Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-12-22
OUR NATIONAL AFFAIE
THE WORK OF THE TWO Houfs-
Sessions During Holiday Week iron
sequence OF a Disagreement-rore
to Do Than Has Been Dor.

WASHINGTON, Dec 24.-The bill Uniting
Southern Dakota into the Union the only
measure OF importance that haspassed the
Senate during the week, and thass virtually
dead. The House would have ffeated that
bill, on general principles, eyepf the recent
turbulent action of the fesidets OF the ter
ritory. IN the squabble over ae location OF
county seats, had not given reasonable
pretext Tor nOn-cOncufring iIthe admission
both houses OF Congress har, rather map
prOpriately lnaugurated "a eason OF peace
and good will, by involving l<heinseiyes ia a
snari ON the naval appreciation bili' the
tnaI outcome of which j. dficuit to predict
Mr.. Randall authoritiyeiy declares that the
House will never back dom, and the Senate
has, by q unanimous vos, declared that II
will not reeede. In the Iouse all the hepub-
llcans, with one oE two exceptions,
voted on one side and all Demo
crats on the other and IN the Sen
ate, Hale, in his chanplonship OF Senate
position, that il has sFlght to insist that Its
amendments shall bfaeeorded the courtesy
of consideration by conference committee
appointed by the Other House, has been open
III sustained by Segators Beck and yard,
and by the solid D;mocratlc vote. In tact,
the motion 10 send the naval bill OF last ses-
sion back To the Ebuse for action, with Sen
ate amendments for increase of the navy
tackled on 10 IL, yas adopted with the active
concurrence of several Senators who last
session earnestly opposed these amend
ments, without one dissenting voice on the
Democratic side. Many curious enquiries
have accordingly been made as 70 whether
the prospect of the contracts called for and
being given out by the new administration
had anything TO do with this change of front
in favor of the "old hag and an appropria-
ton"
The Seaate's refusal TO adopt the House
resolution To adjourn on the 10th. to January
y, leaves both Houses TO at through the
Christmas holidays, without a quorum to
transact business, and also without power to
adjourn legally except from day To day. But
then. the principle has been main
tanned. as Sam. Weller's friend said
when ate three shillings worth of
crumpets at a sitting, and blew ont his brains
afterwards TO prove that "Crumpets was
wholesome and that he wouldn't be put out
of his way by nobody"
The Cullom Interstate Commerce bill in
the Senate and the Reagan bill on the same
subject In the House, both 90 over until Jan.
8, and are likely to consume many more
days of debate in that month unless set
aside by other special orders or question of
consideration.
OF the three important treaties, the Cuban
and Porto Rica, the Nicaragua and
the San Domingo, laid before
the Senate, only one, the Nicaraguan, has
been in any way considered by that body
collectively, and thaSonly by sort of sub
terfuge, on Senator Vests motion to stop
Secretary Chandler's projected survey of the
proposed canal route. The Committee on
Foreign relations has taken no action on the
resolution to discuss the Cuban and Porto
Rico treaty in open session. 1t Is rumored
that a majority of the committee favor a
continuation of the policy of secret discus
sion, but that there is possibility of a ma
jority of the Senate voting for an open de-
bate, hence the delay.