The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-06-11
CONGRESSIONAL FORECAST.
ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS
MAY NOT OCCUR TILL AFTER
THE ST. LOUIS CONVENTION.
The TROUBLE LIES IN THE SENATE.
Where Obstructive Tactics Are Threat
ened-The House is in Position to
Take Prompt Action on All Meas
ures Coming Before 1t.

Washington, June THE house has
parliamentary machinery in operation
which will enable it to secure prompt ac-
ton on every proposition submitted by
the conference on the five remaining APP
preparation bills looking to an adjustment
of the differences between the two houses.
Instead of adjourning last night the house
took recess until 10 o'clock tomorrow
morning. That action continues the leg
islative day of Saturday, which, by spe-
cial order adopted on Friday, was made
suspension day, and will enable the house
to vote on any proposition after twenty
minutes debate. The differences between
the two houses on tine four supply bills,
the sundry civil, naval, Indian and Dis
trict of Columbia, are radical. but by
mutual concessions the house leaders
believe the differences can be adjusted
so as to permit an adjournment Tuesday
or Wednesday.
In the sundry civil bill the house has
thus far persistently refused to accept
the amendments for public buildings at
the capitals of Utah, Idaho. Wyoming
and Montana. and the additions for the
public buildings at Kansas City, Savan-
nah and Camden. n. ].
In the naval bill the house has remained
equally firm in its insistance on four bat
tleships and S425 per ton as the maximum
cost of armor plate. TO both of these
items the senate has declined to agree,
and yesterday refused compromise.
The senate insists on two battlcships and
reduction of the cost of arnOr plate to
$500 ton. In the Indian bill, which has
no less than four items voted for the i'm
mediate examinations of appropriations
for sectarian Indian schools as against
the Scnate's proposition to allow them
to run until 1898, the house yesterday
declined to accept as compromise their
termination iii 1897.
This same question figures in the diff
ferences between the two houses on the
items of the District of Columbia bill
relating to sectarian charities. Another
troublesome question in the Indian bill
is the appropriation for the payment for
attorneys for the old settlers association.
The senate yesterday declined COM
promise on this question which would
postpone the payment of these claims
until further action was had at the next
session. In the question of sectarian
schools it does not seem probable that
the house can be induced to yield. The
probabilities are that the other items will
be compromised, saving and eXpediting
the public building item in the sundry
civil bill. which it seems likely the SEN
ate will eventually abandon. The main
difficulty in the way of adjournment by
the middle of the week seems to lie at
the senate end of the capitol, where sin
gle senator can obstruct measures if he
chooses until the quorum fails, when all
chance of sine die adjournment before
the st. Louis convention will disappear
An intense desire of members at both
ends of the capitol to get away, however,
will do much toward inducing those who
are disposed to raise factious questions
to yield their individual desires to ac-
complish this result. 1t is possible that
if Senator Harris and others who are
strenuously insisting on the restoration
of southern war claims in the new general
deficiency bill should carry out their oh
Structivc tactics too far, the leaders at
both ends of the capitol might decide to
allow the deficiency bill to fail altogether
in order to bring about an adjournment.
While the failure of this bill might en-
harraSS the government, it would not
stop any of the government machinery.