The news & observer., 1897-03-04
The Closing Hours of the Fifty
Fourth Congress.
NO FLAGGING OF sEAMEN
CONFERENCE REPORTS RECEIV-
ED AND AGREED UPON.
INAUGURAL OF 100 YEARS AGO
And the Simple Ceremonies Attendant
Upon 1t To Be Printed in the Rec
ord in Contrast to To-Day's
Gala Occasion.

Washington, March 3. This practic-
ally was the last working day of the
Senate and there was an unusual hurry to
carry various measures TO their final leg
lslatiye stage. Reports were received
from time to time on the pending confer
ences on appropriation bills seven of them
still being in the balance The postoftice
and f0rtifcation bills were cleared out of
the way early in the day, but FIVE remain
ed uncompleted at O'clock. A number
of minor bills were passed during the day
Late in the day Mr. Chandler made an
Intellectual effort to refer to the commit
tee the credentials of Henry Heitfeld, the
new Senator from Idaho. This foreshad-
owed a contest, and had the credentials
been referred, some question might have
arisen TO Mr.. Heitfelds being sworn i'm
tomorrow.
NJ r. Frye rep, Me-, presented CON
ference report on the bill amending the
shipping laws which has been the subject
| of much comment on the ground that it
restored hogging of seamen. Mr.. Frye
said the bill had been in the interest Of the
sailor from the first and only an insane
| man could have drawn the conclusion that
fiogging was restored. At the same time
| the conferees had yielded and had added
| proviso that nothing in the act should
be construed to modify that section of
statutes reciting that "fogging on board
| of vessels OF commerce is hereby prohibit
| ed
The conference report was agreed to.
Mr.. Gordon Dem, Ga.), made several
| efforts to be recognized to present a ''most
| extraordinary paper" When he finally
was recognized, he presented a sketch
| Of the Inauguration ceremony of 100 years
ago, which was, he said, in striking CON
trast with the inauguration we were
about to look upon. 1t was Opportune,
/ he said, to place upon the record an ac-
| count of these simple but impressive
| scenes. Leave to print the paper in the
Record was given.
A final conference report on the post
office appropriation bill was presented and
agreed to-
House bills on the caiandar unobiected
to were then taken up and a number
passed
Mr.. Hale presented the first confer
ence report on the naval appropriation
bill. He explained that the two Senate
amendments relating to new torpedo
boats and to fixing the maximum price
Of armor plate at $500 were still in disa-
| greement. On the other items the House
had yielded in the main.
Mr.. German and Mr. Tillman had sew
| eral pointed differences during the dis
cussion.
At one point when Mr. German was re
ferring to the action of the Senate on the
| naval bill last spring. Mr. Tillman broke
in with: 'That was when we were all
drunk on politics"
I'VE were not all drunk on politics."
responded Mr. German decisively 81
have dealth with the navy as a business
proposition, the same under Mr.. Cleve-.
land as under Mr. Harrison. We have
had no politics in the navy in twelve
years"
Il venture to suggest" said Mr.. Till
man, struggling his shoulders, "that the
exigencies Of the situation required that
three large establishments should be kept
at work and might be induced-as they
were all Republicans contribute
handsomely to the campaign fund. do
not know how that was. I am merely
guessing. am shooting in the air"
Mr.. German went on to argue that the
United States should not enter upon the
field of private enterprise, saying it would
result IN the government paying 100 per
cent more for armor than it did now.
Mr.. Tillman disented from this The
government could conduct business as
economically as private concerns. if the
routine ''rotenness of politics" could be
kept out of it. Already the government
had its own docks and was making its
own steel guns
The conference report was then agreed
to, the remaining items of disagreement
going back to conference.
The final conference report on the for
tihcation appropriation bill was presented
and agred to-
A message from the House reported the
massage Of the immigration bill over the
Presidents veto. The veto message was
read and without comment was referred
TO the committee on immigration.
The private pension calendar was
then taken up. 1t embraced four bills
heretofore vetoed by the President and
now recommended for passage over the
veto. 1t brought out a statement from
Mr. Allen that the President had gone
to the point of arraigning the old soldiers
as coffee coolers" i
AT 6 O'clock a recess was taken before
a vote had been reached on any of the
pension bills.
Mr., Palmer asked the Senate to take
up the bill placing VIM H. Hugo on the
retired list of the army as a first leuten-
ant, stating that it was probably the
last request he would make Of the Sen
ate"
Notwithstanding this appeal, Mr. Quay
antagonized the bill by several times sug-
gesting the absence Of a quorum and by
other dilatory toctics, but the bill was
passed.
The fact soon developed that Mr.
Quay's opposition was not directed at