The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-09
G. 0. P. TREACHERY
Congressional Leaders Plan
to Allow No Currency
Legislation.
PROGRAMME FOR THE SESSION
Bankruptcy Bill Likely to Pass
Work Begun on the
Pension Bill.
PROGRAMME FOR THE SESSION

L
disposal OF appropriation bills as fast as
they are ready for consideration. After
these the bankruptcy bill will be given
the first opportunity for a hearing. rms
measure will pe reported by Chairman
Henderson of the Judiciary Committee,
before the holiday recess, but it will not
be taken up by the House until after
the recess. 1t is understood that speaker
Reed and the Committee on Rules VIII = lse pe
disposed to give this bill every advantage
in the way OF securing carry time loi
debate
1t is equally well understood that for
the present there will be no effort to take
up financial legislation on the moor or the
House. This is due mainly to the faet
that q strong impression prevails among
mittee on Banking and Currency will
not be able to reconcile the many con-
fiicting interests, inside OF the commlttee;
These represent all shades of the hnanclai
subject, and are so much at variance that
it is not expected a majority can be rallied
for any proposition. Under such circum-
stances the purpose is to await the ac-
ton, or the deadlock, in that COMMITTEES.
The Ways and Means Committee will
do nothing at present in the way of fram-
ing financial legislation. II, however, y
becomes evident that the Committee on
Banking and Currency is at standstlll,
then the Ways and Means Co1lm1ttee VIII
enter the field OF financial legislation and
will frame a bill on broad lines calculated
ments In the meantime the subject will
be kept in the background as much as
possible, as it is felt that agitation With
out action would be fruitful or pad re-
suits to the community and would preju-
dice such steps scS may be ultimately De
determined upon
The bankruptcy bill, which will be the
first general measure to be brougnt Tor.
ward, was framed by Mr.. Henderson of
Iowa. and is substantially similar to his
bill which passed the House once before.
1t is on the lines of the old Torrey bill,
providing both voluntary and involuntary
bankruptcy. AT the same time the OBJ
jections made to the Torrey bill, that it
was a collection agency, have been
overcome by smoothing down OF the
harsh features.
Aside from bankruptcy and appropria-
ton bills, some emergency measures, such
as that relating to Bering Sea, introduced
involve questions of general policy and
are not likely to meet with opposition.
With these exceptions, the disposition of
the House leaders Will be to keep radical
legislation to the rear.
In the Senate today Mr.. Hoar (Mass.)
secured unanimous consent, which under
the rules was necessary, for the presenta-
ton of a petition signed by 269 native
Hawaiians, protesting against the annexa-
ton of Hawaii.
The Senate agreed to adjourn today un-
til Monday nexts
Mr. Mcbride (Oregon) presented and
asked for immediate consideration of a
1O1ftf resolution Tor the f6HeI American
miners and other sufferers in the valley
of the Yukon and tributaries. The resolu-
ton authorizes the Secretary of War to
transport supplies to the suffering miners
and provides that not more than S230, ,000 be
appropriated to carry out the purposes OF
the resolution. 1t went over on objection.
A resolution was offered by Mr. Chand-
Ter On. H.) and referred to the Commit
tee on Naval Affairs, providing for an
investigation of the question of dry docks
and naval stations.
The resolution reported by the Pacific
Railroad Committee, asking the Attorney
General for information concerning the
Kansas Pacific was adopted.
Mr.. Gallinger On. H.), Chairman of the
Committee on Pensions, required that at
the conclusion Of the morning business to-
day an hour be set aside for the consider
alton of private pension bills, of which he
said there were over 200 on the calendar
endorsed by the committee. Many of them
have passed the Senate at previous ses-
sions but failed in the House. They are
not new bills. During the first or extra
ordinary session of this Congress, 91S
private pension bills were introduced in
the Senate and thus far during the pres
ent session fifty-eight bills had been pre-
dinary session 1900 such bills were intro
duced in the House and seventy have
been thus far introduced in the present
session by members of the House. This
makes a total of 2,635 new private pension
bilis already introduced in this Congress
Eliminating. duplicates. Mr. GalliDger was
had been presented for consideration.
81 want to say said he, that there is
laxity among senators about sending
pension bills to our committee. Ne in.
CURRY is made by them as to the merit of
the measures and the result is that our
committee is flooded with correspondence
concerning the details of bills that ought
to have been determined before the meas
ures were laid before Congress. Senators
should be absolutely satisfied of the merit
of measures before introducing them.
fto1 10y,
matters we have gone to the extreme
limit and that it is now time to call halt.
l am, and have always been, friendly to
the soldiers, but | am constrained to feel
that we are going too far and that we
ought in the future to exercise the great
est conservatism in the consideration of
all pension matters.
Mr.. Gallinger thought that the practice
of pensioning 5re-married widows and sew
eral other similar classes of claimants
ought to be stopped He thought,
Commissioner of Pensions that a
law should be enacted speedily pro-
viding that no pension should be
granted to a widow if her marriage to the
soldier had been subsequent to the pas
sage of the law under which he was
drawing a-pension, a ought to be enacted
into law.
In response to question by Mr. Allen,
(Neb) Mr.. Gallinger said that he was
opposed to the granting of large pensions
TO widows of distinguished officers. I'VE
nave reacneQ the limit IN tndJ regard, 3
said he, sand it is time that we should
stop
The Senate then began the consideration
Of private pension bills under the special
order
The House of Representatives got
down to serious work Representative
Jerry Simpson, of Kansas, was in his
seat for the first time this session and
was warmly greeted by his colleagues.
After some preliminary business the
House went into committee of the whole,
Mr. Payne of New York in the chair, for
the consideration OF the pension appro-
priation, which was reported yesterday.
The bill carries $141, ,121, $50, of which
$1,121,S $3.50 is for fees of examining sur
gcons, salaries of agents, clerk hire and
the other items for the execution of the
pension laws. M w. A. Stone (Rep.,
Pa) in charge of the bill, explained the
different items.
Mr.. Stone then yielded to Mr.. Cannon,
chairman of the Committee on Appro-
priatfons, who took occasion to make a
general statement of the estimates SUBJ
mitted by the Secretary of the Treasury
for the public service of 1899 for the pur-
pose, he said, of disabusing the minds of
members and the country of false inn
preston made by a comparison of these
estimates with those of preceding years.
The estimated revenues, for 1899, were
showing an estimated deficit of $21, 900 GOO.
Under the last sundry civil act the Sec
retary Of the Treasury. he pointed out,
was compelled to estimate this year for
S4S 400 .0c0 of river and harbor work. $685.
900 OF which had not been authorized
by law. II this sum not heretofore in