The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-01-01
THE NATIONS CAPITOL.
The Humber and Personnel Of The Venezuelan /
I Commission Sill a haiier Of Gossip. 4
sI4o, 600, 900 ESTIMATED FORpEHsIOHs.
DingieS Proposes 10 stop UnderynIun.,
lion OF Anlporis-IIousc Con,mit.,
Tee on Elections No g, Continue to
Take Testimony In Contest ed EIee.i
tion Cases-Now Zine of Steamers

Washington, Dec. 31.ANo information
can be obtained at the White House asy
to whether the President has vet CONE
to any decision IN regard to the member
ship Of the Venezuelan commission. 4
either as to number or personnel Boths
ure iett absolutely at the discretion of
luton without even the necessity of
communicating with the Senate on thef
matter. The exact text of the resolu-
ton MS adopted by both Houses, was asi
follows: ,--e-',53
BE 1t enacted by the Senate and the 4
iiouse OF Representatives of the UnitedA
states of America in Congress aSsem-i 4.
bled, that tic sum of $l00,0 or SO much,
Thereon AS may be necessary, be and
the same Is hercby appropria ted foG the
expenses of u commission to be appoint
cd by the President to inveStiEate andy,
report upon the true divisional line J
British Guiana"
Ii Will thus be seen that authentic in-j
formation as to the composition of thei
commission can proceed only from twoi
SourccS-the President or the person toj
whom he tenders the Office The Presi-l
dent has not spoken and there Is no !
good reason to believe that any one Of
the gentlemen whose names have beenl
widely mentioned In connection with thei
position has authorized n statement to-
he made on his behalf. The ctrcumstan-t
tiai story sent out some days ago that
the President had rendered one place on
the commission to Richard II Alvey
OF Maryland. Chief Justice OF the Cou.f
of Appeals of the District of Columbia
and that he was holding the matter un-e
der advisemcnt, turns out to he entIrelyl
untrue, and 1t is quite possible that theS
other names mentioned may be equally
composed of gossip and SueSSwork. IL
Chairman Dngley, of the Ways and /
Means Committee, will not leave Wash-;f
inRtOn during the holiday recess. H..
has been so busy with his public woI i
thnt his correspondence has, fallen badly
In arrears, and the intervening time be-tt
tween now and the reassembling Off
Congress will be necessary to complete.
1t. Mr.. Dingley will not call the Ways
and Means Committee together until,
the latter part of next week. ut which,
time the subcommittee will be Ep-
pointed and q. programme OF work pre-
pared. One of the first matters which
Mr. Dingley purposes bringing to the
attention OF the committee will be cr,r-%
tain amendments to the administrative
features, of the present tariff law, with \
a view to preventing undcrvaluationst
OF imports. y strong necessity exists.
MIR. Dingley says, fer the correction OF Z
some OF the defects in the administrative; I
law, which will explain his purpose inhi
giving it his early attention.
There are also other matters coming.
within the Jurisdiction of the Ways and
Means Committee upon which action,
will be taken. but of these the chairman
does not care to speak in detail at pres-B
cnt YS
Representative w. A. Stone, of Penn
Sylvania, chairman of the sub-commit-!j
tee on pensions, has issued n call for a.
meeting of his committee on pensions
| for Friday of this week. The amount
appropriated for pensions for the cur!
rent fiscal year was Sl40000, coo, whichs
| is the commissioners estimate for the
| next year 1t is Mr.. Stones desire to
| begin the preparation of the pension
bill at once i'm order that no delay may
occur in reporting 1t. This is in con-
| formity with the Republican pro-5,
| gramme, which looks to an adjournment
| OF Congress as soon as all the appro-i
| priations bills have been passed. S
| The House Committee on Elections
No. 9. OF which Mr.. Johnson, of Indiana,.4i
| is chairman. to-day heard motions to re-.4
open for the purpose Of taking further
| testimony in the contested election cases.
| of Mitchell against Walsh. of the Ninth
| (New York; District; Campbell against!
| Miner. Ninth (New York District, and
VauIIorn against Tarsney, Fifth Mis-
souri,.
| Mr.. Mcclellan, froml the Fifteenth
New York. whose seat is contested by
Mr. Cheesbro. stated to the committee
that the contestant in his case had with
| drawn and asked the committee to re-g
port n resolution removing the cloud tot
his title to the seat 5.
1