Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-06-08
SHORTEST FOR FORTY YEARS.
Continued from First Page.)

no general policy could De aSreeu upoh'
The two bills framed by the House
Ways and Means Committee, and bear
ing the name of their author, Mr.. Ding
lev. of Maine. one a bill for the issue or
short popular loan and Of certificates
of indebtedness, the other to increase
the rates of tariff schedules in wool,
manufactures of wool and other art
icles were killed in the Senate by the
determination to substitute therefor
silver coinage measures. On the other
hand. the Senate resolution to prohibit
the issue of bonds without the auth
GRITTY Of Congress, one OF the last I'M
portant acts of the Senate, was reported
adversely by the House Ways and
Means Committee. The only one OF the
many proposed changes in the tariff
laws which
BECAME AN ACTUALLY
was the repeal of that clause of the Will
son act giving free alcohol in the arts
and manufactures, this being done on
the recommendation Of Secretary Car
Isle and Commissioner Of Internal Rev.
enue Miller. This repeal met with so
much antagonism from members rep
resenting manufacturing interests that
it could only be effected by coupling
with it compromise scheme devised
by Senator Plat and Representative
Russell, of Connecticut, for Congress
ional commission to recommend legls-
lation at the beginning of the next ses-
sion by which free alcohol can be Sc
cured under sufficient safeguard for the
government interests.
THE POLICY OF RECIPROCITY
was thoroughly investigated by sub
committee of the Ways and Means, at
the instigation of Messrs Tawney, OF
Minnesota, and Hopkins, OF Illinois.
but 1t was thought inadvisable by the
Republican leaders to attempt legisla-
ton on that single feature OF the tariff
system so long as agricultural revision
was out of the question. Although the
House Committee On Banking and Cur
rency devoted much time to the discus
sion of financial questions, il was able
to agree on but two bills-one to permit
banks to issue circulation 10 the amount
of the par value of the bonds deposited
by them as security; the other for the
organization of national banks in the
smaller towns, neither Of which was
passed this session. The only impor-
tant bill recommended by the House
Committee on Coinage that for the
adoption of the metric system of
weights and measures at the beginning
of the next century, met with temper
airy rebuff in the House, but will be
brought forward again.
While foreign affairs divided with
finances the interest of Congress, COM
partivey little legislation resulted from
the discussions because so great a
share of the conduct of foreign relations
rests with the executive branch. The
first public resolution adopted by Con-
gress. and that after one hours debate
in the House and few days in the Sen
ate, was that authorizing the President
to create the commission to investigate
the Venezuela British Guiana bound
airy line.
The debates over
CUBAN AFFAIRS
resulted in the adoption of concur
rent resolution expressing the sympa-
thy of this government with the insur-
gents: calling upon the President-to ac-
cord them belligerent rights and to Of
fer the friendly offices of the United
States to Spain to bring the war to an
end.
Resolutions were adopted by both
branches of Congress denouncing the
massacres of Armenians in Turkey and
calling upon the signatory powers TO
the Berlin treaty to protect the Armen-
ian Christians. Seventy-five thousand
dollars was appropriated for carrying
out the stipulations Of the Boring Sea
seal fisheries treaty with Great Brit
ain. Another resolution passed was to
defray the expenses of negotiating
convention to locate the boundary line
between Alaska and British America.
One incident of the excitement which
attended the crisis of the Venezuelan
boundary dispute was the quick adop-
toin by both the Senate and the House
of Senator Hills proposition to repeal
the law forbidding eX-Confederates who
| relinquished commissions in the Uni
| ted States army or navy to be again
APPOINTED TO THE SERVICE.
| The plans to bring about the Maher-
| Fitzsimmons fight in the Indian Ter
ritory inspired the rabid enactment OF
a law imposing extremely severe penal
| ties for prize fighting in the territories,
and the epidemic of train robberies in.
| the Indian Territory brought about an
| iron-clad law against crimes of that
| class. or attempts at them, with the
death penalty for any incidental loss
of life. Another emergency act was
that authorizing the Secretary of War
| to lend tents to the cyclone sufferers
| of st. Louis.
The dairy interests Of the country
prevailed upon Congress TO enact the
| most important measure for their pro-
lection since the oleomargarine law,
| the filled cheese bill, which regulates
| the manufacture and sale of adulterat-
ed cheese and imposes heavy penalties
| for receptions.
Some of the most important bills pre-
pared by the committee were not given
! a hearing in either house or passed but
one house and will be on the calendar
for consideration during the short ses-
sion if their supporters are able to Sc
| cure time for them. Among
THE MOST IMPORTANT
of these are: The Lodge Mccall bill
for an educational test for immigrants.
with the Carliss amendment to prevent
! the invasion of Canadian day laborers;
| the Phillips industrial commission bill,
| the Curtis bill to lessen the number Of
crimes for which the death penalty can
| be imposed by the United States Courts,
the bankruptcy bill and the Picker
pension BILL all Of which were passed