Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-04
CONGRESS- LAST NIGHT.
BOTH HOUSES IN SESSION TILL
MORNING.
Numerous Conference Reports Adopted
and Bills Rushed Through to Final
Passage-Weary Lawmakers.

WASHINGTON, March 3.-At the even
ing session, the senate insisted on the
Hawaiian amendments to the diplomatic
and consular appropriation bill, and
agreed to further conference, Hale
stating that was the only matter of dis
pute.
All the house pension bills that were
on the calendar, were passed. In all
26O of them were passed today and to-
night, their passage not occupying more
than one hour.
+ The concurrent resolution Ito print
100,0 900 copies of the testimony taken be-
fore the coinage committee OF the house,
was objected to oy Teller, on the grounds
that it was misleading. Those who de-
sired to understand the question had
other sources of information. Teller's
objection was sufficient to defeat the
resolution.
Gray moved to take up the house bill
for the transfer of the revenue marine
service from the treasury department to
the naval establishment. Agreed to-
yeas, 35; nays, 23-and the bill was
taken up for consideration.
Cockrell opposed the bill, but yielded
the floor, and the conference report upon
the appropriation bill was presented and
agreed to.
The conference report on the postoffice
appropriation bill was presented and
agreed to.
The conference report on the copyright
bill was then presented, and explained
by Platt. He said itwas the only agree
ment that could be reached, and failure
to agree to it would be equivalent to the
defeat of the bill. If the report
were agreed to, it would provide
that books which were on the
free list under the Mckinley bill
could be imported free of duty. 1t left
out Sherman's amendment. 1t left
every one at liberty to i'm port two copies
of a foreign book, by paying the duty on
them, and it left newspapers and maga-
zines to be imported, provided they did
not contain copyright matter. That
was all there was to the agreement, and
it took the place Of all that the SEN
ate had been quarreling about.
Sherman said the senate conferees
had surrendered what had been twice
voted for by decisive majorities of the
senate. Contrary to parliamentary usage,
the majority of the senate conferees had
been made up of senator's opposed to the
action of the senate on the bill. The
effect of the proposition as it now stood,
was to make copyright, an exclusive
monopoly. 1t also took the heart and
life out OF Ingalls, amendment, and he
would vote against it.
Gray stated why he had not signed it.
Gray said he should mourn the defeat of
the bill-defeated by reason of the pub
fishers. They had moi, shown willing
ness to concede a single iota of their
claim. The bill had to be made water
tight in their interest.
The conference report on the pension
appropriation bill was agreed to. The
debate on the copyright conference was
continued, and finally the conference
report agreed to-yeas, 27; nays, 10, as
follows:
Yeas-Aldrich, ALLEN, Chandler, Dawes,
Dixon, Dolph, Edmunds, Farwell,
Frye, Hawley, Hiscock, Hoar, Jones
New, Mcmillan, Morrill,, Pasco, Piece,
Platt, Sawyer, Shoup, Spooner, Stan
ford, Stewart, Warren, Washburn, Will
son, Wolcott-27
Nays Bate, Geary, Call, Carlisle,
Caser, Coke, Cullom, Daniel, Faulkner,
German, Gray, Ingalls,, Kenna, Morgan,
Pettigrew, Plumb, Ransom, Sherman,
Walthall-19.
The conference report on the agricul-
tural bill was presented and agreed to,
and at l :15 the senate proceeded to ex-
ecutive business.
1t is probable that the vote
on the copyright conference was
not final, as Pasco changed his vote, ev-
identity with the intent of moving re-
consideration.
After the doors were reopened, ingalls,
called attention to the necessity of maxi
ing provision for the payment of So, ,900,-
600 bonds of the District of Columbia,
falling due in January and June, 1892.
Provision for them in the district bill
was left out in conference, and the house
had just passeda bill which he asked the
senate to pass, for the issue Of ten years.
funding bonds. After q short discus
sion the bill was passed without amend
ment. 10 81 4. ssssl
The house bill to transfer the revenue
cutter service having zbeens taken up,