Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-02
OUR SLOW GOING CONGRESS.

The Appropriations in a Very Back
ward State-Talk the Chief Occupa-
ton of Both Branches-The Present
Condition of Business Pointing to
an Extra Session as n Certainty.
WASHINGTON, Feb. AT last provision
Tor the navy for the current year has been
made, the six-months bill having become a
law. This, which is properly the work of
the first session, is the only appropriation
bill that. has been sent to the President, and
the Fo1ty-eighth Congress has entered upon
the last month of it's existence with but
twenty working days remaining. Of the
fourteen general appropriation bills six have
passed the House, viz, military academy,
Indian, consular and diplomatic. agriculture,
District of Columbia and army. The river
and harbor bill is before the House where it
is likely to stay some days. The postoffice
appropriation bill with number of innova-
tions is ready to follow and it will no doubt
take up considerable time. The naval, sun
dry civil and legislative bills are likely to
occupy further time in their discussion and
also possibly the deficiency bill Tomorrow
individual motions to suspend the rules will
be in order after the call of States. Mr..
Bayne is first on the list and will ask the
House to pass the bill extending the limit of
expenditure for the public building at Pitts
burg. Mr.. Springer, of Illinois, will ask the
passage of the bill to purchase ground adj
joining the public building at Springfield.
Mr. McCoid, of Indiana, is third
on the list and will ask
passage of bill for public building at
Keokuk. He had the right of way last
April and intended to ask the passage of this
measure, but he was bulldozed by the Com
nittee on Public Buildings and Grounds and
compelled to yield to their chairman by
which he secured the special order for the
consideration of all public building bills.
Mr.. McCoid's bill was the first passed in
committee under this order, but it has laid
on the Speakers table unfinished bust
ness since April 8. 1t is confessedly one of
the weakest bills of the lot and an attempt
to pass it under the suspension of the rules
will be likely to test the cohesion of the al
legged combination. Mr. Turner, of Kentucky,
who cones fourth, will have passed a
bill to put trace chains on the free list CO
break trace in the effort. The friends of
the bankrupt bill have notified the members
fay oring the measure to be in the House to-
morrow, claiming to have made arrangements
to secure recognition. They have counted
noses since the last vote on Mr.. Collins mo-
ton and claim to have the necessary two
thirds to pass the bill known az the Lowell
bill Tuesday the river and harbor bill
comes up General debate seems likely to
run all day and perhaps Wednesday and
the war is not likely to end when
the bill comes to be read
1t is likely to hang on all the week, but
there is possibility that the consideration
of the postoffice bill may be commenced on
Saturday. But little else in the way of legis-
lation is probable. 1t will be an unusual
week if there is not good deal of by play
in the way of personal explanations, COLI
sions, parliamentary tactics (so-called etc.
etca not set down on the programme.
Nearly all the legislative hours of the SEN
ate during the past week have been con
sumed in discussion of the Nicaragua treaty
-foreordained to defeat-without even an
attempt to take up and consider any one of
the general appropriation bills from the
House Enacted on by the Senate Committee
on Appropriations, with the exception of the
military academy bill which has been refer
red to conference committee, During the
coming week the important funding
act with respect to the objections
of the Union and Central Pacific rail
roads forwarded by the Senate Judiciary
committee as a substitute for the very dis
similar House bill on the same subject will
probably occupy all the time that can be
spared from the debate on the Senate's inter
State commerce bill, which still has the floor
after the morning hour. If the controlling
najorities of both House and Senate not
DESTROYS the Forty-ninth Congress should be
called in extra session Immediately after
March their actions are libel ON their in,
tentions,