Western Kansas world., 1893-03-11
CONGRESSIONAL

Delegate Harvey, of Oklahoma, watched for a
| chance to get the Perkins amendment to the In
dian appropriation bill attached 10 It IN the
house. but failed. That amendment was later
offered in the senate.
The sundry civil bill was finally sent to con-
| ference by the house with all its amendments to
| be snapped over in committee. This was a'sur-
| prise, as the stubborn fight on the Sherman
| bond amendment was expected to be continued.
The house agreed to the car-coupier bill as
amended by the senate and it ozl awaits Presi-
| dent Harrisons signature TO be a law.
On motion of Mr.. Springer bill was passed
continuing for one year the present tariff on fine
linen gonds of not less than 100 threads to the
square inch.
The conference report on the rsilitary academy
bill was also agreed to, and inasmuch as the re-
port was also agreed to in the senate, that meas
ure is out of the way.
In the senate equally as expeditions work was
accomplished. The pension h bill, involving an
expenditure of about S167, ,0J00O0, was passed
without any debate of consequence, the com
mittee having reported on the sundry civil bill.
and the agricultural bill was reported.
Senator Sherman again made a motion to go
into executive session. He said brief eKecu-
tive session was important. but that he could
not give the reason The motion was defeated
The senate passed the naval and agricultural
appropriation bills and the bill regulating the
sale of liquors in the District of Columbia.
The house bill extending for one year the time
for filing petitions in the court of private land
claims was reported and passed also the senat te
joint resolution authorizing the loan of por-
traits of the chief justices of the United States
sition.
The naval appropriation bill had an amend
ment giving SjOO.00J TO New York toward paying
expenses of the International naval review. 1t
was rejected.
A bill by Mr.. Springer was passed by the house
putting pig tin the free list after July l, 1893.
OF the various amendments offered in the SEN
ate to the general Indian bill, and which were
referred to the senate committee, that concern
ing the opening of the Cherokee strip was ken
up. There were a number of amendments relat-
to "a 01(,G
those introduced by Perkins and PIatt. Some
other unimportant amendments on the same
matter were presented by Senators Morgan;
Butler and PETER. The committee considered
at length the Perkins and Dawes amendments
and agreed upon an amendment which Is made
up of parts of both. The amendment agreed
upon, owing to the feature requiring an appro-
priation, was sent to the comm ttee on appro-
prlatlons.
The time of days session of the house was
consumed In the final battle over the antI-optlon
bill. 1t was defeated; yeas 1T2, nays Pinot
the necessary twothirds; which became neces-
sary, as suspension of the rules was involved.
ALI alliance members voted for the Dill except
Mr.. Simpson of Kansas.
The senate voted to recede from the Sherman
bond amendment to the sundry civil bill
Senator Hill secured the taking up of the
Hudson river bridge bill, but it was Immediately
lost again, or crowded out of sight by confer
ence report, which is always privileged. The
New York senator upbralded Senator Allison for
his share in this Legislative struggle.
The house pretty promptly non-concurred Ia
senate amendments to the Indian bill and sent
it to conference.
The conference report on the sundry civil bill
was received by the house; but it was dlsa-
greeing report. The house then refused to con-
cur in senate amendments relating to the worlds
fair, and the bill was again sent TO conference.
The house passed jtT ct resolution providing
each member 500 month for clerk hire. This
is the first of the kind.
The last days and nights of both houses were
spent in receiving and acting upon conference
reports.
Among bills last acted upon, causing more in
terest than any other in Oklahoma, was the one
that concerned the donation of military reser-
yation to Oklahoma City. The bill passed both
branches of congress, but it was necessary to
place the bill before the house again. An effort
was made to do this by Delegate Harvey, Cap
tain Stiles, Sidney Clarke and John Field, who
will seek to pass the bill, and the opposition,
consisting of Blackburn, of Oklahoma City, and
H. G. Linn. of Topeka, did everything in their
power to defeat the measure. The fight was
followed up closely all night, and did not end
until the bill was defeated.
A RESUME.
Approximately 425 house and 235 senate bills
and Joint resolutions became laws making go
acts put the statute books as the result of
the work of congress. A majority of these meas
of interest onl to individuals or local
tiles, being for the relief of citizens, for the
bridging of streams, for the District of Colum-
bia, for rights of way, etc. An unusual proper
ton of the claims bills were for the relief of
southern men.
The house passed in round numbers 625 bills,
of which 200 failed of passage in the senate and
in the neighborhood of 265 bills passed by the
senate failed in the house, including the long
list of public building bills, many private pen
sion bills and other measures involving increased
expenditures. Three bills were vetoed by the
president. viz, to refer the McGarrahan claim to
the court of claims Ia second McGarrahan bill
failed of action in the house); to amend the
court of appeals act and in relation to marshals
in the United States courts in Alabama.
This last bill became law by passage over
the veto, Senator HOar stating that it had been
vetoed through misunderstanding of its provi-
sions.
The president subjected three bills to a
pocket veto, and two other bills failed of en-
grossment in time for presentation to him. ALI
were of comparatively small Importance.