Evening star., 1897-01-05
Congress Reassembles After the Hol-
iday Recess.
THE FIRST TALK ABOUT cuba
Senator PETERS Speech in Refer
ence to a Monetary Commission.
NJ NATTER IN THE HOUSE

The Senate reassembled at noon today.
after the two weeks holiday recess. The
meeting was without unusual. incident, the
attendance on the floor and in the galleries
being somewhat meager. A great cluster
of white lilies was on the desk of Me.
Walthall (Miss.). while bouquet of panl.s
adorned the adjoining desk of Mr.. mack
burn RyD. In the course of the chaplaIn.s 3
prayer he invoked restoration of our in
dustries and the return Of prosperity"
The Old Ship Constitution.
Mr.. Hoar (Mass.) called attention to a
petition Of unusual interest, which he pre-
scented. 1t was from Charles Francis
Adams, president. and others of the Mas
sachusetts Historical Society, urging that
the old ship Constitution be permanently
preserved and placed at the Washington
navy yard. where, like Nelson's famous
frigate. Victory. at Portsmouth, England,
the ship be used as a naval museum.
Among the bills introduced were those by
Mr.. PETER of Kansas Ito improve the
banking business and by Mr.. Shoup of
Idaho, as to alien ownership of land in ter
ritories.
First Reference to Cuba.
The first reference to Cuba was in two
resolutions offered by Mr.. Call (Fla.). The
first requests the President to send to the
Senate. In secret or open session, as he
may deem best. all reports relating to the
condemnation to life imprisonment III
chains. by the Spanish authorities at Ha-
vana of Julio Sanguilly. an American citf-
zen. The second resolution recites the cir
cumstances of Sanguilly's trial and con-
demnation and directs the Secretary of
State to demand his immediate release
The resolutions went over, Mr.. Call stat
ing that he would make some remarks on
them. :.
Mr.. Pettigrew Is. d. offered a resolution.
which was agreed to. asking the Secretary
of the Treasury for information as to the
Bering sea seal fisheries, and particularly
asking information as to why only $1,000
was yielded to the government in 1906 for
the privilege of taking 10000 seal skins.
Monetary Commission.
Mr.. PETER then addressed the Senate,
reading from manuscript on his resolution
for a national monetary commission The
resolution recites that whereas the result
OF the recent election did not show a ma
jority Of voters favorable to any one none
tary policy. that a commission of FIVE
members be created to investigate the en-
tire monetary subject and report within a
year. Mr.. PETERS speech dealt largely
with the Heterogeneous character of our
various kinds of money and Of the upcer-
taintfes of the present financial system
At the close of Mr.. PETERS speech his
resolution was referred to the finance COM
mittce. A message from the President was
received transmitting the report of the Sec
retary tf State concerning the death of
Charles Gown in Cuba. 1t was In response
to the resolution offered by Mr. Call recit-
ing that Gown was United States citizen,
who had been killed by the Spanish au-
thoritfes In Cuba. The message was brief
and formal in transmitting the report.
The bill providing for free homesteads in
Oklahoma, for bona fide settlers. which has
the right of way as unfinished business, -
was laid aside until tomorrow.
Mr.. Hoar then called up the bill to re-
duce the cases IN which the penalty of
death be inflicted.
After brief discussion the bill was passed
as reported.
MI. Proctor Vt) gave notice that he
would speak next Monday on his resolution
extending the presidential term to six yealE
and fixing the term of members of the
House of Representatives at three years
At DO pm. the Senate adjourned