The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-12-27
CONGRESS TAKESITEASY.
ONLY SEVEN SENATORS SHOW Up
IN THE CHAMBER.

The Desks in the House Almost as
Deserted-Next Week in the Senate
to Be Given Up Entirely to Debate on
the Elections Bill.
WASHINGTON, Dec 26-The holiday
season has affected the Senate heavily IN
the matter of attendance, and but seven
senators put in an appearance at the north
wing OF the capitol to-day. 1t was under
stood when the Senate adjourned Wednes-
day that its session tomorrow will be
purely formal, and, in fact, it was ordered
only to escape constitutional inhibition
against an adjournment over three days.
So nothing can be done until Monday. and
then the elections bill will be taken up
again.
A WEEK OF TALKING.
There is to be no cloture, no finances, no
anything for q whole week to create diver
sion from the dreary debate on the elections
bill. A republican senator-a strong cham
pion of the bill-said: I'VE will go on
talking about the bill next week, and many
speeches will be delivered to vacant
seats and empty galleries. We can't
help 1t, you see, for the proceedings the
other night when Senator Hoar tried to drive
the democrats into night session were proof
conclusive that we could not muster in force
during the holiday season. But l believe
that about Jan. q we shall have fighting
quorum, and then you may look for diver
sion."
PROSPECTS OF A MAJORITY.
The senator was asked il ma iority could
be secured for the cloture resolution. He
replied that Senator Aldrich, who had it in
OharOa hoA CIR fod tn bo
republican side of the Senate before putting
in the new rule. Senator Aldrich was a
cool-headed, shrewd man, and it was hardly
to be presumed that he would enter into as
great struggle as this promised to be
without some sort of assurance of sufficient
power behind him to win a victory.
A SMALL SQUAD IN THE HOUSE.
The sergeaut-at-arms could barely secure
enough members who were present in the
House this morning to constitute a skir-
mishing squad; and il he had succeeded it
is doubtful whether his squad would have
proven to be very efficient one in either a
military or political melee. An air OF las
situde hung over the chamber, and, politics
being tabooed for the nonce, the time was
employed in an interchange of holiday
greetings, and in tender inquiries as to
how Christmas day had been spent by
| each individual member.
THE OUTLOOK FOR LEGISLATION.
Here and there, however, a few gentle
men would gather in group and. in de-
sultory manner talk over the business now
| pending in the two houses The consensu:
| of opinion, especially on the democratic
side, was that the debate on the shipping
! bill would be prolonged to much greater
extent than mad been expected, maby
representatives on both sides of the Ho6st
having sgnified their desire to deliver
speeches Oh that measure.
IN THE DARK
| OF course the representatives ere in The
dark as to the action of the Senate on clo-
| ture, the financial and elections measures
That the first will be adopted is considered
| doubtful As to the second, the feeling or
the republican side is that no financial bill
can pass the House that is not purely g
republican measure-one that is agreed
upon in party caucus, and one that is moi
| put through the Senate with the aid of dem
ocrat1c votes. That the prospect of the
elections bill is not very brigbt-unless the
pending debate is brought to speedy end
is admitted by ALL This is prospect which
is deplored by the republicans and openly
| rejoiced in by the democrats.