The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1896-11-30
THE WORK Of CONGRESS.
Remedial Legislation Must Come From
the Senate.
MANY HOUSE BILLS REPORTED !
The Most Important Measures Now on,the
Calendar Are the Pacific Railroad
Funding Bill and the Nicaragua
Canal Bond Bill,


WASHINGTON, Nov. 3O.-Itis not proba-
BILE that the house at the coming session
Of congress, which begins next Monday,
can dispose of much of the proposed legis-
lation which cucumber its calendars. Lit
tie is usually accomplished at the short
session beyond the passage of the regular
supply bills Still, the house, with its in
strumentalities tor the expedition of busi-
ness, can accomplish great deal in
brief time. The question of legislation
for additional revenues for the govern
ment will depend on the senate, to which
body the house sent the Dingley bill almost
q year ago. Should 1T be impossible, or be
deemed inexpedient, to press that measure
through the senate there is, of course,
possibility that the proposal to increase
the revenues by an additional tax on beer
or the imposition of n duty on tea, coffee,
etc, may take tangible form, and If so,
such legislation must originate, under the
constitution, in the lower branch of con-
gress.
There are on the several calendars of the
house 1, 465 bills reported from the various
committees, and the proportion which will
pass at the coming session must be neces-
sarily almost infinitesimal Most of them
are, of course, private bills (of which there
are 100) but there are also 256 bills on
the calendar on the state of the union,
and 80 public bills on the regular house
calendar Some of these are of very great
public importance, and those interested
will no doubt do all in their power to Sc
cure action upon them.
The powers lodged in the hands of the
committee on rules, which give the MEM
bers of that committee control of the
house program will make that committee
the practical arbiter of what shall be sub
mitted TO the house for its action. That
committee is composed as at present con-
stituted, of the speaker, Mr.. Henderson of
Iowa, Mr.. Dalzell of Pennsylvania and
Mr.. Mcmillan of Tennessee. The death
of ex-Speaker Crisp creates a vacancy at
the head of the minority of the commit
tee, which must be filed by the speaker
The names principally mentioned in con-
nection with the vacancy are Mr.. Bailey
of Texas Mr.. Catchings of Mississippi,
Mr.. Turner of Georgia, Mr.. Richardson of
Tennessee and Mr.. Dockery of Missouri.
The bill which, in many respects, is
fraught ct this time with most interest,
and which will press hardest for consider
utlOllf Is ltlC dblllO IdllIOdl AuDuluR Oil.
The bonds guaranteed by the government
are payable early in the coming year, and
either an extension or n foreclosure stares
the road in the face. For eight years fund
ing bills have occupied IA good share of the
attention of congress The present bill,
of which Mr.. Powers of Virginia is the
author, was reported shortly before the
close of the last session. Everything will
be done by those interested in it to secure
consideration. The friends of the Mica
ragua canal are also bending every energy
to secure action on the bill reported by
Mr. Doolittle, which provides for guar
antee by the United States of 500, 600
of bonds for the construction of the canal
The war claims committee, which showed
fight on several occasions in the last ses-
sion, promises to renew their aggressive
ness this winter, especially for the passage
of the claims awarded under the Bowman
act and the French spoliation claims.
These claims, the former amounting to
1862, 459 and the latter to 81, 70S, 1856, were
put on the sundry civil bill at the last ses-
sion as rider of the senate, but the bill
was vetoed by the president and they were
then dropped. Mr.. Mahon, who is chair
man of the war claims committee, will
also press the Pennsylvania border claims
which have been pending in congress for
years.
The Loud bill, to cure the abuses of the
law relating to second class mail matter
of which newspaper matter is transmitted
at one cent per pound, and which has been
the subject of much criticism of the post
Office department because of the advantage
taken of the law in various ways for the
transmission of books and pamphlets,
will also be pressed, as will the Picker
service fusion bill which has favorable
position on the calendar as privileged
report
Among the other bills are the Wads.
worth bill for the creation of bureau of
animal industry for the inspection of
meat and the regulation of the transpor-
tation Of live stock, the immigration bill,
the Chicllering bill for ascertaining the
feasibility and cost of Il ship canal from
the great lakes TO the Hudson, several i'm
pOrtant public land bills, the bills for the
admission of the territories, and many
Others of especial interest to particular
localities. There are also several important
measures in the senate which might come
up in the house for consideration.