The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-06

there will be no lack or material for the
House to work on after the committee hop
pers have begun to grind. The appropria-
tions committee has been at work for ten
days, and Chairman Cannon expects to pass
at least two of the regular budgets before
the holdays-the legislative, executive and
judicial and the pensions appropriation
expected, will be reported BY wednesday.
ana the end OF the week promises to see
the House down to business. Among the
general measures to receive consideration
will be the bankruptcy bill. Whether it will
be the Nelson bill, which passed the Senate
at the last session, or modification of the
Torrey bill depends on the temper of the
judiciary committee, which will submit the
measure to the House.
Beyond doubt there will be several reso-
lutonS of inquiry during the first week
which may be more or less sensational, and
some of the radical pro-Cuba members will
attempt to get consideration for a Cuban
resolution before the foreign affairs COM
mittee can act. Congressman Livingston,
of Georgia, issOne of those. But. owing to
the nature of the House rules, all these
hasty efforts will prove abortive, and they
probably will take their regular course.
SENATE PROGRAMME.
There will be nothing except indisposition
on the part of members 70 prevent the Sen
ate's entering promptly on its work on con-
Vening tomorrow, as there is a calendar
ready made for it with about three hum
dred bills reported from committees during
the special session. If any circumstances
should prevent the receipt of the Presi-
dents message on Monday the probability
is that the Senate would adjourn over
without taking up any other business until
the message could be received. With the
message read it will remain for the Senate
to decide whether it shall enter seriously
on the work of the session after Monday
or begin a system of delay intended to
throw all important questions over beyond
the Christmas holidays The indications
are now for a little more activity than
usual during the pro-holiday session. This
is largely due to the fact that the support
ers of the administration and advocates of
annexation are very anxious to secure the
earliest possible consideration of the treaty
with Hawaii Senator Davis, chairman of
the committee on foreign relations, an
nounceS his purpose of pressing an
but it is probbaie that the mat
ter will not be taken up seriously
until the. committe has meeting and de-
cides on details of procedure. The commit
tee will be called together on Wednesday
for this purpose One point which the COM
mittee will be called on to decide is whether
to proceed to ratify the treaty of annexa-
tion to annex the islands by resolution.
The anneXarionists have lost some votes
during the vacation and there is now ap-
prehenSion that the tWo-thirdS vote neces-
sary to assure the ratification cannot be Sc
cured. No satisfactory canvass is possible
until all the senators arrive and if it be
then made manifest that the necessary two
thirds vote cannot be secured, it is likely
that the proceeding by means of resolution,
which would require only q majority vote,
will be inaugurated. Some members of the
foreign relations committee who favor an
nexation advocate this course, because, they
say, they see reason for traVersing the
same ground twice, as they would be COM
PEELED to do in case the matter should first
be considered in executive session, fail
there and then be taken up in the form of
a resolution in open Senate and House
The immigration bill, for which Senator
Lodge stands sponsor. is practically at the
head of the Senate legislative calendar, and
will be considered early in the session. Sem
ator Lodge to-day repeated his intention of
pressing the bill, but he will not antago-
nize the Hawaiian treaty with it. The first
bill on the calendar is Senator Gears meas
ure providing for the adjustment of the Pa
cifc Railroad debt, but the sale of the
Union Pacific doubtless will have the effect
of causing the temporary withdrawal of
this bill and the substitution of others. OF
the three hundred bills on the calendar,
about two hundred are private pension
bills and all of these probably will be dis
posed of at one sitting when taken up.
There are also several hundred recess APP
pointments to be considered in executive
session.
1t is not probable that much will be done
in the way of legislation during the pres
ent week. There will be an adjournment
for the day after receiving the message on
Monday, and as there is no disposition to
press the Hawaiian matter until the for
eign relations committee agrees on a line of
action, the indication now is that it will
not be taken up in the Senate before next
week.