Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-03-02
APPROACHING THE END.
The soRTY-EieHTH CONGRESS.
Little Time Lsft for Anything Dot Ap-
preparation Bills An Extra Ses-
sion Not Unlikely.

WAsHISoroS, Marca LIN the House, IN
the to remaining days, bat little Will be ae
oomplisbed beyond the passage Of apprO-
priati0n bills, if sysa they succeed IA getting
through Friends Of the bankrupt ban e2-
pect 10 get a vote upon motion 10 suspend
the rules and pass The Senate bill, bat only
the most sanguine expect 70 be able 10 Sc
cure the necessary thirds vote. IL is er-
peeted that Mr.. Randall. IN accordance with
hls promise when the tirst Grant bill was de-
feated, will call up the Edmunds bill TO
place himon the retired list, and ask its pas
SAGE under suspension of rules. II called up,
II will probobly pass. Mr. Singleton Miss }
expects 70 call ap the bill for new national
library building which has now become a
national necessity. III called up IL VIII nave
the necessary tWO-thirds support
The Democrats are anxious 10 get up the
contested election eases Ia order Ia give the
seat of Wilson. of Iowa, TO Frederlcks, the
contestant, bat the Republicans Will follow
the example set them two years ago and re-
sort 10 fillibustering 10 prevent II.
The question of an extra session hinges
entirely on the temper of the two Houses IN
the next fifty-six hours. Ii Is just possible
that by working without rest or a proper re-
gard for grave public interests, the business
remaining 10 be disposed of may be
scrambled through some fashion so as 10
permit the departments OF government 10 60
ON until the Forty ninth Congress meets III
regular session, December next. The decl-
sion rests virtually with four or five men III
either House, Allison. Hall, Plumb, Beck,
and Cockrell in the Senate, and Randall,
Holman, Townshend, Cannon and Long IN
the House.
The three most important of the regular
appropriation bills, the Deficiency, Sundry
Civil and Fortifcations, have not yet been
laid before the Senate 10y the Appropriation
Committee. The last named has not yet
reached the committee, having passed the
House only Just before adjOurning yesterday.
The deficisnc bill will probabls be ready for
the Senate 10 take mp when II meets to-mor-
row. Simply the reading of the bill with Its
amendments will consume the whole morn
ing and perhaps longer. Still more time
will have to be devoted 10 the Sundry Civil
Bill, both in the Committee and the Senate.
A large part of the business yesterday
session of the Senate consisted of the offer
ing of amendments proposed To be inserted
in this bill, which were all pitch-fOrked into
the committee room without printing, the
time being too short to allow of that delay.
Assuming that these two bills aud the belated
fOrtification bill can be railrOaded through
the Senate with incoherent expedition, there
are still delays and difficulties in the confer
ence committees 10 be encountered. How
great these dangers are may be Judged from
the fact that less important bills sent TO the
conference nearly two weeks ago are still
unreported As are the Postoffice. Navy and
Legislative bills of more recent date. Many
points of difference between the two Houses
are radical and involve not only millions of
public money, but also essential questions of
principle, upon which one side or the other
will have TO give in; and to all other uncer-
tainties must be added the possibility of
some attempt at action 10y the Senate on the
silver question and tie prospect of hostile
debate and the River and harbor bill should
it ever emerge from the Commerce
committee to whom il has been re-
ferred. The members of that committee IN
the Senate do not come to any great extent
from river and harbor States and they may
give the bantling some rough handling. BY
proper nursing it will survive. After the
fourteen regular appropriation bills count
ing the River and HarbOr as one) four have
yet to be considered by the Senate, and five
are still in conference; while five have be-
come law.