Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-03-04
FIFTY-THIRD ENDS.
National Statesmen Ready to
Leave for Home.
ALL APPROPRIATION BILLS PASSED.

Review Of the Transactions Of the BODY
Principal Features Arc Those Which
Failed-Hawaiian Cable Knocked Out by
the House, Which, However, Agrees to
the Sugar Bounty-A Session That Lasted
from saturday to Monday Noon and In
volved Work ON Sunday.
WASHINGTON, March 4-The Fifty-third
congress has passed out of existence. As
the hands Of the clock pointed to neon
today the gavcls in either house came
down with resounding thwack on the
respective presiding officers desks and
something over 400 statesmen heayed a
heavy sigh of relief and congratulated
themselves that it was all over. There
were number of goodbycs said, few
au revoirs, and in a short time silence
had possession of the two chambers that
since last December had rung with the
elcquence of senator and representative.
The close of the session was like all other
closes-full of hurried conference, of COM
promise and adjustment of differences on
the bills that had to pass-the appropria-
tion bills
Were Awake in the Early Morn.
1t was a. III. yesterday before the two
houses that had met Saturday concluded
that recess would not hurt business, but
rather, probably, enable the conference
committees to make better progress. and
SO it came about that the congress of the
United States was in open session and
transacting business at a. m. on Sum
day. But to the statesmen it was not
Sunday The session of congress was
that Of Saturday March :, continued.
With this fiction it is supposed some of
the gentlemen who would be horror
struck at the idea OF profaning the Sab
bath" eased their conscicnces and got in
their work for their constituents, when
they could.
Feature of the Recent Session.
"A review of the work of this last session
of the Fifty-third congress must necesSar-
lily deal more with what was attempted to
be done than that which was accom-
plished. The term has been particularly
marked by the inability of the senate and
the house to agree upon any of The most
important problems presented by them.
Congress met on the 9Th OF December
last with one imperative and perennial
task, to frame and enact the various ap-
preparation bills. Next in Importance
was the financial question, for which no
definite plan of settlement beyond many
free silver bills and various individual
schemes Were then in view. Several i'm
portant bills came over as a heritage
from the preceding session. Foremost
among them were, in the house. the Nica-
raena canal bill, the railroad pooling bill
and the bill for the settlement of the in
debtedness of the Union Pacific railroads
Some of the Bills That Failed.
The Nicaragua canal project has not
been able to secure a hearing in the house.
although it passed the senate. The pool
ing bill was passed by the house early in
the session, but the senate refused to con-
slider it. Strong opposition TO the Reilly
bill was developed in the house and after
very sharp debate it was recommittcd
to the committee without Instructions.
Then there were several legacies from the
first scssion-thc bankruptcy bill, the
anti-option bill, the ''popgun" tariff bills
to place sugar, coal, iron and barbed wire
on the free list, are the most important
which are left over yet