Omaha daily bee., 1888-12-04
THE LAWMAKERS ASSEMBLE.
Opening of the Second Session of
the Fifty-hrst Congress.
THE FIRST DAYS PROCEEDINGS.
Considerable Interest Manifested in
Those Portions of the Message
Treating of the Sackvilie Incl.
dent aud the Tariff


The Scnate's Opening Session.
W~AsnINGTON, Dec. 3.-lt was an unusually
full senate that responded to President Pro
TEN Ingalls, call to order at IL o'clock to-day.
At that time the public galleries were
crowded. Tn desk of the presiding officer
was decorated by a very handsome pyramid
boquei. Exactly at l. O'Clock Ingalls, called
the senate to order and Chaplain Butler
opened the proceedings with prayer, He re-
turned thanks for the houutIful blessings
vouchsafcd the land in its material interests
and remembered Prcsidcnt-clect Harrison IN
his petition.
A few minutes were spent in greeting sen.
ators, and then Senator sherman offered the
usual resolution, that the secretary notify
the house that the senate is ready to proceed
to business.
The resolution was adopted, as was also
one by M. Morrill,, for the appointment of a
committee to notify the president that the
senate is ready TO receive any cOmmuniCa-
ton he may have to make. Mcssrs. Morrill,
and salisbury composed this committee.
Mr.. Cameron offered Il resolution that the
senate meet daily, until further ordered, at ~
IN. Adopted.
At l2:41, on motion of Mr.. Sherman, the
senate took IA recess for half an hour.
At the conclusion of the recess, which had
been extended to 1880, the usual message
from the house announcing the fact of its
being in session and of its having appointed
Il committee 10 wait upon the president, was
delivered.
That was followed by n report from the
committee to wait on the president to the
effect that 1t had performed that duty and
that the president would communicate with
the senate Immediately, and then the presi-
dents message was delivered and Mr..
McCook, secretary of the senate, PROCEEDED to
read it.
The reading OF the message occupied an
hour ana twenty minutes. Those portions of
il which discussed questions of tariff re
vision, treasury surplus, fishery troubles and
the West incident, were listened to with very
close attention and apparent interest by four
teen republican senators and about an equal
number of democrats. The other portions of
the message seemed to have but few, If any,
listeners, and the reading had the effect of
gradually clearing the galleries of the nu-
merouS spectators.
When the reading was finished the mes
sage was laid ON the table and ordered to be
printed.
The presiding officer announced that unfin-
iShed business for to morrow was the bill TO
reduce taxation (thc tariff.
The senate adjourned after a notification
by MIR. Frye that he would Gail up the
Union Pacific settlement tO-morrow; by Mr..
Chandler that he would ask for action on his
resolution to investigate the Louisiana cleo
ton Of last April. and by MIR. Allison that he
would ask the senate to proceed with the
tariff bill.
In The House.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Lon before the
hour for the meeting of the second session of
the Fiftieth congress the galleries of the
house were filed with spectators. and the
bright dresses of ladies' formed a brilliant
frame to the picture presented on the floor
below. There ~handshaking was INDUCED in
and congratulations on reelection or con-
lOlpprpSspn defeat were nSrblnupu anDDp
the members. jocoSe ralllery on the part of
republicans and patient resignation on
the part of the democrats being everywhere
evident. The republican members who
are prominently mentioned in cOnnec-
ton with the speakershlp of the Fifty-first
congress came in for an extra share of felici-
tatiOns, it being generally conceded that the
the next house will be republican with from
three to seven majority.
At precisely IL o'clock the fall of the gavel
stlllcd the tumult which existed in the hall,
and silence rcigncd while DR.. Milburn, chap.
lain, offered a prayer. the roll of members
was then called, ana the hum of conversa-
ton broke out afrcSh. During the progress
of the call Mrs. Cleveland entered the exec
utlvc gallery and became an attentive spec
tatOr. The call developed the presence of
?36 members. there being IS absentees.
On motion of MIR. Mills of Texas, a reso-
luton was adopted directing the clerk to in
form the senate that a quorum Of the house
had appeared, aud that the house was ready
to proceed 10 business.
In accordance with n resolution, the
speaker appointed Messrs. Holman of In
diana, Turner of Georgia and O'Ncill of
Pennsylvania, as a committee to Join Il sim
liar committee from the senate to wait upon
the president and inform him that congress
was ready to receive any communication he
might desire to transmit. The house then,
at IL 30. took Il recess for an hour.
After the recess Mr.. Holman announced
that the committee appointed to wait upon
the president had performed its duty and
that the president would communicate with
congress forthwith.
The presidents annual message was then
read by the clerk. That portion of
the message in which the pres
Idcnt treats of the tariff ques.
ton was listened to attentivcly by the mem
beers on both sides Of the house. Nov and
then a smile, more of triumph than Of deri-
sion, would appear upon the face of some en-
thusiastic republican, but the silence
was not broken until the clerk
read: The cause for which the
battle is waged is comprised within the lines
clearly and distinctly defined. 1t should
never be compromised. 1t IS the peoples
cause
Then the democrats could no longer re
STRAIN their feelings and broke INTO rounds
of applause, which was by the re
publicans with derisiye laughter.
The presidents reference to the Sackville-
West incident provoked laughter from the
republican side OF the house, but no demon
~stratiOn was made by the democrats.
From this point interest in the message
slackened. Mr.. Mills was the only member
who paid the slightest attention TO further
reading, and the noise of conversation was
SO great that this was no easy task.
When, at 3 ia, the reading was completed,
Mr.. Mills offered a resolution, which was
agreed to, referring the message to the com
mittee of the whole and providing for its