Connecticut western news., 1896-12-24
ACTION OF CONGRESS.
MANAGEMENT OF THE UNION PA cIFIc DENOUNCED IN SENATE.

The House Passes Appropriation Bills and
 Has a Lively Tilt over Civil Service.
 Thrashing over oId Political Straw.
 Proceedings of the Past Week.
 WASHINGTON. Dec. 2a-The senate was unexpectedly diverted from Cuba to the Pacific railroads An unusually large crowd was in e,e galleries, anticipating that MT. Vest would continue his speech on the attitude of Mir. Olney toward the Cameron resolution. The interest this had awakened was shown by the presence in the diplomatic gallery of First Assistant Secretary of State Rockhill, who Is next in rank to Mir olney in state affairs and who has had special charge of the reports coming from consuls in Cuba The for eign delegation also was we'll represented Soon after the session opened, Mir. Petit grow of South Dakota called up his reso- lution relative to the trust notes of the Pa cific railroad. The senator made a savage onslaught on the Pacific railroad system in general, charging that combination of private interests was seeking to absorb the roads and close out the government This opened the entire question, and Mir Morgan of Alabama followed with bit ter arraiGnment of the Pacific roads, charg- ing them with fraud and crime on a gi- gantic scale
 Mir Call secured the adoption of n reso- lution asking the secretary of state for in- formation relative to the killing ot Charles Govin, an American citizen, by the Span ish forces in Cuba
 Mir. Pettyrew introduced a bill in the senate providing for grant of land to the state of South Dakota to aid in tho construction of the Dakota Pacific rail road from Sioux Falls to Granger, Wy. The bill grants alternate sections of land for 20 miles on each side of the proposed road.
 Mir Butler of North Carolina intro. duced a resolution providing for a special committee of three senators to Inquire into the feasibility of applying the principle of direct legislation through the initiative and referendum to the legislation of the federal government
 The senate adjourned for the holiday re- cess, lasting until Jan. 5.
 Proceedings Io the Honse.
 The house passed tho legislative exec utive and judicial appropriation bill and then adjourned for the holiday recess. This is the first time in the history of con gress that the legislative bill has been passed before the holidays The session YVES devoted to the annual debate of the civil service law, and, as usual, the nt- tempt to strike out the provision for the commission was overwhelmingly defeated
 There was good deal of thrashing over old straw and sparring for political points. Mir. Brosius, chairman of the civil service commission, defended the law. Others who participated in the debate were Mcssrs Baker tRep.) of New Hampshire, Walker (Rep. of Massachusetts, Williams (Dem. of Mississippi, Bowers (Rep.) of Califor mia and Nell (Dem. of Arkansas
 Mir. Settle (Rep.) of North Carolina made the motion to strike out the para graph relating to the civil service, which was defeated by a vote of 2g to 62. The bill as passed carries $2l, ,G69, 369, or s36, 37a moro than the current bill.
 Mir. Wellington of Maryland introduced bill for the advancement of salaries of government clerks receiving S1, too and less at the rate of 10 per cent in five years until they reach q, 500 per annum.
 A bill to promote aerial navigation was introduced by Mir. Baker of New Hamp- shire, which proposes to give $50, 900 tc Professor Langley of the Smithsonian in stitution, s20, 000 to James Selden Cow den of Virginia and SEQ 900 to the war de partment for conducting experiments.