Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-03-25
The Legislative Grind.


The Legislative Grind.
The House did nothing Tuesday, await
Ing the action of the Ways and Means
Committee on the tariff bill. In the SEN
ate to-day 43S bills and eight joint reso-
buttons were introduced. They embraced
nearly every phase of public business
Mr.. Aliens batch of bills numbered about
seventy-fve. They included bills direct
ing the foreclosure of the government
lien on the Union Pacific road; to prevent
professional lobbying; defining the pow
ers of the judiciary; for service pensions.
etc. Mr.. Lodges bills included those to
amend the immigration laws and for a
Hawaiian cable. Bankruptcy bills were
presented by Mr.. Nelson, of Mianesota.
and Mr.. Lindsay, of Kentucky. Mr.. Nor
gan reintroduced the Nicaragua canal bill
before the last Congress, and aLo a joint
resolution to abrogate the Clayton Bulwer
treaty. resolution by Mr.. Frye, of
Maine, calling for information as to the
operation of civil-service rules to river
and harbor work was agreed 70 after
some criticism of civil-service operations.
Mr.. Frye said IL was step toward abol-
ishing these rules so far as they related
to common labor on engineering work of
the government. The Senate adjourned
until Thursday, as did the House.
The session of the Senate Thursday was
brief. A smile went around the cham
Der when Mr.. Stewart, resident of Car
son City, New, where the pugilistic con-
test occurred, offered bill for the relief
OF one Corbett. 1t proved to be private
pension bhl. One of the measures intro
duced by Mr.. Gallnger proposed an
amendment to the Constitution prohib-
iting legislation in behalf of any relig-
ious denomination. Mr.. Turpie, of m
diana, gave notice of a speech on the
election OF Senators by popular vote and
introduced a resolution proposing an
amendment to the Constitution for the
purpose. The first report of the session
was presented by Mr.. Gear, of Iowa,
from the Committee on Pacific Railroads
and was favorable to the bill for an ad-
lustment of the Pacific Railroad debts
oy commission consisting of the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, Secretary of the
Interior and Attorney General. A reso-
luton by Mr.. Lodge, of Massachusetts.
was agreed to instructing the Committee
on Foreign Relations to inquire whether
tne Islands of st. CroiX, st. Johns and st.
Ihomas of the West Indian group could
be purchased by the United States. and
II not, the probability of their sale to
other powers. At 1 o'clock the arbitra-
non treaty was reported and debate be-
gan. Speaker Reed has definitely decided
that for the present at least he will not
appoint any of the regular committees of
the House beyond the tsree already an
nounced. In this way all miscellaneous
lpUialofiQn will ha hl1oIynI o,11
attention of the House focused on the
tariff bill. The bills, which are being
introduced by the hundreds. will have to
wait until the committees to which they
would go under the natural course of
things are appointed.
Immediately after the reading of the
journal in the House Friday Mr.. Dingley
reported the tariff bill. Mr.. Bailey Sc
cured unanimous consent to extend for
two days the time in which the minority
report may be filed. The sundry civil
bill, carrying 500, 147 ,551, and the general
deficiency bill, carrying $S,166,214, were
passed. The Senate open session lasted
fifty minutes.and was given almost entire.
ly to the introduction of bills. Most of
the day was spent in executive session.
the international arbitration treaty being
under discussion. The Senate confirmed
the nominations of John Hay of the Dis.
trict of Columbia to be ambassador of the
United States to Great Britain; Horace
Porter of New York, to be ambassador
of the United States to France; Henry
White of Rhode Island, to be secretary
of the embassy of the United States to
Great Britain; Perry s. Heath Of Indiana,
to be first assistant postmaster general;
@. U. Gordon, to be postmaster at Chi
cago. The Senate adjourned till Mon
day.
The House Saturday pushed through
the two remaining ''left over" appropria-
ton bills according to Fridays schedule.
the agricultural bill carrying So, 1872, 0O2
and the Indian carrying 81, 67O, 900. After
the appropriation bills were passed a res
olution for extra mileage and stationery
for this session of Congress was adopted.
The debate on this resolution was rather
lively, and question as to whether Mr..
Holman, 'the watchdog of the treasury"
who opposed it, had taken the extra
mileage voted by the Fifty-third Congress
was used to greatly embarrass the econ
omist. He finally declined to answer il
on the ground that it was "impertinent."