Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-10
CONGRESS REALLY AT WORK.

The House Does More in Five Hours Than
1t Has Done in as Many Weeks-Cheese-
Farers Protesting-Free Silver Given
Poor show in the Senate.
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 9.-The House
to-day entered actively upon the leglsiatlVe
WORK OF the session, and in the brief space OF
hVe hours more practical business was
transacted than in any previous day Oh the
Congress. The Presidents message, with lts
various suggestions and recommendatlons
for legislation, was referred to the various
appropriate committees, without even sin
gle contest over the questions of jurisdlc-
tlon, and material progress was made In the
consideration of the military academy ap-
preparation bill
After the approval of the journal and the
reference of several unimportant communl-
cations, Mr.. McMillin, of Tennessee, from
the Committee on Rules, reported back the
Mutchler resolution, directing the Commit
tee on Banking and Currency to make an in
qufry as to the failure of the Keystone ana
Spring Garden banks of Philadelphia. Mr
O'Neill. of Massachusetts,, offered an amend
ment extending the inquiry SO as to include
the failure of the Maverick National Bank
0f Boston. Agreed to. Mr. Mutchler. OF
pennsylvania, thought that Congress owed
into the manner i'll which the affairs OF ma
ttonal banks were conducted; and, II 1t were
found that the power of the government
was not sufficient, the national banking laws
sylvanfa, favored the resolution, but called
attention to the fact that the affairs OF tne
Keystone and Spring Garden banks had been
three times Investigated: once by commit
tee appointed bv the Governor ofePennsyl-
vania, once by a committee appointedsby the
citizens of Philadelphia, and once by oom-
mlttee appointed by the Councils OF Pnlla-
delphia. The resolution as amended was
adopted.
The Other Work of the Day.
Mr.. Dockery, of Missouri, offered reso-
luton directing the Judiciary Committee to
inquire into the right of the Secretary of the
Treasury to employ the sl0O, ,0O0, 600 gold re-
serve for current expenditures. Referred.
MI. Bacon, of New York, from the Com
mlttee on Banking and Currency, reported
bill to promote the safety OF national
banks. House calendar.
mittee on Military Affairs, reported back
bill authorizing detail of army officers for
special duty in connection with the ofld's
Fair. House calendar.
Or. Powers of Vermont, called up and the
House passed the bill introduced by Mr..
Hatch, of Missouri, placing the secretary OF
Agriculture in the line of Presidential sue
cesslon after the Secretary of the Interior.
The House then resolved itself into COM
mittee of the whole on the Military Academy
appropriation bill. Mr.. Wheeler, of Ala
bama, in charge of the bill, briefly explained
its provisions. bearing testimony at the same
time to the efforts of the Committee on Mill
tary Affairs to reduce the appropriations as
far as was consistent with the WEI being OF
the Academy. The bill, he said appropri-
ated 1856, 795, which was $Ss, 525 less than the
estimates of the department. While it car.
r1ed larger appropriate than the Dill OF
last year, it was STA, PAT less than the aver
of 10
Academy for the past three years. Tne
reason for the increase over the expend1-
lures of the present fiscal year was the
necessity for certain permanent improve
ments, including the enlargement of the gas
plant, improving the sewerage of the post
and furnishing the new. gymnasium. The
present gas plant was put in 30 wears ago,
and owing to the deterioration of the pipes
was menace to the health of the cadets.
An Increase Wanted for Light
Mr.. Dockery, of Missouri, inquired
whether the appropriation for the increased
gas plant had been included in the est1-
mates of the War Department..
Mr.. Wheeler replied that it had not
been in cluded in the estimates, because,
at the time the estimates were sent, the de-
partment was doubtful whether the plant
should be enlarged or an electric light sub
stltuted. Since that time the Secretary OF
War had asked that the appropriation be
made, and in his letter to the committee he
had referred to the inefficiency of the pres
ent plant. In conclusion, Mr.. Wheeler said
the people demanded economy, but they die
not demand and would not tolerate cheese
pairing i'll appropriations for the supporter
the great military academy.
Mr.. Dockery, of Missouri said every man
on the Democratic side had Joined in a
chorus of denunciation of the appropria-
tions made by the billion-dollar Congress.
He did not believe there was a Democrat on
the floor who indorsed the mighty aggre-
n a C0nprpSS-
And yet the first appropriation bill to come
from Democratic committee carried S64, 600
more than the similar bill passed by the
Fifty-first Congress. The question for the
Democrats was whether they intended to
keep their pledge of economy or would ap-
prove of this bill which added s64, 900 to the !
He was opposed to the increased appropria-
prfations, not only because they were not
estimated for by the Secretary of the Treas |
ury, but because the condition Of the Treas |
ury did not justify them. On the first of the
year the expenditures of the Gov
had exceeded the revenues more
than 100000. He proceeded to criticise the
appropriations made by the last Congress,
and ended with an appeal to the Democrats
who had been elected on the platform of re-
form to strike from the pending bill every
provision which was not absolutely es-
sential to the support of the Academy.
A Protest Against Extravagance.
Mr. Blount, of Georgia, said this House
had come into power with deficiency con-
fronting it. and with the declaration of the |
Treasury that there should be no more con- |
tributionS to the sinking fund.
MI. Sayers, of Texas, opposed many of the |
provisions of the bill as being extravagant. |
Mr. Dingley, of Maine, defended the ap- |
made by the last Congress, |
the charges of extravagance
as mere claptrap. The Fiftieth Congress had |
the expenditures made by the |
Forty ninth Congress just as much as the |
Fifty-first Congress had increased the ordi- |
nary expenditures of its predecessors. The |
increase in appropriate is only commen-
surate with the growth of the country. The |
growth of the country he pictured in glow |
ing terms, and his peroration, in which he |
the heroes who had graduated |
from West Point, was warmly apaiauded |
The committee then rose and the House ad- |
ourned.
What the Senate Found to Do:
In the Senate to-day, adverse reports |
were made by Mr.. Morrill,, from the Finance |
Committee, on the following bills: To pro-
vide for the free coinage of gold and silver
bullion (Mr. Stewart's). To increase the |
notes based on gold and silver coin and |
bullion. (Mr. Peffer's). For the retirement
Of National bank notes, the free coinage OF
silver, and the promotion of the interna-
tional free coinage of silver. (Mr. P1umb's ST.
For the loan OF money to the farmers or
Indians. (Mr. Peffer's). Making certain is
sues of money full legal tender i'll payments
Of all debts (Mr. Kyle's). The first three
xritl !, r dUa |