The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-05-24
WASHINGTON.
Speculation on Adjournment of Csngres

Special to the Sentinel:
WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE business of
The House Committee OH Appropriations is
now, as it nearly always has been at
this period of the season, the key
to the adjournment of Congress. In
other words adjournment depends,
in an almost absolute degree, upon
the disposition of business before this Com
mittee. Your correspondent learned that
there are yet before the Committee the pen
sion appropriation bill, deficiency. sundry
civil, legislative and judicial and the naval
bills The first four have been passed upon
and are ready to report to the House, while
nothing has been done with the latter bill.
When these bills will be reported to the
House depends altogether on how much
work The Republican party wants to do be-
fore adjournment. There VIII likely be no
delay about the passage of these five bills,
excepting the legislative and judi
cial, upon which there is always a
considerable discussion. There have been
passed upon by this Committee. reported to
uShe House. and again to the Senate, the
river and harbor, consular and diplomatic
military academy, postoffice, war, fortihca-
.tpn, District of Columbia, agricultural and
fhe Indian appropriation bills. These
'have all passed the Senate, excepting the
army and District of Columbia. There is
nothing of any Importance upon the
calendar of the Senate. That body is
simply passing time on House work
OF iDconsequental importance, and when
these appropriation bills, which have not
yet emerged from the House Appropriation
Committee, pass the House, the Senate will
rush them through in hurry, and then ad-
journment on both branches is imminent.
1t is generally believed that the Elections
Committee OF the House will occupy most
of the time before adjournment The time
to be consumed by the election contest cases
is variously estimated at from two to three
weeks there being four or five contests to
dispose of. Considerable time, of course,
will be consumed by work that will be
dove-tailed IN between these more important
issues, and the outlook now is, as has been
anticipated in these dispatches, that an
adjournment will be reached about July l.
The appropriation bills. which have
not been reported, Will be forwarded to
the House and passed upon at periods
varying several days apart, so as not to tax
the nerves OF the House to too great an ex-
tent The naval bill, the only one remain
ing unaeted upon, will be ready for the
House in a few days, but a month will
host likely elapse before the last one is re-
ported.
The Senate and the Whisky Bond Bill.
A report has been made by the Senate FL
nance Committee on the bill extending or
. abolishing the time in which whisky may
kremain In bond, etc, known as the whisky
bond bill which has caused SO much suspi
cion of fraud and iRaugurated an investga-
bn- The report simply extends the period
n which whisky may renal; in bond from
three to five years. as anticipated by the Sem
tinel last week, but requires the owner of
The whisky TO pay interest on the tax Tor The
last two years. The Government, by this
amendment loans the owner of the liquor
the money for the tax for two years, and
permits him TO keep his goods in the
bonded warehouse two years longer.
The present law allows seven and half gal
Ions leakage during the time the liquor re-
mains in bond. The bill as it passed the
House provides that the whisky shall be
gauged when withdrawn for sale, and there
by allows actual ''shrinkage" or leakage. 1t
is very probable that the Senate will amend
the bill and pass it to allow eleven gallons
of leakage to the barrel. These amendments,
although far short of the original bill, will
help to form law that will be considerably
better for the distillers and whisky dealers
than the present law.
The Outcome OF the Contests.
WAsIi1NGToN, May 22-The flibustering
in the House so far this session has been of
the most tame kind compared to that re-
sorted to in standing off the Mackey VS..
Dibbie contest case. All of the extreme
points that sbrewd tacticians can conceive
of were brought into use. Mr.. Randall
Gull powers were shown to good advantage.
The Democrats won temporary victory.
The outcome of all these election contests
and the fights over them will be about three
victories for the Republicans over those for
= the Democrats The Republicans haYing a
working majority in the House, they can
Acarry party measures. and favorable report
from the Elections Committee means an
anti-Democratic success.
! These election contests (which are among
he most interesting and important of Con
ressional proceedings) will likely occupy
two weeks time.
Technicalities in election returns make
up the merits Of the current case, Mackey
O'Connor. The final returns show O'Con
nor to be elected, but the Committees re-
port stipulates that Mackey received a ma
jority of the votes cast, and tnat the original
returns show that the votes thrown out, to
give O'Connor a majority, were not thrown
out lawfully. O'Connor died during the
tendency of the case, and a new
election gave the seat to Dibble
Democrat The Committee holds that
asInuch as the investigation shows thai
fackey was elected against O'Connor there
was no vacancy at the time O'Connor died
and hence Mackey is entitled tothe seat
House and Senate Work
Both sides of the House have been wond
ering at the tenacity with which they hans
on for party's sake. The present session ha'
taor, frouobt with very arduoue work fol