The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-02-11
The Bland Free Coinage Bill Intro
duced and Placed on the
Calendar.
Effect of Luxury on an Erstwhile
Exponent of ECONOMY
in All Things.
Tho Pension Bureau of Raum Will he
Thoroughly OyerhauIed--But Little
Done In the Senate. s~

WASHINGTON, Feb. l0.--Ihe most signifi-
cant event in the procee dings of the house
to-day WAS the report by Bland Of the free
coinage bill. The action was not one that
involved debate, AZ the bill merely went on
the calendar to be taken up in order of con-
alteration, but it indicated the intention of
the free coinage mon to force the bill with
all possible haste. Indeed, Chairman
Bland and other leaders of the free silver
movement, assert that tho measure will be
pressed to II vote and actually passed by the
house within the ne1t sixty days. In this
event there is no doubt ths..senate will have
an opportunity of passing upon the Bland
bill long before tho date of either the great
national conventions. The house also to-
day. on report Of the committee on rules,
ordered an investigation of the pension
bureau, as managed by Commissioner
Raum. The scope of the investigation is
made much broader than that of
previous inquiries. and Enloe (Tenn.)
and Cooper Ind. as investigators, will be
cally conduct the fight against the present
administration of the bureau. Enloe, in
advocating his amendment to-day severely
criticised the administration of the Office
and reiterated the charges made against tho
commissioner and his son in the last CON
gross.
After some further business the house
went into committee OF the whole ON the
military academy bill. Bowers (Cal. made
humorous sreech in which he described
his efforts. seated in IN easy chair. in the
luxurious room of the military affairs COM
mittee, to reform the academy bill and cut
down expenditures. He was taking his
his leisure, at the rate of $14 a day,
and wondering at the large aggregate
of appropriations for the support of the
academy, when picture arose before
him of the cheerless room of cadet. and
somebody else reform on that side. Some
democrat had Yesterday denounced the
Fifty first congress for having. in the az,
gregat6 made immense appropriations 1t
was easy to criticse an aggregate. An
"aggregate' waa very convenient term,
but he had yet to see any gentleman rise
and denounce the Fifty-frst congress- for
having appropriated too much for a public
building in his district, or for the improve
ment of the navigation of dry creek in
which he was interested.
The speaker placed Bland's bill on the
calendar, Dingley (Me.) having urged that
it should go to the committee of the
whole, as it must inevitably involve e1-
pense on the treasury.
Squire, from the senate committee on
public buildings, reported a bill to that
body appropriating $500,000 for public
building at Seattle, Wash. A joint resolu-
ton as to West Virginia's proposition OF
the direct tax went over after some debate.
The bill providing for public printing and
binding and the distribution of public doc
ments was then taken up as unfinished
business. The clause authorizing the
frnnking of official matter gave rise to
some difficulty, but was finally fixed il
these words: 1.-The vice president. members
and members elect, delegates and dele
70 rsa me
and under their frank any mail matter to
anv government official" The bill the1
went over without action till tomorrow
The oath OF Office was administered to Mr..
Gibson (Md.). and after executive session
the senate adjourned.