Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-11-11
CONGRESS AT AN END.
ONLY TWO IMPORTANT MEASURES
PASSED DURING THE SESSION.

These Were the Repeal Bill and the Ex-
tension OF the enforcement of the
Geary Law-The Last Hours witness q
wrangIe.
WASHINGTON. Nov. 4.-The session of
congress just adjourned will be memoir
able for the contest over the bill pro-
viding for the repeal of the purchasing
clause of the silver purchasing act of
1890, known as the Sherman law. The
extraordinary session was called for the
purpose of accomplishing this repeal
and the other work accomplished was
mere incidental. That bill reached the
senate. after passing the house on the
2Sth Of August and was not passed by
the senate until the Both of October.
How, for these two months, the senate
contended over the issue involved but
at last brought the bill through and
passed it by safe majority are all
matters of record and are familiar to
the public. The bill provides in effect
for the cessation of the purchase and
coinage of silver and may be said to
mark revolution in the financial his
ords show that it was the house bill
which became law, that is only tech.
nically true, as the senate substituted
a measure of its own and the house ac-
cepted the substitute.
The bill Of next greatest Importance
to the repeal bill which has passed both
houses of congress is the bill extending
the time in which the Chinese laborers
can register under the Chinese act
known as the Geary law
During the closing hours Of the ses-
sion a wrangle between the house and
senate over an appropriation to pay tho
senate session employees for work done
during the recess of the Fifty-first con-
gress in 1899 caused the failure of the
general deficiency bill and the bill pro-
viding for the payment of clerks
and employees during the inter-
val between adjournment and the
converting of the regular session on Dec.
4. The senate was determined that this
appropriation should be agreed to By
the house, with the alternative of sacri-
ficing the deficiency bill, and Senator
Cockrell chairman of the appropriation
committee, sent word that not dollar
of deficiency would be agreed to by tho
senate until the house accepted this
amendment which had been tackled onto
the deficiency pill.
The final adjournment resolution had
been passed and in this way the senate
expected to force the house to yield.
To make assurance doubly sure the sem
ate also placed the same amendment on
the bill providing pay for session EN-
ployes and clerks to members during
the recess and sent word that il their
Z amendments was agreed to the
deficiency bill would be released from
conference where il was being held by
the senate When the resolution came
back to the house, however, with
the senate amendment ON as
rider it was about 3 o'clock. Mr..
Hutchinson Tex saw that if he could
hold the house at bay for the space Of
but few minutes the adjournment
would give him victory. The senate
was Immediately notified OF the situa-
ton in the house and resolution was
hurriedly passed extending the time of
adjournment to 4.30, but the effort
came too late. Mr.. Hutchinson, with
Kilgore on his left hand AMI Boon, the
Nebraska Populist, on his right. held his
position until o'clock, when tho
house, by its previous action, was de
clared by Speaker Crisp adjourned
sine die. While the house adjourned
at o'clock to the second, the senate
also adjourning by resolution simultan-
eously, did not in reality adjourn until
minutes later.