The evening times., 1895-11-09
PREDICT IBRIEF SESSION
Congressman Say Congress Will
Adjourn About July 1.
BUT IT Is. HARDLY LIKELY
Unusual Number OF Important Sub
Jects Denianding Careful Cousidera-
tion-Only Twenty working Days
in DeccMbar-Cubans Will Prob
ably be Recognized as BelIigerents.

Many Senators and Representatives of
the incoming Congress, who have recently
been In Washington, have expressed the
confident prediction that the next session
will be rec9rd-brcaker for brevtty. They
affect to belisve fiat an Adjournment will
be rea ched July J. atfhe latest. and possibly
before June H. =
Such prophecies as these sound well.
but are somewhat weak in being suppo rted
by facts. There aie ut this time an unusual
number OF inipo rtant subjects demanding
careful consideration. some OF them being
of such gravity, as to have NO precedent In
our national history.
1t is certain tire tariff will come up for
discussion. Whether the great majority
Of Republicans I'm the House coDcede the
wisdom of agitating this subject or not.
there Is sure to be a number of Members
whose sections have been dctrtnientaiiy
affehsid By tire preyeat:s.dni free trade law.
who will Introduce popgun bills increasing
the tariff on certain products. All these
little bills will take up more or less time,
as many OF them will undoubtedly be re-
ported from the Waysand Means Committee.
TWENTY WORKING DAYS.
When Congress assemblies in December
it will only be to adjourn again about the
2lst, and, as the first Monday OF that month
falls on the I'd, they will have Just twenty
working days.
During this time about the only business
accomplished WITH possibly be the adoption
OF resolution recommending the recognt-
ton of the Cuban insurgents as beIligere rents
and, also, the adoption of reso<uticn re-
affirming the principles OF the Monroe doc
trine and piedgtng the administration the
support of Congress in any action 1t ma y
take III uphOIding this doctrine In the Ven
ezuelan dispute.
1t is certain that these matters will be
brought up almost immediately after the
session opens. although intervening events
may affect their status.
The currency question will probably come
up soon after the holiday recess. There is
sure 10 be good deal OF discussion on
this subject, and some of the free silver
consideration for a measure either pro-
viding for the free coinage OF silver or
giving that metal more governmental recog-
milton than il has at present.
A great deal of time Will necessarily
be devoted to discussing the merits of the
many bills that will I've introduced to pro-
vide for the retirement of the greenbacks,
protect the gold reserve, and to revise the
national banking system. These various
financial mca sures viii provoke long de-
bate, owning to the divergent views held by
members OF both parties on the silver
question.
Another subject Of vast Importance, In
volving a matter OF eighty odd million
dollars to the government. is the settlem ent
of the Pacific railroads question.
Nearly yaIl the States west ofthe Mississippi
are ARA yed gainst the passage OF any sort
of bill to extend the time OF ayment of th is
debt, and a funding bill could only be pa ssed
after long and bitter n ght.
On the other hand, should the government
foreclOse the mortgage and take Possession
OF the roads, a great deal OF legislation
would he necessary In order to arrange mat
ters so that they could either lie Immediately
disposed of or else operated by the govern
ment until such time as purchaser could
be found. TIE first instailments of these
bonds falldue in january and February next,
and it is imperative that the subject be
disposed OF. 20
RIVER AND HARBoR.
A river and harbor bill Will have to be
passed this year. owing to the fact thai the
bill of two years ago carried such nigga rdly
amounts. that a number of improvements,
already under'w way, were practically de.
stroyed through lack OF funds to continue
the work, great deal of careful considera-
tou will have to be devoted to this subject
The river and harbor bill will undoubtedly
be double the amount of that of two years
ago, and this ywiH cause a good deal of
opposition and filbustering. all of which
will take up time.
Tile Nicarauguan Canal bill is certain TO
come 10 the front again bet ween December
and the time OF the adjournment of the
first session of tie Fifty-fourth Congress.
This measure could have been passed at
the last session of the Fifty-third Congress
had it not been for the disagreement be-
tween the Senate and House Foreign Az
fairs Committees as 10 the amount OF bonus
TO be paid the Nicauruguan Canal Company
for their concessions from Nicaragua and
Costa Rica, and the work tIey had already
performed upon the canal. Otherwise the
bills framed by the committees OF each
ent character from the Bailey bill.
North western members, as well as those
from New York and other States oontig-
uous to the Great Lakes, will uEQuestion-
ably bring to the attention of Congress the
subject of q deep waterway from Duluth
to the Atlantic Ocean. There is a wide
difference OF opinion as 10 the best man.
ner of attaining this object, and no mat
ter what kind OF a bill is reported to the
House for consideration, it will provoke
more or less debate
There is another Important measure which
occupied the attention of last Congress,
and which will most assuredly come up
during the coming session, and this is a
bankruptcy bill at the first session of the
Fiftv.third Congress. This differed con-
sideratay from the Torrey bill
MT. Bailey's measure went to the Sen
a,e. and was taken charge OF by Senator
George of Mississippi. who amended II SO
that nothing was lett OF IL but tne ihtro-
ductory paragraph.
REGARDED AS A MAKEsHIFT.
II was brought up several times in the
Senate, but sidetracked to make room for
appropriation bills. Representative Ball
ey's bin was looked upon with considerable
suspicion by business men throughout the
coun,ry. as they considered that 1T was
sinnIr a measure TO afford legal way for
a debtor to repudiate his obligations.
AS it, was to be operative for but three
wears, IL was regarded as mere make
shir,. and any similar legislation that gets
through the next House viii be of ciffer-
ent character from the BAILEY biH.
Added 10 all this important legislation
peni,nx. are the appropriation bills, which.
for various reasons, will be larger this year
tban for several sessions past. There is al
ways more or less wrangling over these,
and when the members know that there IS
no absolute necessity for hurry in passing
these measures they will haggle all the
more.
Many Republican members are anxious
to avoid the mistake made by the Fifty
second Congress in remaining in session so
long that when they finally got away from
Washington to- take an active part in the
lively campaig of That year, there was not