Rock Island Argus., 1894-11-12
THE SHORT SESSION
Three Months More of the Fif-
ty-third Congress.
EXPECTED TO DO BUT LITTLE WORK.
Likely To BE Noted, However, for Much
Speaking-A Claim That There Is Little
Chance for the Passage of the Free Raw
Material Bills-Silvsr Reserved for m
Issue in 1S96-Military Changes.

WASHINGTON, Nov 12-The approach
ing session of congress, which will open
Dec ., is not expected by those familiar
with congressional methods to be one Of
OF great activity or productive of much
legislation. The fact that it will continue
for only three months, that it will be
the last session of the congress and that
it so closely follows general election, are
all considered rs indications that COM
parativcly little real work will be at
tempted and still less ACCOMPLISHED The
greater part of the session will in all
probability be confined to an exchange of
chaffing over the results of the election, and
the session will become memorable more
on account of talk than work. 1t is prob
able that next to nothing will be done
before the Christmas holidays, and pre-
dictions are freely made that it will be
dlIiicult to obtain quorum previous to
Christmas. After the holidays there will
be but two months left for work and
speechmaking, 1t Will, of course. be nee
essary to pass the usual appropi iation
bills These bills touch IA variety of inter
ests, and while upon occasion they can be
disposed of with considerable celebrity,
that can always be so manipulated as TO
Kill much time when there is any con-
siderable element which desires to do so.
Free Raw Material Ellis.
When the last session adjourned the
measures attracting most attention We're
the supplemental tariff OF free raw ma
terial bills. They had passed the house
and had been favorably reported, with
material amendments, by the senate COM
lytntr foo. 81.
majority of the Democratic senators ap-
peared friendly to those bills, there was
considerable element in that party op-
posed to their consideration, as We're
practically all the Republican senators.
This clement was able to prevent the sem
ate taking up the bills previous to ad-
Journnent. 1t remains to be seen whctb-
er the friends of the bills will
persist in this policy at the
forthcoming session, and whether. if they
do manifest this disposition, they will
succeed in the face of the opposition of a
lew Democratic senators and the almost
solid Republican side of the senate. who
do not desire at this time further legisla-
ton in the direction of tariff reduction.
Representatives of the latter class do not
hesitate to declare that whatever the pol-
icy Of the Democratic majority they will
be able to prevent serious consideration of
these bills because of the short session.
They also claim that if vote should be
reached there wuuld be majority against
them.
Division of Opinion.
1t should be stated, however. that there
is n division of opinion among the oppo-
ncnts of the free sugar bill, and that
some Republicans and some conservative
Democrats have expressed n Willingness to
allow this bill to become "a law but the
best indications are that the fate of the
bill will be determined by that of others
OF the same class. There are also those
who predict that there will be u renewal
of the agitation of the financial question
on propositions looking to the free coinage
of silver and for another bond is
sue. The starting of the bond ques-
tion would depend upon the admins
tration, and there appears now no reason
for the suggestion that it will be revived
except in the imaginations of those who
would oppose the measure if it should be
brought in. There is little doubt that the
silver question will be raised in some
form, but the probabilities .are that there
will he no serious united effort on any
considerable element to push silver to the
front. The more general opinion is that
silver will be reserved for the long session
of congress, SO as to make it an issue in
the presidential campaign of 1896.