The herald., 1896-11-30
CONGRESS MEETS
ON monday NEXT.
With Plenty of Business
Before It
QUESTION OF INCREASED revenue
Depends Upon Action Taken by
the Senate
THE PACIFIC FUNDING BILL
Will Be Pushed With All the Power at
Command
THE PACIFIC FUNDING BILL
Will Be Pushed With All the Power at
Command
Friends Of the Nicaragua Canal are Anxious
for Action
The Enormous Mass of Business Left
over from the Last Session
Will Be Left for the Long
Session
Press specia, Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.--It Is not
probable that the house at the coming
session of congress, which begins week
from tomorrow, can dispose Of much
of the proposed legislation which encum-
bers it's calendars. Little Is usually ac-
complished at the short session beyond
the passage of the regular supply bills.
Still the house, with its instrumental
tiles for the expedition of business, can
accomplish a great deal in brief time.
The question Of additional revenues for
the government will depend on the sem
ate, to which body the house sent the
Dingley bill almost a year ago. Should
it be impossible or be deemed inexpedi-
ent to press that measure through the
senate, there is, of course, possibility
that the proposal to increase the reve-
nues by an additional tax on beer or the
imposition Of duty on tea, coffee, etc,
may take tangible form, and if so, such
legislation must originate under the con-
stitution in the lower branch of con-
gress.
There are on the several calendars Of
the house, 1465 bills reported from the
various committees, and the proportion
which will pass at the coming session
must be, necessarily, almost infinitesi-
NAL. Most of them are, of course, pri-
vate bills (of which there are 1000, but
there are also 256 bills on the calendar
on the state Of the union, and 90 public
bills on the regular house calendar.
Some of these are Of very great public
Importance, and those interested will
4 1-Ntn
action on them. The power lodged in
the hands of the committee on rules,
which gives the members of that COM
mittee control of the house program will
make that committee the practical ar
bitter of what shall be submitted to the
house for it's action. That committee is
composed at present of the speaker, Mr..
Henderson of Iowa, Mr.. Dalzell of Penn
sylvania and Mr.. Mcmillan of Tennes-
see. The death of ex-Speaker Crisp Gre
ates a vacancy at the head of the minor
ity of the committee, which must be
filled by the speaker. The names prin-
cipally mentioned in connection 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 at this time with most interest
and which will press hardest for con-
sideration is the Pacific railroad fund
ing 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 funding bills have
occupied a good share of the attention
of congress. The present bill. of which
Mr.. Powers of Vermont is the author,
was. reported shortly before the close
of the last session. Everything will be
done by those interested in 1t to secure
consideration.
The friends of the Nicaragua canal
bill are also bending every energy to Sc
cure action on the bill reported by Mr..
Doolittle, which provides for a guaran-
tee by the United States of $100 900, 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 under
the Bowman act and the French spolia-
tion claims.
These claims, the former amounting
to $562, ,459 and the latter to 81. .70S, 1856, were
put on the sundry civil bill at the last
session as a rider of the senate, but the
bill was vetoed by the president, and
they were then dropped. Mr.. Mahon,
who Is chairman of the war claims COM
mittee, will also present the Pennsyl-
vania 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. under which newspaper matter
is transmitted at / cent per pound, and
which has been the subject Of much
criticism Of the postoffice department
because of the advantage of the law
taken in various ways for the transmits
sion of books and pamphlets, will also
be pressed, as will the Picker Service
fusion bill, which occupies a favora BILE
position on the calendar as privileged
report.
Among the other bills are the Wads-
worth bill for the creation of a bureau
OF animal industry for the INSPECTION
of meats and the regulation of the traus-
portation of livestock; immigration bill;
the Chickering bill for ascertaining the
feasibility and cost of some ship canal
from the great lakes to the Hudson, sew
eral important public land bills, the bills
for the admission of the territories and
many others of special interest to par
ticular localities. There are also several
important measures in the senate which
might come over to the house for con-
sideration.
A BRILLIANT WRECK.