Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-15
Senators ard Representatives Coming
to the Capital.
LENGTH OF THE SESSION
Work Enough to Keep Both
Branches Quite Busy.
CONTESTED ELECTION CASES

Three weeks from today Congress will
assemble, and in anticipation of that event
senators and representatives are beginning
to wend their way toward the national cap
ital. Some of those who have arrived
have expressed the opinion that the ses
sion will be a short one. The preponder-
ance of opinion, however, is that the ses-
sion will be quite the usual length, that
Is, until July or August
They base this opinion upon the fact
that there are mary questions Of i'm
portance to come before this Congress, over
which there is every reason to expect long
and acrimonious debate. Some legislation
which is proposed will certainly not get
through the Senate without the most thor
ough discussion and attempts at amend
ment.
An earnest effort will be made at this
session to pass a bankrupt law The de-
mand for such a measure Is strong in the
west and south. and amCng the representa-
tlves CT states in those sections, but there
Is wide difference of opinion as to the
character of TIE law to be enacted There
Is also division of sentiment. as demon
strated In past discussions. between the
Klnd OF bankrupt law the leaders in the
House and those in the Senate think should
be passed.
The Civil Service LAW,
civil service IS coming in for a talk
however unpleasant for the friends of civil
service to contemplate, it is surely true
that very vicious onslaught is to be made
upon the civil service law at this session
ana IN both houses of Congress. The horde
OF hungry and now disappointed office
seekers that swept into Washington at
.ne pesinnlng OF the new administration
fv11x
IRON gates of the civil service law. have
taken their grievances home and to such
an eHect that some senators and represen-
tatlVes nave become imbued with the idea
that they voice the sentiment of the peo-
PIE IN their clamor for the demoEishing of
the law.
VI course. it is well understood that Ha-
Malan annexation and Cuban affairs will
take up great deal of the time of Con-
sress. The currency question will consume
time, but will be productive of no tangibIe
result. 1t Will be used as a basis for the
manufacture of vast quantities of cam
paign material for use in the succeeding
congressiona, campaign, and the Recorj
VIII WI TEEN again with financial speeches.
There will be the usual fight over river
and harbor appropriations and over public
building bills.
Expectation In the House.
1t Is expected that the House will get
down to business early in the session The
committees were appointed in the closing
days or the extra session, and some Of
them Will meet during the first week of
congress. There is material in hand for
every working committee of the House to
get to work the first week. Several thou
sand bills were introduced at the extra ses-
sion, and they have been assorted and
printed, ready to be referred to the appro-
pirate committees as soon the doors are
opened and the clerks report for duty
1t is probable that the holiday recess will
be short one, as the tendency has been
in recent years to do more work in the be-
ginning of the session. 1t was but a shor.
time ago that President Cleveland, by spc-
cial message, requested the Congress to sit
during the recess. and the ways and means
committee reported a temporary revenue
measure on Christmas day.
The House will be given something to
chew on at the start, as it is Chairman
Cannon's intention to have the pension ap-
priation bill ready. If possible. for debate
and passage by the time the House is will
ing to take them
In the Senate business will move along
from the point 1t was abandoned when tn.
extra session closed. Executive sessions
will consume some of the time, as there are
many held-up nominations to be acted
upon. 1t is possible that new arbitration
treaty with England may be proposed by
the President, and will divide the time with
the Hawaiian annexation treaty.
District legislation will come in for a
share of the attention of both houses.
Grade crossings; underground wires and
street railway extension will be the prin-
cipal features of the District work.
Contested Election Cases.
Twenty contested election cases will take
up time in the House. 1t was necessary
in the Fifty-fourth Congress to appoint
three committees on contested elections,
and the cases will be divided among them
for report, but when they reach the House
certain amount of debate, usually from
one to two days, in such cases, will be re-
Quired. 1t is likely, however, that in some
instances the cases will be pushed through
the House by a report from the committee
on rules and time be saved in that way.
The list of contested election cases fol-
lows one member of the House, Mr.. Meyer
Of Louisiana, having two contests on his,
hands:
Alabama-Third district, G. l.. Conner VS..
H. D. Clayton; fourth district. William F.
Aldrich vs. Thomas S. Plowman; fifth dis
tEict, A. T. Goodwin VS.. Willis H. Brewer;
min IN district. Grattan B. Grove Va. Oscar
w. Underwood.
Delaware-J. 8. Willis VS.. L. Irving
Handy.
Kentucky-Third district, W. Godfrey
Hunter vs. John 8. Rhea.
LouisiaBa-First district, Armand Roman
VS.. A. Meyer; Joseph Gain VS.. A. Meyer
Mlssissippi-Third district, Cornelius j.
Jones VS.. Thomas c. Catchings.
New York-Sixteentk district, Ben L.
Fairchild VS.. William L. Ward; thirty-first
district, Ryan VS.. Brewster.
Pennsylvania-Thir district, Sam Hud-
son vs. William McAleer.
Oregon-First district, w. s. Vanderberg
VS.. Thomas II. Tongue.
South Carolina-First district, Geo. w.
Murray VS.. William Elliott; seventh dis
trict, Thomas B. Johnston vs. J. William
Stokes; second district. B. P. Cnatfield VS..
w. Jasper Talbert
Tennessee-Tenth district. Josiah Pstter-
son vs. E. w. Carmack
Virginia-Second district. II. A. Wise VS..
William A. Young; fourth district, r. T.
Thorp vs. Sydney P. Epes: fifth district.
John A. Brown VS.. Claude A. Swanson.
Pensions Granted.
Pensions have been granted as follows:
ryland-ortginal-John Cordell. Ha-