Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 February 1896 — SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS. A Week’s Proceedings in the Halle ol Congress—lmportant Measures Discussed and Acted Upon—An Impartial Resume of the Business. The National Solon*. The belated House tariff bill emerged from the Finance Committee in tbe Senate Tuesday, and it had a free-silver substitute attached, by a majority report of one in committee. No definite action was taken. Minor business was transacted in the House, and the balance of the session was devoted to heated controversy over appropriations for private and sectarian charitable institutions in the District of Columbia. The Senate spent Wednesday in fruitless debate upon the tariff-silver bill. Id the House Delegate Catron (N. M.) introduced a hill to prevent the pugilistic festival from taking place near El Paso, and the measure was nrshed through without division. The bill makes prize fighting a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for not less than one year. Mr. Catron asked for unanimous consent foi consideration, but Mr. Knox (Rep., Mass.) objected and the bill was referred, but subsequently was taken up and passed. The measure also prohibits bull fights. The House also began its debate on the Senate free-eoinage bond bili. The Catron anti-prize fight lull passedthe Senate Thursday. The law becomes executive from the moment it is signed by the President, and all persons must at their peril take cognizance of its eiK actment. The Senate free-eoinage substitute for the House bond bill was debated five hours in the House in the afternoon and for three hours at the night session. Nevertheless the pressure from members for time to present their views is so great that it seems possible now that the debate may continue indefinitely. The House Friday was in an uproar most of the time because of a tilt between Talbert of South Carolina and Barrett oi Massachusetts, over the former’s defense of secession. A resolution of censure failed of adoption, 200 to 71. The bond bill debate consumed the evening session. The Senate chose Mr. Frye president pro tern, and passed a bill opening the forest reservations of Colorado for the location of mining claims. A resolution offered by Mr. Stewart was agreed to calling on the Secretary of the Treasury for information as to the estimated increase in revenue if the pending tariff bill becomes a law, anfl what the duty on wool per pound would he under the law based on the present market price of wool. The resolution contemplating a reform in handling appropriation bills by distributing them among the several committees was referred, for report next December. Senate adjourned until Monday. The House debate Saturday upon the Senate’s free coinage substitute for the bond hill was very spirited. Mr. Towne, a Minnesota Republican, claimed the attention of the House and galleries for over an hour with an eloquent effort on behalf of free coinage. Mr. Hali, a Democrat from Missouri, on the other hand, announced his conversion to “sound money” in a rather sensational speech, in which he charged that eight Senators who voted for free coinage, according to “credible information,” had privately said that they believed free coinage would bring upon this country national and individual bankruptcy and ruin. He charged them with trying to “feather their nests at home” and declared that the greatest sin of the present age was the cowardice of statesmen. He also declared that a high officer of the administration had said that the silver agitation had already cost the Government $202,000,000 iu bond issues, and in the course of the next twelve months the bond issues would increase to $1,000,000,000. Mr. Hall voted for free coinage in the last Congress. The National Game, Bird and Fish Protective Association has prepared a bill, which will soon be introduced in both houses of Congress. Except to appoint definite time for the hearing of several important matters, the Senate did nothing Monday except wrangle over resolutions and amendments con eeruirig the Monroe doctrine. The House continued debate of the bond hill.