Democratic Sentinel, Volume 21, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 July 1897 — WORK OF CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

WORK OF CONGRESS.

THE WEEK’S DOINGS IN SENATE AND HOUSE. A Comprehensive Digest of the Proceedings in the Legislative Chambers at Washington —Matters that Concern the People. Lawmakers at Labor. The Senate was in a deadlock for several hours Wednesday, with business at a standstill, while calls of the Senate, roll calls and other parliamentary expedients were resorted to. It was due to the effort to secure action on the resolutions of Mr. Harris of Kansas, designed to prevent the disposal of the Government lien on the t cion Pacific Railway under the terms of an alleged agreement. No final vote on the motion was secured. It finally went over. In the House Mr. Henderson of lowa asked unanimous consent for the consideration of a joint resolution to permit the erection of a temporary studio on the future site of the statue of Gen. Sherman, for the erection of which a contract has been made. The resolution was adopted. Mr. Cannon moved nun-concurrence in the Senate amendment to the general deficiency bill. The motion prevailed, and Messrs. Cannon, Northway and Sayers were appointed conferees. Mr. Stewart moved in the Senate Thursday a reconsideration of the action of the Senate in passing the resolution directing the Secretary of War to proceed in the construction of a breakwater at San Pedro. Cal. It reopened the longstanding controversy over the location of a deep water harbor on the Pacific coast and led to an exciting debate between Mr. Stewart and Mr. White of California. The motion to reconsider was disagreed to. Mr. Thurston, chairman of the Committee on International Expositions, secured the passage of the joint resolution accepting the invitation of the French republic to take part in the international exposition at Paris in 1900. Mr. Tillman secured the passage of the bill in relation to the interstate transportation of distilled spirits and declaring such spirits to be subject to State laws to the same extent as spirits distilled in the State. The House did nothing. In the Senate Friday the Harris resolution relating to the Union Pacific Railroad was further discussed. The conference report on the deficiency appropriation bill was considered. Mr. Hale said the price of armor plate was not included in the report. Nothing had been done on that subject except that the Senate conferees had stated positively that the Senate would not consider any sum over S3OO for armor. The report was agreed to and a further conference ordered. Mr. Morgan secured the adoption of a resolution requesting the President for information as to the arrest of Alfred O. H. Hugnet, a citizen of the United States, by the Spanish authorities at Havana Sept. 6, 1896. On motion of Mr. Pettigrew of South Dakota the bill was passed to give the consent of Congress to a compact entered into between the States of South Dakota and Nebraska respecting the boundary between said States. The House agreed to the partial conference report on the general deficiency bill and then concurred in the Senate amendment fixing the limit of cost of armor plate for the three battle-ships now building at S3OO per ton. The conference report on the tariff bill was adopted by the House shortly after midnight Monday by a vote of 185 to 118. This eclipses all previous records. The result was accomplished after twelve hours of continuous debate. But two speeches were made by the Republicans, one by Mr. Dingley in opening the debate and one by Mr. Payne of New York in closing it. In all ten Democratic and one Populist speeches were made. The sugar schedule was the main point of assault. Every Republican in the House who was present voted for the report. The Democrats, with five exceptions, voted against the report. The exceptions were Slayden of Texas, Broussard of Louisiana, Meyor of Louisiana, Davey of Louisiana and Kleberg of Texas. An analysis of the vote shows that 180 Republicans and five Democrats voted for the report, and 10t» Democrats and twelve Populists against it. The tariff conference report was presented to the Senate Tuesday, but little progress was made on it beyond the formal reading of about two-thirds of the report. Mr. Tillman openly threatened a filibuster until next December if cotton bagging and cotton ties were not restored to the free list, but the threat was regarded as somewhat facetious. The sugar amendments occasioned a long debate, and the lumber amendment also brought out animated criticism from Senators Teller and Pettigrew. Early in the day the Senate passed a joint resolution authorizing n.nd requesting the President to take all necessary steps for the release of the Competitor prisoners from prison at Havana. Representative Mitchell of New Yoik has introduced a bill in the House to establish a currency reserve fund for the redemption of United States and treasury notes of 1890. The fund shall aggregate at the start $150,000,000, of which not over $100,000,000 shall consist of gold and the remainder of United States treasury notes. The fund shall be added to from time to time as the treasury’s cash balance exceeds $75,000,000, but shall never aggregate more than $200,000,000. 'The fund shall be used to redeem United States and treasury notes, which shall not be reissued, except in exchange for gold, to be deposited in the reserve fund.