Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-02-22
FIFTY FOURTH CONGRESS.
WASHINGTON, February %.
SENATE.

DESPITE the rain storm the galleries
OF the Senate were crowded when the
session OF the day opened, but the at
tendance of Senators was unusually
small. On the democratic side of the
chamber there were eight Senators in
the seats while the journal of Saturday
was being read, land on the republican
side twelve. The reading was closed
at 1915, and then the absence OF
quorum was suggested. The roll was
called and was responded to by fifty
Senators. And then, i'll pursuance OF
the order made a few days since, Sen
ator Daniel took 8 position By the side
of the Vice President and proceeded to
read Washington's farewell address in
commemoration of Wasbington's birth.
The reading occupied one hour; and,
at its conclusion, the consideration of
the Indian appropriation bill was re-
sumed. An effort was made in advance
by Mr.. Platt to have a bill passed to
which he had referred last Saturday
and on which, he said, depended the
lives of four persons sentenced to be
hanged tomorrow in New Mexico; but
be was Informed by Mr.. Vest that that
bill could not pass without debate.
Thereupon Mr.. Platt withdrew his
proposition. The pending question on
the Indian appropriation bill was the
committee amendment making tempo
rary provision for contract schools for
Indian children-the vote having been
ordered for one o'clock to-day. The
amendment was agreed to; yeas, Il;
nays S.
Mr.. Hill presented the credentials OF
! Thomas G. Platt as his successor in the
Senate from March fourth next.
An amendment was offered by MIR.
Gallinger and was agreed to declaring
it to be the settled policy of the govern
ment hereafter to make no appropria-
tons whatever for education in any
sectarian school.
Another amendment was offered by
! Mr.. Gallinger declaring that all appro-
priations for contract schools shall alb.
solutely cease and terminate at the end
of the fiscal year, 1898; but it was ruled
out on point of order that it was gen.
eral legislation, by vote of rs to %.
HOUSE.
Although the House was in session
to-day, the members were not allowed
! to forget its historical significance.
Flags hoated from the dome of the Cap
itol and Chaplain Couden in an elo-
quent prayer made patriotic reference
TO the Father of his Country, ending
with the stapZa from America" be-
ginning:
"Our Fathers God, to Thee,
Author of Liberty"
This happened to be the day set apart
under the rules, for the discussion OF
business relating to the District of Co.
lumhia; but Chairman Babcock, of the
District committee, graciously gave
way to chairman Cannon of the appro.
priations committee, under an arrange
ment by which District business was 10
come up after the deficiency and naval
appropriation bills had been disposed of.
Before the House resolved itself into
committee of the whole on the deicien
cy bill, MIR. Walker caused diversion
by rising to question of personal
privilege and saying he objected to
newspaper correspondents taking ad-
vantage of privileges accorded them by
the House. He quoted head lines over
articles in newspapers Of Saturday
which represented that Mr.. Walker
had rebelled against Speaker Reed for
rulings delivered Friday. "There is
not word that l uttered on this occa
sion or on any other that criticised the
Speaker of this House" said Mr.. Walk
err, "other than that the Speaker is
caught in the tolls of the arbitrary
rules that have grown up in this
| House."
Mr.. Walker praised Speaker Reed
| for his fairness, discretion and patriot
ism, and maintained that the rules were
less tyranncal than they were when one
member could retard public business.
When the deficiency bill had been
taken up the bitter fight that was wag
ed in the House some weeks ago over
the Pacific funding bill was renewed
to some extent. Mr.. Sayers offered
amendments to the paragraphs in the
bill for the payment ofjudgments of
the Southern Pacific Railroad Company,
one OF them striking out an item Of
$3.50, 427 ito pay balance ofjudgment
of the Court of Claims in favor
of the Southern Pacific Company" Mr..
Sayers said with vigorous emphasis
that this was the old fight that had
been going on since the 50th Congress.
Now the question was whether the
committee of the whole would reverse
the action of the House and give to the
Southern Pacific this thirteen hundred
thousand dollars.
Mr.. Northway maintained that the
amount in the bill was legal judgment
and should be paid.
Mr.. Dockery criticised Mr.. c. P.
Huntington. He contended that Mr..
Huntington had converted from the
Central Pacific traffic which belonged to
that line and in that way deprived the
government of the amounts to which it
was Justly entitled under the Thurman
law, and looked forward to the time
when it could be bought for q nominal
sum.
FIGHT WITH AN OCToPUs.-Theo-
dore A. futile, ex-tax collector of New
Haven, Conn.,, while out fishing at
Miami, Fla, On Saturday, hooked