Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1896-12-04

Washington, Nov. 29.--It is not proba-
bic that the house at the coming session
Of congress can dispose of much Of the
proposed legislation which encumbers its
ca;enders. Little is usually accomplished
at the short session, beyond the passage
of the regular supply bills. Still the
house, with it's instrumentalities for the
expedition of business. can accomplish a
great deal in brief time. The question
of additional revenues for the govern
ment will depend on the senate. to which
body the house sent the Dingley bill al
most year ago. Should 1t be possible,
or be deemed expedient to press that
measure through the senate, there is Of
course a possibility that the proposal TO
increase the revenues by additional tax
on beer or the imposition of duty on tea,
coffee, ETC., may take tangible form, ana
If so, such legislation must originate, I'M
der the constitution, in the lower branch
Of congress.
There are on the several calendars of
the house 1856 bills reported from the
various committees, and the proportion
which will pass the coming session must
be necessarily almost indefnite-small.
Most of them are of course private bills
(of which there are 1100), but there are
also 235 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 secure action upon them.
The Rules Committee.
The power lodged in the hands Of the
committee on rules, which gives members
of that committee control Of the house
practical arbiter of what shall be sub
mitted to the house for its action. That
committee is composed at present of the
speaker, Mr.. Henderson of Iowa, Mr.. Dali
zell of Pennsylvania and Mr.. Mcmillan of
Tennessee. The death OF ex-Speaker
Crisp creates a vacancy at the head Of
the minority of the committee, which
must be filled by the speaker. The names
prominently mentioned in connection with
the vacancy are Mr.. Bailey of Texas,
Mr.. Catchings of Mississippi, Mr.. Turner
of Georgia, Mr.. Richardson of Tennes-
sec and Mr. Dockery of Missouri.
The bill which in many respects Is
fraught this time with most interest and
which will press hardest for consideration
is the Pacific railroad funding bill. The
bonds guaranteed by the government are
payable early in the coming year, and
either an extension or a foreclosure
stares the roads in the face. For eight
years the funding bills have occupied a
good share of the attention of congress.
The present bill, of which Mr.. Powers of
Virginia, is the author, was reported
shcrtly before the close of the last ses-
sion. Everything will be done by those
interested in it to secure consideration.
Nicaragua Canal.
The friends of the Nicaragua canal
are also bending every energy to secure
action on the bill reported by Mr.. Doc
little, which provides for guarantee by
the United States of $10O, 900, 900 of bonds
for the construction of the canal.
The war claims committee, which
showed fight on several occasions at the
last session, promises to renew its ag-
gressiveness this winter, especially for
the passage of the claims awarded un-
Ger the Bowman act and the French
spoliaton claims. These claims, the for.
mer amounting to $1S2, 459 and the lat
ter to $2,70S,196, were put on the sundry
civil bill at the last session, as a rider of
the senate bill, but the bill was vetoed
ty the president and they were then
dropped. Mr.. Mahon, who Is chairman
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 crit
icism of the postoffice department be-
cause of the advantage taken of the law
in various ways for the transmission OF
pamphlets and books, will also be pressed
as will the Picker service pension Dill
which occupies a position on the calen
dar of a privileged report.
Among other bills are the Wadswortf
bill, for the creation of a bureau for ar
immediate industry for the expectation
of meat and the regulation of transporta
ton of live stock; immigration bill; the
Chickering bill, for ascertaining the feast
bility and cost of a ship canal from I'll,
great lakes to the Hudson; several i'm
portant public land bills; the bills for III,
admission of the territories, and man,
others of especial interest to particula
localities.
There are also several important meas
ures in the sent te which might com
over to the house for consideration.