The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-01-03
THE 54TH CONGRESS.
ROUTINE or HOUSE AND SENATE
BRIEFLY CHRONICLED.
Summary Of Bills and Resolutions
Presented aud Acted Upon.
THE HOUSE.

Y
resentatiyes by announcing the list Of
committees for this congress. There
were several surprises occasioned by
the reading Of the list, but generally
the assignments made had been dis
cussod by current rumor There was
general satisfaction with the work Of
the speaker, and he was commeded on
all sides for the fairness and ability,
as we'll as the consideration for tho
public interests displayed in discbarg-
ing the arduous and delicate task.
The message of the president urging
congressional action to relieve the
present financial distress was read and
referred to the committee on ways and
means, as was also the resolution pro-
yiding for a holiday recess. 1t was
stated by the leaders Of the house that
it was probable the presidents rec
ommendation would be followed and
no holiday recess taken. On motion
OF Mr.. Cannon a resolution was agreed
to authorizing the committee on APP
preparations to sit during the sessions
Of the house. Also, on motion Of Mr..
Dingley, a similar resolution was
agreed to for the committee on ways
and means. Messrs. Bankhead and
Clark, Of Alabama, and Hutchinson, OF
Texas, appeared on the floor for the
first time this session and we're sworn
in by the speaker. The house then,
at u :55 o'clock, adjourned until Mon
day.
II being generally understood that
the ways and means committee would
not be prepared to report its bill for
the relief of the treasury situation be-
fore Wednesday or Thursday, the at
tendance in the house during Mondays
session was comparatively small. The
speaker announced that by an mad.
vertence in the announcement Of COM
mittees on Saturday, the name Of Mr..
Tracey, republican, Missouri, had
been omitted from the committee on
naval affairs. After a little argument
and objection from Mr.. Crisp in be-
half of the minority against the chair
men of three election committees re-
ferring the elections contests, the
speaker ended the matter by making
concession and referring the contests
one to each committee in regular or
/ der.
Mr.. Dingley, republican, chairman
of the ways and means committee,
then took the floor. The committee,
he said, had met daring the morning
and had unanimously decided that in
view of the presidents special mes
sage to congress on Friday, and the
| circumstances surrounding it that it
was not appropriate that the two
houses should adjourn until proper
response had been made. In view of
the urgency Of the matter, de deemed
j. proper to say that the committee
had already entered upon the prepara-
ton of bill or bills. While he was
not prepared to say now, when those
bills would be ready, he was certain
that they would not be presented to
the house before Thursday,
1t was important that the members
of the house who had gone home I'M
der the impression that the usual hol-
iday recess would be held should be
present when the report of the ways
and means committee was made and it
was proper that they should have an
opportunity to return. He would ask
the house to meet Tuesday for the
purpose of agreeing upon the DISPOSE
ton of the presidents message, after
which he would ask the house to adj
iourn over Christmas day. "On
Thursday" he continued, ''we hope
that the house will make response to
the urgent request of the president
and take some action which will re-
lieve the situation in which the coun-
try finds itself" Then at 1928 the
house adjourned until Tuesday.
The attendance of the senators at
noon Tuesday was quite as full as
usual, no falling off on account of the
Christmas holidays being noticeable.
The senate galleries were pretty we'll
filled. Resolutions and memorials
from Ohio indorsing the action of
the president in relation to Venezuela
and in favor of recognizing the Cuban
revolutionists as beligerants we're pre-
sented by Mr.. Sherman, and referred
to the committee on foreign relations.
In introducing a bill for the issue
of Springfield rifles to each state and
territory for the national guard there
of, in exchange for the rifles now held
by them, Mr.. Hawley, republican, OF
Connecticut, explained that it had
nothing whatever to do with the war
scare. The bill was referred to the
committee on military affairs. Mr..
Allen, populist, of Nebraska, offered
the following resolution:
Whereas, Recent events have shown
European nations are making an ag-
gressive attempt to obtain a greater
foothold on the American continent
and
"Whereas, Such attempt shows the