Evening journal., 1896-11-30
FORECAST OF CONGRESS
Unfinished Business on the Cal
endars Of Both Houses.
ALL NOT LIKELY TO BE DISPOSED OF

Possible Action on the Dingley Revenu.
Bni-Tho Pacific Railroad Funding Bm
Awaits Consideration - The Nicaragua
Canal Scheme.
WASHINGTON, Nov 30. 1t is not proba !
ble that the house at the coming sessions
of congress, which begins week from to
day, can dispose of much If the proposed
legislation which cncumbers its calendars.
Little is usually accomplished at the short
session beyond the passage of the regular
supply bills Still, the house with its in.
strumentalities for the expedition of bust.
moss can accomplish great deal I'm brief
time. Inc question of legislation for ad.
ditional revenues for the government viii
depend ON the senate to which body the
house scnt the Dingley bill almost yeai
ago. Should it be impossible, OF be deemed
inexpodient, to press that measure through
the senate there is, Of course a possibility
that the proposal to increase the revenues
by an additional tax on beer is the imposi.
tion of duty on tea, coffee, etc, may take
tangible FORM and If so such legislation
should originate under the constitution in
the lower branch Of congress.
There are on the several calendars OF
the house ], 400 bills reported from the
various committees, and the proportion
which viii pass at the coming session
must be necessary almost infnite3mal
Most OF them are, Of course, private bills
(oi which there are 1 1901, but there are
also 20b bills on the calendar on the state
OF the Union and 90 public bills on the
regular house calendar. Some of these
are very great public importance and those
interested will no doubt do all in their
power to secure action upon them. The
powers lodged in the hands Of the commit.
tee on rules, which give the members of
that committee control of the house pro
gramme, will make that committee the
practical arbiter of what shall he submit
ted to the house for its action That com
mittee is composed, as at present consti-
tuted, Of the speaker, Mr.. Henderson of
Iowa, Mr.. Daizell of PENNSYLVANIA and
Mr.. McMillen of Tennessee. The death of
ex-Sreaker Crisp creates vacancy at the
head of the minority of the committee,
which must be filed by the speaker The
names principally mentioned in connec-
ton with the vacancy are Mr.. Bailey of
Texas, Mr. Catchings Of Mississippi Mr..
Turner Of Georgia, Mr.. Richardson OF
Tennessee and Mr.. Dockery of Missouri.
The Pacific railroad Bill.
The bill which, in many respects, is
iraught at this time with most interest
and which will press hardest for consider
alton is the Pacific railroad funding bill
The bonds guaranteed by the government
are payable early in the coming year, and
either an extension or foreclosure stares
the roads in the face. For eight years
funding bills have occupied good share
of this attention Of congress. The present
bill, of which Mr.. Powers of Virginia, is
the author, was reported shortly before
the close Of the last session.
Everything will be done by those inter
ested in it 70 secure consideration The
friends of the Nicaragua canal are also
bending every energy to secure action on
the bill reported by Mr.. Doolltte, which
provides for "a guarantee by the United
States Of 500, 600, 900 OF bonds for the
construction of the canal
The war claims committee, which
showed fight on several occasions at the
last session, promises 10 renew their ag-
gressiveness this winter, especially for the
passage of the claims awarded under the
Bowman acs and the French spolintion
claims.
These claims, the former amounting to
1862, f94, and the latter TO So 7OS, 1876, were
put on the sundry civil bill in the last ses-
sion as n rider of the senate, but the bin
was vetoed by the president and they were
then dropped. Mr.. Mahon, who is chair
man Of the war claims committee, will adj
dress the committee on Pennsylvania bor-
der claims which have been pending in
congress for years
The Loud bill, to cure the abuses of the
law relating TO second class mail matter
of which newspaper matter is transmit
ted at / cent Per pound and which ha
been the suh.c of much criticism OF the
Tostoflice department because of the ad
vantage taken Of the law i'm the various
ways for the transmission Of looks anC
pamphlets, will also be pressed, as win the
Pickler service fusion bill, which occupies
a favorable position on the calendar q
privileged report Among the other bill
are the Wadsworth bill, for the creation
a bureau of animal industry for inspcc
tion of meat and regulation of the trans
portation of live stock, ths immigration
bill, the Chickering bill for asccrteininp
the feasibility and cost of q ship canal
from the Great Lakes % the Hudson, sew.
eral important public land bills the bills
for the admission of the territories and
many others of especial interest TO particu-
lar localities. There are also several i'm
portant measures in the senate which
might come over the house for considera-
tion.