Evening star., 1897-03-04
The House and Senate Were at Work
Till Dawn.
EXCITING AND INTERESTING SCENES
Defines and Ease in the Confer
ence Agreements.
DI STRICT LIE GISLATION

No time before within ithe recent ex-
perience of Congress, have fthe conference |
committees on the appropriation bills got |
along with such seeming they did |
last night Congress startetf out for an all |
night session. with the expectation that |
there would be repeated reports of dis |
agreements and hard fight between the |
conferees of the two houses. But, on the |
contrary, the conferees agreed speedily on |
all but the deficiency. A very large crowd |
was assembled in the galleries and in the |
Corridors composed largelySbf ladies. Quite !
a number of men and women in evening |
lress occupied seats in the galleries. In !
The diplomatic gallery of the Senate a |
group in evening dress remained until
about midnight. Most of the visitors gal |
;eries were well filed until after l o'clock
and as late as 8 o'clock most of the seats
IN the mems galleries were occupied. The
scenes the floor of the Senate were for
the most part free from excitement or
great interest. great deal of talking was
done between times. but all the conference
reports that came in early were acted on
promptly. without debate.
BY half-past 3 O'Clock several senators
were asleep in their chairs.
The Senate struck a snag almost al the
outset of the session last night Good prog
ress had been made with the work during |
the long day session, and the prospect
seemed that there might be very little de-
lay in clearing up everything. The post
Office and fortification bills had been cleared
out of the way. and the conference COM
mittees had agreed on the naval the In
dian and District of Columbia appropria-
ton bills. The sundry civil and deficiency
We're still in conference.
The Senate, after two hours recess, net
at o'clock and had to wait some time for
quorum. Meanwhile matters ON the floor
were quiet and unintereSting.
AT ten minutes of IL the clerk of the
tod t1,sAaS no
nent of the House to the conference re-
ports on the Indian and District of Column
hia arpropriat ton bills. Mr.. Hill then got
recognition to submit a conference report
on the bill providing that in any case here
tofore final in the Court of Appeals in the
District of Columbia may be required by
the Supreme Court to be certified up to that
court. This was agreed to.
The conference report on the Indian bill
was then laid before the Senate. Mr.. Quay
demanded a quorum, and this required
roll call. quorum was present, and the
conference report was agreed to without
division.
The conference report the District ap-
preparation bill was then adopted without
division Meanwhile, other conference
ports not being ready. the Senate continued
the consideration of the labor indus
trial commission BILL which had been in
terrupted. Considerable time was consum-
ed in the discussion of this measure.
The House FInnkcd Him.
" Lfie MI. quay was lyluS Iii walt LOT the
naval appropriation bill to come back to
the Senate, where he could get whack at
it, the fact developed that the House. in
stead of adopting the conference report.
had simply receded from its position and
accepted all the Senate amendments. This
action disposed of the bill. 50 that it
would not have to go back to the Senate.
The bib had run the blockade Mr.. Quay
had put up against it before he had got
his guns trained. Thus, at % o'clock,
| the sundry civil and the deficiency bills
were the only measures standing in the
way of an adjournment. and on them the
conference committees were working ear
nestly. rf'1 rH'.
| very long debate was INDUCED in On
the labor commission bill. much Of which
was rambling, and several impassioned
speeches were made on the subject of the
people and labor. Shortly after the bill
was passed =
Senator. Cannon, of Utah moved to go into
| executive session. his object being to- sel'
cure the confirmation Of. James Hughes,
postmaster at MercaIr. titan. Senator
| Brown of Utah opposed executive ses-
| sion, and demanded the yeas and nays No
| quorum was developed on the roll call. and
| the Senate was thus tied up. Call after
| call of the Senate followed. quorum pres
| ent, but not voting quorum developing.
| The ArmOr Contracts.
| The conference report the sundry civil
| came over from the House about 3 o'clock.
| After the reading of the report, Mr.. Ali-
| son explained the terms of the agreement.
| Mr.. Quay then took the floor and stated that
| he had intended to read certain documents
and records concerning the armor plate
| contracts He designated what they were
| and asked consent to print them in the
| Record since nothing could be gained at
| this time by reading them in the Senate.
| Mr.. Chandler objected.
| 'Then," said Mr.. Quay, II shall proceed
| to read them," and he gathered up Two or
three volumes. This excited symptoms of
| collapse in the Senate. and finally mo-
| ton to permit Mr. Quay to print them was
| put and carried, while Mr.. Squire pro-
| tested. --is
Mr.. Mantle them took the floor and ex-
| planned to the Senate that 1t was with
| great reluctance that he had decided not to
| oppose the report by every parliamentary
| means in his power, on account of the
modification of the forestry amendment,
| and that he had decided only because of
! assurance from high authority that the evil
complained of would be corrected. Mr.
| Clark spoke on this amendment, and in the
| else Mr. Cleveland for catering to every
thing that was foreign and rejecting all
| that was American.
Secret Legislative Session.
The conference report was adopted, and
then secret legislative session was en-
tered upon. the galleries being cleared and
the doors closed. At the time of going into
secret session Senator Squire, who had fig
ured rather conspicuously during the whole
nights session, was insisting on being
| heard, and was protesting against motions
| being voted on by the Senate without his
| having a chance to declare whether or not
he approved of the proposition. After the
| doors were closed and the public excluded
he was permitted to have his say out. The
Senate constructively remained in session
until o'clock. taking a recess from that
hour until s. without opening the doors.
| Scenes In the House.
In the presence of a. delighted and ap-
plaudins audience in the galleries. two
score or more members Of the House turned
the House into temporary concert hall
last night and furnished break in the mo-
rotony Of the proceedings.
1t was during half-hour recess. await
ing the arrival of conference report. The
galleries were crowded and had a gala ap-
pearance from the presence Of many hand
someiy-gowned ladies and Of gentlemen in
evening dress in the reserve4-salleries and
on the diplomatic benches.
While the business of the House was at a
l etc drtf fba~a -