The weekly intelligencer., 1897-04-03
IN SPECIAL SESSION.
The FIfty-Fifth Congress Assemblies In Re-
sponse TO President McKinley's Procla-

The Flfty-Fifth Congress Assemblies In Re-
sponse to President McKinley's Procia-
nation.
THE senates session on the cath lasted only
half an hour and no business was done beyond
the Introduction OF bills Among these was one
by Senator Allen (Neb.) TO repeal the civil serv-
ice law and to do away with educational tests
as q preliminary TO entering the public service
Senator Hoar (Mass.) presented q bill prohibit
ing vitascope exhibitions OF prize fights in the
District OF Columbia and the territories and
forbiddinR the shipment OF pictures for these exc
hibits by mail or through any interstate means
The executive session was devoted to consider
ing the Anglo-Amertcan treaty = The house
listened TO speeches on the tariff bill at both
the day and night sessions Mr.. Browniow
CTenn) introducduced a bill establishing de-
partment Of commerce. labor and manufactures.
It's head to be a cabinet ONCE, and providing for
the necessary clerical force. @
In the senate on the 25th the Torrey bank
ruptcy bill was read at length and Senator Nell
son Mimi offered a substitute, differing In
number of particulars from the committee bill.
There was no debate on the subject The
amended credentials of John W. Henderson,
appointed by the governor OF Florida 70 Mr..
Calls seat. we're referred 70 the elections COM
mittee. The senate then went into executive
sessions for two hours on the arbitration
treaty -. In the house the four days general
debate on the tarin bill was closed at night and
the five-minute rule enteredinto force. Messrs-
Simpson and Curtis (kan) and DeArmond Cdo)
were among those VINO maze speeches On tuo
subject Mr.. Callahan (ok) introduced TWO
bills One is to authorize persons who have
made homestead entries in Oklahoma TO COM
plete their entries OF 100 acres, where they
we're unable to do so by reason OF the fact that
their lands were surrounded by Indian allot-
mentS The other is to enable the citizens
band of Pottawatomie Indians 10 obtain patent
to their lands.
BRIEF discussion Of civil service rules oc-
Cured in the senate on the soth, Senator Gal
linRer IN HI showing that the commission re-
Quired applicants for typesetters 70 be able 70
hop on one foot for - feet resolution was
adopted asking the president for information
as to the death OF two American sailors in
Cuba; also resolutions asking Attorney-Gen-
eral McKenna for information OF any propo-
sition to sell the Union Pacific railroad
Among the bills introduced was one imposing
u penalty on companies charging passengers
more than three cents a mile for transporting
them through the territory OF the i've civilized
tribes. Another bill authorized the president
to employ idle men in the construction OF pub
lie works The arbitration treaty was taken
up in the executive session In the house the
tarin bill was thrown open for amendment un-
der the five-minute rule, but during seven
hours OF work only nine pages of the l6s pages
OF the bill were disposed OF. All the amend
ments offered by the democrats were rejected
The senate was not In session on the s1th...,
The house worked on the tarin bill and, during
the discussion free hides. Mr.. Simpson
(Kan.) said that q duty on hides would be OF
more importance TO the farmer than oil the
other duties in the agricultural schedule, but
Mr. Payne IN " insisted that imported hides
did not come into competition with American
hides. as the former were used almost exclu-
sively for sole leather.
A RESOLUTION was agreed 10 In the senate
on the 29th asking the secretary OF the interior
for information relating to Mr.. Cleveland's or
der establishing forest reserves. Senator Allen
(Neb) introduced resolution declaring that
tariff taxes on necessaries should not be laid so
as to enrich one class at the expense of the
masses. The bill to prohibit the exhibition Of
prize nght pictures was reported favorably
from the Judiciary committee and placed on the
calendar. joint resolution appropriating
$50 600 for the immediate improvement OF the
Mississippi was passed -. The house had an
exciting incident over the debate on the tarin
Mr.. johnson und.) made a vigorous protest
against the irrelevant discussions with which
the time OF the house was being taken up and
~ times the irate Indanian WAS admonished TO
take his seat by the presiding oficer and finally
Speaker Reed had to be hdreiedly summoned
to enable business TO 80 Mr.. Spauldina
(Mich.) introduced Joint resolution providing
for the annexation OF Hawaii and making IL
into n state. The senate resolution appropri-
attng money for the Mississippi river was
amended and Ecssce,