Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-12-10
MANY BILLS PENDING.
WORK FOR THIS SESSION OF
CONGRESS TO DO.
The Dingley Measure I'm the Hands Of
the senate-Pacifc Funding Legis-
lation Likely to He of Great Inter-
est-Other Laws Wanted.
Little Legislation Likely.


Washington correspondence:
IL Ia improbable that the House mt this
session of Congress will dispose of much
of the proposed legislation which en-
cumbers its calendars. Little Is usually
accomplished at the short session, be-
yond the passage of the regular supply
bills. The question of legislation for
additional revenue for the Government
will depend on the Senate, to which body
the House sent the Dingley bill almost
q year ago. If it should be impossible, or
deemed inexpedient, TO press that meas
ure through the Senate, there is possi-
bility that the proposal to increase the
revenues by an additional tax on beer or the
imposition of a duty on tea and coffee, may
take tangible form, and, If so, such legis-
lation must originate, under the Consti-
tuition, in the lower branch of Congress
There are on the several calendars of
the House 1,4G5 bills reported from the
various committees, and the proportion
which will pass at the coming session
must be necessarily small. The private
bills number LOO. but there are also 2o6
bills on the calendar on the state of the
Union and nincty-nine public bills on the
regular 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 upon them.
Power of the Rules Committee.
The powers lodged in the hands of the
Committee on Rules, which give its menu
bers control Of the House program, will
make that committee the practical arbiter
of what shall be submitted to the House
for its action. That committee is COM
IS tha
Speaker, Mr.. Henderson, of Iowa; Mr..
Dalzell, of Pennsylvania, and Mr.. McMil-
len, of Tennessee. The death of ex-
Speaker Crisp makes a 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 bill, which in many respects, is of
most interest and which will press hard
est for consideration is the Pacific Rail-
way funding bill. The bonds guaran-
teed by the Government are payable early
In the coming year, and either an extern
sion or foreclosure stares the roads in
the face. For eight years funding bills
have occupied good share of the atten-
tion 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 interested in it to
secure consideration. The friends of the
Nicaragua Canal also are bending every
energy to secure action on the bill report
ed by Mr.. Doolittle. which provides for
l. A.
100000 of bonds for the construction of
the canal.
The War Claims Committee, which
showed fight on several occasions at the
last session. promises TO renew that ar.
gressiveness this winter, especially for
the passage of the claims awarded under
the Bowman act and the French spolia-
.ion claims. These claims-the former |
amounting to S5G2, ,450. and the latter to
S2,70S, 19G-were put on the sundry civil |
bill at the last session as n rider of the |
Senate, but the bill was vetoed by the |
President. and they were then dropped. |
Mr.. Mahon, who is chairman of the War |
Claims Committee, will also press the |
Pennsylvania border claims. which have /
been pending in Congress for years.
Other Legislation Proposed.
The Loud bill, 10 cure the abuses of the |
law relating to second-class matter, un-
der which newspaper matter is transmit
ted at l cent pound. and which has
been the subject of much criticism of the
Postoffce Department because of the ad-
vantage taken of the law in various ways
for the transmission of books and PAM
phlets. viii also be pressed, as will the
Pickler service fusion bill, which occu-
pies a favorable position on the calendar
as privileged report.
Among the other bills are the Wads-
worth bill for the creation of a bureau of
animal industry, for the inspection of
meat and the regulation of the transpor-
tation of live stock; the immigration bill.
the Chickering bill, for ascertainng the
feasibility and cost of ship canal from
the great lakes TO the Hudson, several
important public-land bills. the bills for
the admission of the territories. and many
others of especial interest to particular
localities. There are also several import
ant measures in the Senate which might
come over TO the House for consideration.