Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-02-04
WORK OF CONGRESS.
THG Weeks DoINos IN SENATE
r AND HOUSE.
A Com prehensive Digest Of the Pro-
ceediigs In the Legislative Cham
h<rNst Washington = Matters that
Concern the People.


A1S VIZ Lawmakers at Labor.
A crisis In the debate In the Nicaragua
canal bill was reached In the Senate We'd
nesday. 1t brought out an energetic state
ment from Senator Sherman, In which he
foreshadowed a now treaty by which the
United States could build the canal with
out the INTERPRETATION of a private conces-
sion. The Senator declared that this gov
ernmental execution of the project was
the only feasible one, and that all private
efforts in that direction had proved fail
ures. Answering Mr.. Morgan's recent
charge that England inspired opposition
to American control Of the canal, Mr..
Sherman asserted that this was ''buga-
boo," wholly without foundation. He
added handsome tribute to England and
her institutions. The House adopted the
conference report on the immigration bill
by vote of 131 to us. The principal
criticism of the measure agreed on by the
conferees in debate was based upon the
extension of the educational test to fe-
male as well as male immigrants, on the
ground that 1t might divide families. and
to the limitation TO the ability of an i'm
migrant to read and write the English Ian
guage or the language of their native
country or residence. Mr.. Hepburn Rep..
Iowa. closed the debate in support of the
report. When he declared that hundreds
of thousands of American laborers were
to-day walking the streets of the great
cities because they had been crowded out
by the incoming stream of aliens. the pub
lie galleries of the House fairly shook with
acclaim.
The House passed the Indian appropria-
ton bill Thursday and entered upon the
consideration of the agricultural appro-
priation bill, but all interest in these two
measures was overshadowed by two re-
markable speeches, one made by Mr.. Gros-
venor of Ohio, attacking ex-Gov. Altgeld
Of Illinois. and the other by Mr.. Dear
mond of Missouri, heaping ridicule on Sec
rotary Morton for the recent issue of n
pamphlet entitled "The Farmers Inter
est in Finance" Mr.. Grosvenor's obser-
vations on the Governor of Illinois were
called forth by the latter's recent speech,
in which he charged that Mr.. Bryan had
been defeated by fraud and based his
charge particularly on the enormous in
crease of the vote in Ohio, where, he al
legged, 10000 votes were illegally cast.
Mr.. Grosvenor analysed the Ohio vote
and explained the causes of its increase,
calling attention to the fact that the Dem
ocratic vote in the State had increased
proportionately much more than the Re-
publican. The Senate. by vote of Al to
10, confirmed the nomination of William
s. Forslan of Illinois to be Commissioner
of Internal Revenue. Senator Cullom
presented to the Senate a number of let
tiers and memorials he had received from
Chicago business firms asking for the pas
sage of the Torrey bankruptcy bill.
BY the decisive vote of AS to the Sen
ate Friday passed the bill for the appoint
ment of commissioners to an international
money conference. The bill as passed is
as follows:
Whenever after March 4. 1897. the
President of the United States shall de-
termine that the United States should be
represented Mt any international confer
ence called by the United States or any
other country, with view to securing by
international agreement a fixity of rela-
tive value between gold and silver as
money by means of common ratio be-
tween these metals, with free mintage Mt
such ratio, he is hereby authorized to ap-
point FIVE or more commissioners to such
international conference, and for COM
pensation Of said commissioners and for
all reasonable expenses connected there
with, to he approved by the Secretary Of
State, including the proportion to be paid
by the United States of the joint expenses
of any such conference, the sum of $780,
600, or so pluch thereof as may be neces-
sary, is hereby appropriated.
1.-THE President of the United States is
hereby authorized, in the name of the
of the United States, to call.
in his discretion. such international con-
ference to assemble at such points as may
be agreed upon"
The House witnessed another sensa ton
al episode. At the end of an acrimonious
debate on the conference report on the
bill to confer the rights and franchises of
the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad on the
purchasers under the mortgage foreclos-
ure, Mr.. Powers of Vermont and Mr.. Bar
rett of Massachusetts exchanged broad
sides
The nominal business of the House Sat-
hrday was the consideration of the agri-
cultural appropriation bill, which was
passed before adjournment, but much of
the time was devoted to political discus
the department of agriculture raised a
lively discussion. Mr.. Northway (Rep)
of Ohio asserted that Secretary Morton
sndeavored to discredit the custom by
procuring poor seeds, and Mr.. Cromwell
(Rep.) of Ohio charged that Minneapo-
lis seed firm had attempted to bride him
by an offer of seeds free to refrain from
calling the attention of Congress to the
quality Of the goods they furnished the
department. An amendment was offered
by Mr.. Mercer for the free distribution TO
members of poultry. swine and other live
stock, to illustrate his opposition to seed
gifts. At the request Of agricultural or
CARNATIONS of his State Mr.. Hill Of Con.
necticut proposed to strike out the seed
items, but his proposition was lost. Speak
or Reed voted for the first time this ses-
sion, and against free seeds.
Tc1egraphic Brcvities.