into the Senatorial sugar speculation. The Bonse bill authorizing a bridge over the East River between New York and Long Island passed without objection. A bill was passed appropriating $200,000 to pay the damages resulting to persons who went upon the Crow Creek and Winnebago Indian Reservation in South Dakota between Feb. 17 and 27, 188 i Then came up the Bland seigniorage bill as unfinished business, which occupied the rest of the day. The House completed the consideration of the District of Columbia appropriation bill Saturday, and passed it after defeating the final 'effort of Mr. de Armond to reduce the share of expenses of the District to be borne by the geneeral government The debate was devoid of all general interest. After an unsuccessful effort on the part of Mr. Sayers, chairman of the appropriation committee, to reach an agreement as to the limit of the general debate on the sundry civil appropriation bill, the House adjourned.

Tuesday in the House was devoted entirely to the consideration of a bill relating to the extension of the time for allowing a street railroad company in Washington to change its system of motive power. The debate rapidly drifted into a discussion of the merits of the cable and the underground electric system, and it was boldly charged that the General Electric and Westinghouse Companies, which held stock In almost all the overhead trolley lines, bad retained all the prominent electric engineers in the country and would not spare money to prevent a practical demonstration of the feasibility of the underground electric road now in operation at Buda Pesth and for a short distance on the outskirts of Washington. To prevent this Mr. Wall proposed to restrict the motive system to be used by the Metropolitan Road to underground electric. No conclusion was reached. In the Senate Senator Gallinger presented nn. amendment intended to be proposed by him to the tariff bill providing that the act shall become operative, so far as importations from Canada are concerned, only by proclamation of the President. The proclamation is to be Issued npon conditions specified. Senator Peffer Introduced an independent tariff bill in the Senate amending the McKinley law in various particulars. His resolution for an investigation as to whether Senators had teen speculating in Wall street was defeated in the Senate. proceedings in the Senate Tuesday were ot an extremely uainterostlng character. Without the intervention of any morning business, except the presentation of a few petitions and the introduction of some unimportant bills, the Senate took up the discussion of the seigniorage bllL Senators Stewart and Lindsay spoke in favor and Mr. Dolph suoke In opposition to it. holding that its passage would destroy the existing equality between gold and silver. Mr. Stewart was unwilling to have the bill amended, for he believed that. to return it to the House would be fatal to It Mr. Stewart delivered a silver speech along the line of fits wellknown theprles. No definite action was taken. The House began the consideration of the bill making appropriations for the sundry civil expenses ot the Government, and fair progress was made. Only three amendments of any importance were adopted, one appropriating $43,500 for lighting Hay Lake Channel, another of $64,000 for the public building at Buffalo, and another of $30,000 for repairing the postoffice at New York. The latter was fought by the Appropriation Committee. The only other amendment of importance was one made by Morse (Rep, Mass.) to cut off the appropriation fcr the Interstate Commerce Commission. This amendment was overwhelmingly defeated.