Arizona republican., 1896-12-06
CONGRESS READY FOR WORK
To Convene Tomorrow for the
 Short Session..
Nothing of Importance Is Expected to Be Done Before March 4, AL though the Calendars Contain Many Bills.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.-Congress convenes on Monday for session of about fifty working days, in which nothing of importance beyond the pas sage of the regular appropriation bills is expected to happen, except the counting and announcement of the electoral vote.
 While it is little more than a for mality, the declaration of the election of Mckinley and Hobart as president and president for the four years from the 4th of March next, which con- gress will make in joint session in the hall of the house through Vice-Presi- dent Stevenson, sitting beside Speaker Reed, will be the most important thing done at the coming short ses- sion.
 Now that the evolution of our gov ernmental system has left the elector- al college no more right to exercise that freedom of choice which it was originally intended to exercise, and which it still has the legal right to do, it is difficult to remember that it is not the president and vice-president, but the electors who were chosen on the Sd of November, and that Mckinley and Hobart will not be elected presi dent and vice-president until the cleo tors in every state have met and bal loted, their ballots have been brought to the vice-president, and, on the day appointed, taken, under his direction, to the hall of the house, escorted by the senate in solemn procession, and counted and announced from the speakers desk in the presence of the joint session of the two houses.
 Until then Mr. Mckinley is not, strictly speaking, even president-elect or MT. Hobart -president-elect and if either should die before the cleo toral college meets there would be no official record of the fact that major ity of the voters of the country ex- pressed on the November election day the wish that Mckinley. should be the case might be.
 While this ceremony is of immense importance, legally and officially, it is of so much less importance practically than it might have been in former days that it is not taken into account at all in the minds of the public men here, who are all talking of Mckinley as the next president and acting ac- cordingly. It istPresident Mckinley s policy and President McKinley's cabi- net they are interested in
 There are on the several calendars of the house, 1,465 bills reported from the various committees, and the propor- tion which will pass at the coming ses- sion must be, necessarily, almost in finitesimal. Most of them are, of course, private bills (of which there are 1,100), but there are also 256 bills on the calendar on the state of the Union, and ninety-nine public bills on the reg ular house calendar. Some of these are of very great public importance, and those interested will no doubt do all in their power to secure action up on them. The powers lodged in the hands of the committee on rules, which give the members of that committee control of the house programme, will make that committee the practical ar
 
 house for it's action. That committee is. composed, as at present constituted of the speaker, MT. Henderson, of Iowa; MT. Dalzell, of Pennsylvania and MT. McMillin, of Tennessee. The death of eX-Speaker Crisp creates va cancy at the head of the minority ot the committee, which must be filled by the speaker. The names principally mentioned in connection with the va cancy are MT. Bailey, of Texas; Mr Catchings, of Mississippi; MT. Turner of Georgia; MT. Richardson, of Tennes- see, and Mr. Dockery of Missouri.
 The bill which, in many respects, is fraught at this time with most interest and which will press hardest for con sideration, is the Pacific railroad fund ing bill The first of the bonds guar anteed by the government are payable early in the coming year, and either al extension or foreclosure stares tht roads in the face. For eight year funding bills have occupied a goo( share of the attention of congress- Tn, present bill, of which Mr. Powers, o Vermont, is the author, was reported S0Ortly DelOre the clOSe Ol Iue ldSC SeS sion.
 Everything will be done by those in terested in it to secure consideration The friends of the Nicaragua canal ar also bending every energy to secur action on the bill reported by MT. Doc little, which provides for a guarante by the United States of $100,000,000 o bonds for the construction of the canal
 A Republican United States senator who has been in the city for the pas two weeks, and who has made it point to call upon and talk with ever senator of his party, who was eithe here before him or has come since