Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-02
And Yet There Is Important Work
 to Be Done.
HOUSE GREATLY BURDENED,
As Is Also the Senate. and
 Something May Go Undone.

WASHIN0TON, Mafcn I.--l Ouays seS- sion in ihe house was devoted to the con- sideration of bills under motions to sus- pend the rules to pass them at one and the same time. Five propositions of this char acter were made and three of them were successful in securing the requisite two- thirds vote in the affirmative. These were:
 House bill authorizing the president to negotiate with Great Britain, Russia and Japan for the appointment of commission to make regulations to prevent the extinc. tion of the fur seals.>
 Senate bill to suppress traffic in lottery tickets between the several states and with foreign countries. These two measures were passed without division.
 The house bill directing the secretary of the treasury to pay to the state of West Virginia the balance of the direct tax voted to her in 1891, about sl54 ,ooO. was passed 157 to 72. The money was withheld be- cause the comptroller of the treasury de- cided that it was an offset for her propor- tion of the claim of the United States against old Virginia on account of certain Indian trust bonds.
 Those that met defeat were the following
 Joint resolution authorizing the publi- cation of the daily tests made al the Worlds fair.
 
 amend the inter-stat commerce act so as to abolish the penalty of Imprisonment for its violation and substitute fine Of S50O0 against the corporatfon. This was de- feated because of q fear that if it was passed the conferees would add the pooling bill to it.
 Earlier in the day the conference report on the fortific ition appropriation bill was agreed to, and the sundry civil and execu- tive, legislative and judicial appropriation bills were sent to conference.
 An evening session was held under the rules for the consideration of private pen sion bills, and to send the general de. dciency appropriation bill to conference.
 IN THE SENATE.
 The general deficiency bill. thSr last but one of the thirteen great appropriation bills which congress has to pass every ses- sion, occupied the attention of the senate today. There was but one important amendment reported to it from the com mittee on sppropriatioas, and that was one sppropriating s1 ,8-9. .539 to pay judgment in favor of the Southern Pacific Railroad company for government transportation. This item provoked very strong opposition and would probably have experienced the fate which has overtRken it in every session for many years back had 1t not been acci- dentaIiy fortified by an amendment to it for the payment of about one-half the judgments of the court of claims under the French spoiation acr and which is known as the Bynum act.
 This proposition, covering about $900,- GOO, had been carried and attached 10 the measure, and then the amendment, as th us amended, was carried by the vote of S2 to "A.
 The question of nepotism was started by an amendment offered by MT. Manderson to the effect that the wives and daughters of senators or representatives should not be borne on the rolls as clerks, and MT. Man derson avaiied himself of ihe opportunity Of giving his opinion on that not very un- usual practice.
 ihe only important amendment added to the defciency bill was one Tor the acquisi- ton of the Malone lot as site for the gov ernmeDt printing office. It was ruled out on point of order by the presining officer, Mir. Faulkner, and the senate reversed the ruling. The refused to lay it on the table 20 to Bland the opponents of the proposi ton gave up the fight and the amendment was adopted.
 The question of the Behring indemnity fund came up in the senate on two occa- sions today First, on resolution offered by Mir. Morgan, democrat, of Alabama, to refer the matter to the committee on foi eigu relations, with instructions to inquire whether there was any liability (and to what amount) on the part of the United States. This resolution was briefly but pointedly discussed and then went over on an objection from Mir. Turpe.
 The second time that it came up was in the shape of au amendment offered by Mir. OOCkIcii to tAlC uenCicdCy oili dppIOpTih- ting $50, ,000 for the expenses of arbitration as to the indemnity. That was antagonized by Mir. Sherman as an unwise proposition which would result in much larger cost to the government aud in weakening of the people on international arbitration. He offered as substitute for it to pay the $425, 0C0which was agreed upon by the secretary Of state.
 Mir. Morgan, who had been a delegate to the original Behring sea conference at Paris. declared that such payment would be disgraceful to the adm islr lration and to the people of the United States.
 Mir. Cockrell, in order to avoid long discussion, withdrew the amendment, and Mir. Sherman's s su bstitute fell with it. And so the deficiency bill contains no item on the subject of the Behring sea indemnity.
 The deficiency bill was passed at 7:35, and the remaider of the nights session was given to private pension bills and to the de- lives Lisle of Kentucky, Wright of Penn. sylvania, Post of Illinois and Houk of Ohio.
 The following is the vote on the motion to lay on the table the Mahcne lot purchase amendments:
 Yeas -Messrs. Bate, Berry, Blackburn, Cockrell, Daniel, Faulkner, Galiingor, George, Harris, Hawley, Hill, Irby, Lind say, Man derson, Morgan, Palmer, Pasco, Ptffer, Roach and Turpie-20.
 Nays-Messrs. Aldrfch, Allen, Allison, Brice, Burrows, Butler, Cameron, Cham dier, Clark, Cullom, Davis, Dubois, Frye, Gray, Higgins, Jones of Nevada, Kyle, Lodge, Mantle, Murphy, Perkins, Petit grew, Quay, Ransom, sherman, smith,