St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-05
ITS SECOND SESSION.
The Fifty-Second Congress
Will Resume Business at
Noon Today.
President Happison's Last An
nual Message to Be Read
Tuesday.
Tho At; ad Ta.a;
The Anti-Option and Terri
topial the Most Impor-
tant Measures.
Tariff and Public Building
Bills Will Get Very Little
Attention.

session of the FIfty-Second congress,
which begins tomorrow, is likely to be
more remarkable for discussion than
for action. not that there are not very
many things to be done, if the bulky
calendars of the senate and house are
put in evidence, but principally because
of lack of opportunity or of inclination.
The thing that must be done, and will
be done, is to provide the means for the
maintenance of the government, and it
is generally believed that the regu lar
annual appropriation bills will repre-
sent nearly all of the pos
tive achievements that can be
credited to this session. There
may, however, be several important
exceptions. One of these latter relates
to the subject of immigration. The
public interest in this subject, which
was awakened last summer by the fear
of the cholera epidemic, has been slim
ulated by the radical suggestion of the
senate immigration committee that all
immigration be suspe nded for one year.
Undoubtedly
Powerful Influence
will be brought to bear to compass the
defeat of any bill embodying such a
proposition, but it may be that the great
public sentiment behind it Will oblige
congress to pass the measure. A strong
effort will certainly be made TO procure
the repeal of the Sunday-closing clause
of the worlds fair act. Lit may be. too,
that some action will be taken upon
a subject to which the president
has repeatedly called the atten-
ion of congress; namely, the desirable
ity of legislation to protect railroad en-
plOyes from the numerous casualties
resulting from the absence of suitable
devices to couple and stop freight
trains. These matters comprise what
the Judgment comedies to be all of the
probabilities of original legislation on
the part of the second session OF the
Fifty-Second congress. Looking toward
the prospective subjects of discussion,
however, and taking INTO account the
measures which have already passed
one or the other of the two houses, the
field is wide. No one expects any tariff
legislation in either house. but the sub
ject is so much involved in
The Revenue Question
and in the appropriations to be made.
that more or less discussion on that topic
may be expected. The senate finance
committee has not yet completed the
formidable task it undertook last Ses-
sion, which was the compilation Of a
series of elaborate reports upon the diff
ferent tariff systems tried in the United
States. These reports, probably, Will
M pnnct infnrnctinn thn ctn6nnfc of
political economy, and may come under
discussion at some period of the session.
Then there are bills to admit Arizona
and New Mexico to statehood. The
house has passed both of these bills, and
the one providing for the admission of
New Mexico is on tile senate calendar,
tavOrably reported from the territories
committee. The chairman of the COM
mittee is opposed TO the bill, but it may
be that New Mexico will join the Union
by the act of the Republican senate.
The anti-option bill has advanced so far
as to become the unfinished business in
the senate. 1t was known to have a
large majority of that body in its favor
last session upon a direct vote if one
could have been reached, but it is
threatened with renewal of the deter
mined and skillful
Obstructive Tactics
which then proved successful, and the
result is still doubtful. There will prob
ably be many propositions and much
talk this session looking to reforms in
the national banking laws, the necessity
for which is said to be indicated by the
Keystone and Maverick bank failures.
The state bank tax may also be a
fruitful theme OF discussion, and the
Alliance senators and representatives
will be heard upon some Of their radi-
cal propositions. These matters, how
ever, are likely to be simply themes for
discussion without action. Strong eff
forts will be made by the house appro-
priatiOnS committee to retrench eX-
penditures at every point, and as this
must be done with great care in order
to avoid embarrassment to the incom-
ing Democratic administration. there
may be many stormy debates and much
feeling aroused before the desired re-
suit is obtained. In connection with
the appropriations is the pension list, and
there will be no lack of suggestions
looking to changes in the laws designed
to regulate more closely the enormous
expenditures under that head. The
friends of
The New Navy
are not expected to sit quietly by and
witness any unfriendly pruning of the
estimates on that account, and as con-
gress is already under the obligation to
make heavy appropriation for the
great ironclad authorized by the present
law, it will be hard to reconcile the
views of the economists and the naval
defense element. The work of the ses-
sion will probably be begun quietly. In
the senate the vice president will APP
point committee to wait on the presi-
dent and notify him that the body is
ready to receive any communication he
may desire to make. To this committee
will be impaired the Information that
the president will communicate with the
senate next day, whereupon an adj
journment will follow, perhaps based
upon resolutions of respect to the mem
Ory of some of the members of the
house of representatives who have died
during the recess, or, it is feared, by
reason of the news of the death of Sen
aIor Gibson, who is repOted to be dan
gerously i'll. Tuesday
The Presidents Message
will be read. On the first page of the
senate calender stands the anti-option
bill, the object of such apprehension on
the part of boards of trade throug hout
the country. 1t is the unfinished busi-
ness. To take it up does not require a
motion; at the call of the regular order
the presiding officer must lay it before
the senate, and that will precipitate a
war of words, for the opposition is alert
and vigorous, and will resist the meas
ure to the bitter end. The plan of cam
paign has not yet been defined. as no
one knows just what Senator Wash
burn, the promoter Of the bill, will do,