Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-12
Neither Branch Of Congress Occupies
aGreat Deal of Time.
THE HOUSE Is VERY BRIEF.
Several Bills Were Passed by the
Senate.
FORTIFICATIONs AND DEFNSEs
Mr.. Dolph's Bill and the Dissent of Senator
Berry. Member Of the Committee.


SENATE.
Among the departmental and other com
munications laid before the Senate by the Vice
President were three agreements for the cession
Of their lands made with the Shoshone and
Arapahoe Indians of the Wind River reserva-
ton, in Wyoming, the Indians of the Pyramid
Lake reservation and the Kickapoo Indians of
Oklahoma. They were all referred to the COM
niittee on Indian affairs.
Many petitions in favor of the loan Of S5, OOO =
600 to the worlds fair on condition of its being
kept closed on Sunday were presented and re-
ferred.
Mr.. Henderson, from the committee on
public printing and on behalf Of the special
joint committee Of both houses, reported bill
Tor the public printing and binding and the
distribution Of public documents; and said that
IL was the result OF great deal of lnvcstiga-
ton and labor Oh the part OF the special JOINT
committee. He would ask the Senate to take
IL up Tor action AZ a very early day.
TO BUY FoRTIFIcATIoN SITES.
MIR. Dolph, from the committee on coast de-
lenses, reported bill for the purchase Of sites
for fortfcations also bill to provide for for
tlncations and other seacoast defonscs, and they
were placed on the calendar.
Mr.. Berry, member OF the committee on
coast detenses, said that he dissented from tho
ap Appropriation Of Sl23, 000, 900 extending over
period Of eleven years.
In view of the tuct that the revenues of the
government were hardly sufficient to meet the
ordinary expenditures, and in view Of the fur
ther fact that there was an almost universal
demand for relief from excessive taxation. ne
mad not been willing to report in favor OF q
Di!l carrying such u very large appropriation
Mr.. Dolph said that the bill had been
amended In committee and that, report ted,
|
$1,000, 600 to be available the first year and
81. w, 900 year for ten years
1t adopted the plan which had been found SO
cfectlve III respect to some OF the river and
harbor improvements, making lump appro-
| priation. 1t had received the approval of two
| successive Secretaries of War, OF the chief of
ordnance under two administrations and of the
| board OF engineers of the city of New York. 1t
| was the most economical proposition in regard
| to coast defcnses that had ever come before
Congress.
He undertook to say that the hundred mil
| lions provided in the bill would 60 as far as a
hundred and fifty millions appropriated in the
ordinary manner.
Mr. Chiffon, another member of the COM
| mittee on coast defenses, said that he con-
CURED with MIR. Berry in his opposition to tie
| report.
large number of bills providing for public
buildings were reported and placed on the
calendar.
CLAIMS UNDER THE EIGHT-HoUR LAW.
Mr.. Perkins introduced bill to remove the
statute OF Limitation in respect to claims under
the eight-hour law. Referred.
MIR. Hale offered an order directing the archi-
tect OF the Capitol to report forthwith the con-
dltlon OF the Senate end of the Capitol in re-
gard to Its ventilation, drainage and plumbing
and to state fully whether any defects exist
which affect unfavorably the sanitary copdi-
ton OF the building. He said that he did not
oner the order with view to casting any GEN.
sure the architect of the Capitol. a
faithful and competent officer; but he had been
Informed that there a condition of affairs
In the basement or endorsement of the Capitol
that was dangerous to Senators and EMPLOYEES
lie had also been informed that the city
board OF health had been invoked
and had made an inspection, and
night night we'll G0napa OF re.. things that
alarming. Ii that were the case and if extensive
changes were needed-new plumbing and new
grading-the hands of the supervising ar
ehltect ought to be upheld and strength
ened and larger appropriations ought
to be made. The order was agreed to.
BILLS PASSED.
The Senate then took up the calendar and
passed the following bills upon it,:
For the relief of the heir and legal REPRESENT
atives of James c. Booth. formerly rnelter and
refiner OF the Philadelphia mint (refunding the
sum paid by him for two silver bars lost or
stolen)
For the relief of Belts. Nichols Il Co. of
paadG IL 0 draft on the treasury as
Appropriating $4,000 for public building
at Bradford, Pa.
10 authorize the construction of a bridge
across the Red River Of the North at Drayton
n. d.
10 extend tho privileges of the trapsporta-
\ UntluDle clnn Ri
ment, to the port of Sandusky, Ohio; to repeal
section 4l45 of the Revised Statutes and to
amend section 4l45 Gin reference to bonds for
vessels.)
To establish life-saving station at or near
the mouth OF Rogue river on the coas. Of
Oregon.
Appropriating 1895, 900 for the construc ton
OF two Z: s. revenue cutters for service on the
Pacific coast
This bill gave rise to a long discussion in
volvlng the question of the transfer of the
| revenue marine service to the Navy Depart
ment and that Of the necessity of having swift
revenue cutters on the Pacific coast to prevent
the smuggling OF opium and Cinnamon into
the United States.
Mr.. Morgan offered a resolution calling on
the State Department for information MS to tho
! distribution and present condition of the fund
paid in under the convention with Mexico
having reference particularly to the We'll and
La Albra claims. Agreed to.
After short executive session the Senate
at 1926 adjourned till tomorrow.
HOUSE
Speaker Crisp being still unable to preside
over the deliberations of the House his duties
this morning were again performed by the
Speaker pro tenn.
I Tho first business report from any Of the
standing committees was presented by E. B.
Taylor (Ohio), who from the committee on
Judiciary, reported bill fixing the time for
holding terms of the circuit and district courts
int la tl,ar, Il Of T.,