The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-06-11
To ADJOURN TODAY
The First Session of the Fifty
Fourth Congress.
1T WILL END AT 4 O'CLOCK
A Great Amount of Business
Transacted Yesterday.
T WILL END AT 4 O'CLOCK
MEMBERS EAGER TO GO HOME
Fifty-Three Bills and Joint Resolutions
Passed by the House and Much
Work of Minor importance
Dis osed Of.

Washington. June 10.-An enormous
amount of business was transacted by
the House to-day i'm order to clear the
| desks for the final adjournment to-
morrow. The absence of Mr.. Kem per-
m.tted members to pass bills in the
closing hours in which they were
| vitally interested There was great
| clamor for recognition. Fifty-three
| bills and joint resolutions were passed,
the most important of which probably
was the bill appropriating 100000 for
the trans Mississippi exposition at
| Omaha. Mr.. Allen, of Mississippi, the
wit of the House, enlivened the day
with humorous speech.
Chairman Cannon, of the Appropria-
tions committee, made a gallant fight
| to induce the House to stand out
| against the Senate public building
items in the Sundry Civil bill, but the
members out-voted him 100-SS. After
| the conference report on the District
of Columbia bifl containing it's com
promise on sectarian charities had
been presented, Mr.. Cannon precipita-
ted heated discussion of the politi-
cal situation in which Mr.. Dockery,
(Dem, MOI. and Mr.. Dingley, (Rep.,
Me.), participated. The work of the
session was deliberately reviewed, crit
icised and defended. The conference
report on the District of Columbia bill
was adopted and the Senate resolution
for final ad diournment at p. m. to-
morrow was passed.
The House held a brief session at
g. 30 TO enable the speaker TO sign the
| enrolled bills.
Mr. C. w. Stone, (Rep., Pa.), chair
man of the committee on Coinage,
| Weights and Measures, secured the
passage of a resolution calling on the
| Secretary of the Treasury to report to
| the House at the next session such in
| formation as he may be able to obtain
as 10 the comparative merits of pure
nickel, nickel alloy, aluminium alloy
and copper bronze as material for our
minor coins and authorizing him to
have struck experimental coins.
During the consideration of a resolu-
ton to print 10000 copied the bank
ruptcy bill Mr.. Alln, (Dem. Miss,),
| the wit of the House, got the floor and
| delivered a humorous speech which
convulsed the House with laughter.
He ssatirized the political situation and
made some veiled thrusts at some OF
| the presidential candidates which APP
peared to tickle the members im-
mensely He began by referring to
| the universal criticism" of bis silence.
| II desire to say, however, said he,
| ''that there has been little at this ses-
| sion of Congress to inspire Christian
man to be loquacious Claug'hter). And
| want to say further that | am not the
| only great statesman whose recent
career has been distinguished by his
silence" (Renewed laughter).
The speaker appointed the following
committees to sit during the recess of
| Congress to investigate the charges
| affecting the Leavenworth, Kas., Sol
ders' Home: Messrs. Grout, of Yer
| mont; C. w. Stone, Pennsylvania; War
| her. Illinois; Sayers, Texas, and Lay
ton, Ohio. To investigate the question
| of sub-ways in the district: Messrs.
| Babcock, Wis; Odell, n. Y; Richard
son, Tenn.
| Pending action on reports, various
members took occasion to make re-
marks bearing on the work of Con-
| gress. Mr.. Cannon, (Rep., Ills.), asked
/
| words.
| He congratulated the House on the
work of the session. He referred to
| the fact that it had passed a bill that
| would save us from borrowing" but
| that it had slept the sleep of death
in the Senate. Nothing was left but
to make the appropriations necessary
| to- carry on the government, taking
care that they only appropriated what
was absolutely necessary for the needs
of the government. He reviewed
| some things that had been done, and
said to sum it all up in one word,
mo scandal can be charged TO this
| House," they (the Republicans) could
unite in assuring the country that if
| in November they were given full
power they would write on the statute
books the protective economic policy
of the Republican party
Mr.. Sayers (Dem., Texas said he
had listened with pleasure to the ut
terances of the gentleman from Illi-
nois. He had heard similar utterances
in the Fifty-frst Congress, and, he
| added. 'you know the result" What
had the Republican Congress done?
he asked. Instead of simply meeting
the obligations of the government it
had made appropriations of $520,O00,
900 and contracted for $100,000,000 adj
ditional as burdens for future Con-
crosses. The Republicans, he declared,
had been just to the few at the eX-
pense of the many. The minority had
not swelled the appropriations, but
whenever and however they could as
sist the majority in reducing appro-
priations they had not failed to do so.
Mr.. Dockery (Dem., Missouri) de-
clared that the Republicans had piled