The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-12-10
HAS A FULL CALENDAR
House Not Likely to Dispose
of Much Legislation.
THE IMPORTANT BILLS NAY PASS


Over Fourteen Hundred Have Been
Reported by the Various Commit
tees-Funding BilI's Chances.
Washington, Dec. Lit is not prob
able that the house, at the coming ses-
sion Of congress, can dispose of much
of the proposed legislation which en-
cumbers it's calendars. Little is usually
accomplished at the short session be-
yond the passage of the regular supply
bills. Still, the house, with its instru-
mentalities for the expedition of bust
ness, can accomplish great deal in a
brief time.
The question Of additional revenues
for the government will depend on the
senate, to which body the house sent
the Dingley bill almost year ago.
Should it be impossible, or be deemed
inexpedient to press that measure
through the senate, there is Of course
possibility that the proposal to in
crease the revenues by an additional
tax On beer or the imposition of duty
on tea. coffee, ETC., may take tangible
form, and, if so, such legislation must
originate, under the constitution, in
the lower branch of congress.
There are on the several calendars of
the house l ,465 bills reported from the
various committees, and the portion
which will pass at the coming session
must be necessarily almost infini-
tesimal. Most of them are of course.
private bills {of which there are 1907,
but there are also 256 bills on the cal
endar on the state of the Union, and 80
pnblio bills on the regular house calen
dar. Some of these are of very great
public Importance, and those interested
will no doubt do all in their power to
secure action for them.
The power lodged in the hands of the
committee on rules, which gives the
members Of that committee control of
the house programme, will make that
committee the practical arbiter of
what shall be submitted to the house
for action. That committee is COM
posed at present of the speaker, Hen
derson of Iowa, Dalzell of Pennsyl-
vania, and McMillin of Tennessee.
The death of ex-Speaker Crisp creates
vacancy at the head of the minority
of the committee, which must be filed
by the speaker. The names principal
~ mentioned in connection with the
vacancy are Bailey of Texas, Gatherings
of Mississippi, Turner of Georgia,
Richardson Of Tennessee, and Dockery
Of Missouri.
The bill, which, in many respects is
fraught this time with most interest,
and which will press hardest for con-
sideration is the Pacific raiload 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 the atten-
ton of congress. The present bill, of
which Mr.. Powers of Vermont 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
are also bending every energy to secure
action on the bill reported by Mr.. Doc.
little, which provides for guarantee
by the United States of 500, 000,0 900 of
bonds for the construction of the canal.
The war claims committee, which
showed fight on several occasions at the
last session, promise to renew aggres-
siveness this winter, especially for the
passage of the claims awarded under
the Bowman act and the French spolia-
ton claims. These claims, the former
amounting to $500, 459, and the latter
to So, 708, 1873, were put on the sundry
civil bill at the last session as rider
of the senate, but the bill was vetoed
by the president, and they were then
dropped. Mr.. Mahon, who is chair
man of the war claims committee, will
also press the Pennsylvania border
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
transmitted at one cent per pound, and
which has been the subject of much
criticism by the. postofice department
because Of the advantage taken OF the
law in various ways for the transmits
sion of books and pamphlets, will also
be pressed, as will be the Picker serv-
ice pension bill, which occupies favor
able position on the calendar as privi-
legged report