Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-03
Hawaiian Cable Causes 8 Stubborn Halt in the
 Senate.
While the House Continues to ,. slo WrestIe the Mastodon 4.ao Appropriations.

= WASHINGTON, March 2.-The first ses- sion of the last days proceedings of the house in the Fifty-third congress lasted from noon until 6 o'clock. In that period . considerable amount of business was transacted under the operation of the rule providing for a suspension of the rules for the passage of bills thereundtr, and by unanimous consent. Measures carrying appropriations for private claims, gener- ally speaking, met with very poor success, either Mir. Savers, chairman of the com mittee on appropriations, or his alert aud tndefatigable lieutenant, Mir. Dockery, in : terposing fatal objections. Notwithstand- ing this was the last lsgislatvie day of this congress the proceedings on the floor of the house were not marked by unusual scenes of confusion, and but little delay was oc- casioned thereby. Among ths measures that were passed by unanimous consent were the following:
 The senate joint resolution to continue the present officers of the courts in the h. dian territory in office until the bill pro- yiding for the reorganization of the courts of the territory shall become a law.
 The senate joint resolution donating to the citizens committee in charge of the Grand Army of the Republic national en .
  condemned cannon from which to mako badges for the delegates to the encamp- ment.
 The senate bill to reimburse officers and seamen for property lost or destroyed in the naval service of the United States.
 Conference reports were agreed to on the following bills:
 Giving to the widow of Rear Admiral Earl English pension of $50 per month :; increasing the pension of hosea Brown, a Of f tl,a of fo h authorizing the erection of statue in tho District of Columbia of the late Prof. Sam nel Gross, M. b., of Philadelphia and ap- propriatfng s150O for a pedestal therefor; the agricultural bill; a partial agreement npou the Indian appropriation bill.
 Under suspension of the rules bill was passed to IaY the trustees of Washington and Lee university, Virginia, the Sum of $1s, ASA for use aad occupancy of the build ing of the instItution by union troops dur ing the war. Upon this motion an inter- esting debate occurred, in which Mir. Reed warned the house that the government could not afford to enter upon the policy of paying claims of this character.
 Motions to suspend the rules and pass the following bills failed:
 To pay the trustees of Newberry college, B. O., sl5, 900 for the use of the buildings by troops during the war; to reimb purse representatives the amount oi their salaries withheld during this congress for absences
 
 cGncuIrenl resolution was agreed to, l, naming the secretary Of the treasury, the superintendent of the coast and geodetic survey and the director of the mint as q commission to inquire into and report to tbe first session oI the Fifty-fourth con. gress as 10 lLe desirabiiity and expediency of the adoption by the government of the United Slates ot the metric system, and also as to the prospect of the adoption by the leading nations of the world of the metric system of coinage, weights and measures.
 resolution was agreed to directing the publication of an edition of 10, 900 copies of inc report of the commission appointed by President Cleveland to investigate the Chicago railroad strike last summer.
 At 6 u'clock a recess was taken until 8.
 NIGHT SESSION.
 The novelty of night session drew a crowd of curious people to the capitol. At o'clock the galleries were crowded to sui location. The night was close aud the air within the chamber was at times stifiing, notwithstanding the frantic efforts of the doorkeepers to secure ventilation. The ladies, who formed large part of the audi. ence, piled their fans vigorously and looked as nleomforlable as the patrons of . sum mer opera.
 There was considerable confusion on the floor of the house, which was broken from time to time by the use of the speakers gsvel and his almost primitive appeals that the t.house will be in order.' At one point in the proceedings the confusion in inc galleries was SO great that the speaker threatened to clear them if it were not res-- trained. As the night wore on the specta- tors gradually returned to their homes and at midnight the galleries were practically deserted.
 At half an hour after midnight the house was preparing to vote upon the senate amendment appropriating $5. .000, 900 under the bounty clause of the -McKinley law to the sugar growers of tue country. Debate on this amendment began at 10 o'clock and was conducted with great vigor on both sides.
 The first business which came before tho house at the evening session was the civil