The Portland daily press., 1894-12-17
WASHINGTON NEWS.
Business That Will Occupy Congress
This Week.
REPUBLICANS FAVOR PASSAGE
OF APPROPRIATION BILLS.

Bill Save Possibly the Nicaragua
Canal viii Be Discussed in the Senate
Some Important Legislation to Come
Before the House-Congress VIII Take
aRecess This Week.
Washington, December 1s.-The Nicaragua
Canal bill holds its place as unfinished busf-
ness on the Senate Calendar. Mr.. Morgan
said Yesterday he intended if possible to
have final vote taken before the holiday
recess comes on. If he succeeds in this the
vote will be taken this week. If this bill
should besdisposed of beforesthesholiday re-
cess the bankruptcy bill will probably be
given the right of way until the appropria-
tion bills begin to come over from the
House. The prolnpt confederation of these
bills will not be interferred with by Repub-
licans, who assume This attitude of favoring
their early @ consideration. but not permit
ting the serious discussion of any other sub
jeots endorsed by the Democratic caucus.
save, perhaps. the Nicaragua Canal bill.
The routine proceedings of the week will
besbroken Thursday by the ceremonies Cat
ten ding the presentation to the United
States, by New Hampshire, of the statues
of Daniel Webster and John Stark. both
of which will on that day be unveiled in
the StatuaIy hall. Mr.. Hoar will deliver a
speech and other members from New Eng
land will participate.
IN THE HOUSE.
Appropriations and currency promise to
exhaust what time remains in the House,
prior to the holiday recess. Mr.. Heard,
Democrat Ct Missouri, chairman oe the COM
mittee on affairs of the District of Columbia.
desires TO have the business reported from
his committee, considered tomorrow, but
Mr.. Outhwaite, chairman of the committee
on military affairs, will demand the consid-
Grafton of the army appropriation bill,
which shuts out the district committee. There
are several propositions of new legislation in
the army bill, which will probably draw out
considerable disc ussion. Two of these pro-
vide for the reduction of the number of
majors in the pay department from twenty
five to twenty. and of the pay department
from twenty-five to fifteen, and of the num-
ber of captains in subsistence department
from twelve to eight. Both these changes
were strongly urged by Secretary Lamont
in his annual report. The cost of paying
troops in the las. fiscal year was 2 1-2 per
cent of the amount disbursed. The Secre-
tary said alEeady nun5ller of posts are paid
by check, and this plan could we'll be ex-
tended to cover the entire service. The
Secretary of War recommended the con-
soIidation of quarter-masters, subsistence
and pay department of army into one
bureau. If that scheme be carried out 1t
would make quite reduction in the number
OF officers in those departments. The COM
mittee on military affairs, owing to the
brief time allowed for investigation did not
deem it advisable to attempt to follow the
suggestion to it's full extent. The third
proposition is in the transfer of the military
prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kanas. to the
control of the department of justice for the
of federal prisoners. The
prison can accommodate five hundred and
fifty conviots. Most of the military prison
ers could be confined at large military
posts. and the saving of expense to the gov
ernment by the proposed transfer would be
large on account of both classes of prison.
ers. Notwithstanding this unusual pro-
vocation to debate it is believed that the
bill can be disposed of at one sitting Of the
House.
THE REMAINING TIME.
The military bill out of the way. it Is ex-
pected the rest OF the week will be devoted
to the discussion of the bill to provide
new system of currency to be reported by
the committee on banking and currency.
The desire of the advocates OF the measure
is to bring the bill to vote this week. and
it is believed that the managers of the
House are inclined to aid them in reaching
that oonsummation of their work. There
will be its is announced that opposition
to the adoption of rule closing
debate this week. 1t is understood that the
inuf1ence of the administration will be ex-
erted to this end, and the apparent proba-
bil1ties are that a rule to this effect will be
adopted, if reported. 1t was announced
Saturday that an understanding was
reached by the leaders of the two houses of
CONGRESS that the holiday recess will begin
,4l 81 iourpmept r, iCav neyt and exnira