Birmingham state herald., 1896-02-04
THE HOUSE WENT T ALONE The Senate Free Coinage Bill
 Received and Referred. ANOTHER BANK BILL OFFERED Mir. Hill of Connecticut Pats National Banks on the Back.
ARMY APPROPRIATION BILL REPORTED
The Senate Committee Has Raised the Pen- sion Appropriation to $141, ,37S, ,5So. The Supreme Court Will
 Adjourn Today.

Washington, Feb. 3.-The house spent nearly the entire session in committee of the whole today discussing three amend ments to the District of Columbia ap- propriation bill, changing the items for the support of charitable institutions so that the appropriations. shall be disburs- ed by the board of children's guardians instead of the institutions themselves. Two of these amendments were agreed to and the third was pending when the committee rose at 4:5O D. m. and the house adjourned until tomorrow.
 The army appropriation bill for the coming fiscal year was reported.
 A bill was passed granting right of way through the Choctaw nation to the Ar kansas and Choctaw Railroad company.
 The senate free coinage substitute for the house bond bill was received and re- ferred, under the rules, to the committee on ways and means.
 A message from the president asking a reasona ble appropriation for the families of four Italians killed in Colorado last spring was referred to the committee on appropriations.
 MT. Hill, republican, of Connecticut, of fered bill amending existing laws so as tos permit national banks to issue cur rency to the par value of bonds deposited. When currency is issued to the banks the secretary of the treasury is directed to redeem and cancel a corresponding ' amount of legal tenders Should no legal E tenders be presented for redemption, then the; secretary is directed to redeem and cancel notes issued under the sherman act. To carry out the provisions of this bill the secretary is authorized to issue a 8 per cent gold bond payable in twenty years, to be sold as occasion requires. The bill also reduces from 1 per cent to one-fourth of 1 per cent the tax on na- tlanal bank circulation.
 At 450 p. m. the house adjourned until tomorrow.
 I Senate Pension Appropriations. | The senate committee on approprla- tibns this morning ordered the pension aiId military academy bills to be reported tomorrow. The estimates of the pension bill amounted to $141 1884, 750 and the house passed 1t with an appropria tion of $141,- S25. .S2o. The senate committee increased it by 2,760, the two items of increase being $50000 for fees and expenses of ex- amning surgeons and $2760 for rent of pension agencies. As 1t will be reported to the senate the bill will carry $141, ,37S,- 5S0 For the current year $141 1881 ,570 was appropriated.
 As this bill passed the house it was
 
 whenever any claim for pension under the act of June 20, 1890, has been or should be rejected, suspended or dis missed and a new application shall have been filed and pension has been or shall hereafter be allowed in such claim such pen sion shall date from the filing of the first appropriation, provided the evidence in the case shows questionable disa bility to have existed at the time of filing such first appropriation, anything in any law or ruling of the department to the con- trary now. The senate committee struck the limitation confining such action to the fiscal year 1897 and made the pro- vision general in it's appropriation until the law may in the wisdom of congress be repealed.
 f The Supreme Court.
 When the arguments of counsel in the cases of Matte P. Baltzer, executrix of Herman R. Baltzer, ct al. vs. the state of North Carolina, which was begun in the supreme court of the United States this morning, have been concluded some time tomorrow the court will adjourn for the usual February recess, to reassemble on the first Monday in March. These cases involve the validity of an amendment to the constitution of the state of North Carolina, adopted in 1880, forbidding the general assembly to pay or authorize the payment of any debt or bond created by the legislature of 1868-70, except the bonds Issued to fund the interest of the old state debt, unless the proposition to pay shall have first been submitted to the peo- pie and ratified by majority of the elec- tors of the state. The plaintiffs sued on a |, bond issued by the state under the act to amend the charter of the Chatham Railroad company of March II. 1868, which bond the state officials refused to pay. The supreme court of the state held baf thn n, dr1nnn fn ae valid and it did not impair the obliga- tions of contracts. From that judgment Z the plaintiffs appealed to the supreme court of the United States. Twice before argument on the cases had been post poned in order that it might be heard by a full bench, but today when counsel be- gan there were but seven members of the court present, Justice Brewer being de- tained by duties on the Venezuelan com mission and Justice Brown confined to his house by an attack of rheumatism.
 The sugar bounty case from Louisiana will be argued in the supreme court of the United States when the court recon- venes on the first Monday In March.
 The South Carolina cases, four in num- ber, Involving that section of the dispen- sarys law of the state which authorizes the seizures of liquor imported into the will come up for argument immediately upon the reassembling of the court in October.
 The appointment of MT. Justice Peck ham to a seat on the bench of the su- preme court of the United States necessi- tated a partial reassgnment of Justices l to the several circuits, and the-follOwing changes were announced today by the chief justice: MT. Justice Peckham to the second circuit, vice Brown.s Mir. Justice Brown to the seventh circuit. vice liar ian. and Mir Justice Harlan to the sixth nt,4 (1,f pri0 cfr
 COL. W. P. rHoMPsoN,