The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-02-15
PROGR IN CONGRESS.
Appropriation Bill May BE Crowded
Through To-day.

WASHINGTON. Feb. LIN two weeks
from Thursday the present Congress expires
by limitation, and from this time forward
all things legislative will have to give way
TO the appropriation bills which must be
passed before the final adjournment Mr..
Cannon, chairman of the appropriations
committee, pointed out on Friday the ne
cessity for expedition. Although the House
has disposed of ten of the thirteen regular
appropriation bills, two of the three which
remain. the sundry civil and the general de-
fciency bills, are those containing the mis-
cellaneous items which provoke the most
bitter opposition. both for their sins of
omission and commission. 1t is into these
two bills that the members seek to crowd
appropriations which have oeen pigeonhoIed
throughout the session. and heroic meas
ures are sometimes required to prevent
them from being the vehicle of carving
through appropriations and legislation
which the leaders have resolved to kill.
The Senate has usually made practice of
loading up these two bills, and the contest
between the two houses over them are gem
orally prolonged until almost the hour of
final adjournment. The refusal of those i'm
control OF legislation in the House to give
time for the consideration of public building
bills, more than one hundred of which have
been favorab!y reported by the committee
so angered some of the members that they
talked OF trying to secure these appropria-
tiOns In the Sundry civil bill Those who
are interested in the river and harbor prof.
ects authorized by the last river and
harbor bill. for which no provision is made
In the sundry civil Including Wilmington
Del, Kentucky river, Dams and of the
Ohio. Oakland. Cal. and Yakima Ore are
bristling with fights The friends of the
free-home bill. amended by the Senate
would like to settle this measure also on tho
sundry civil as the only means of resurre t.ie
ing IL. There are other antagonisms Rut
the opposition is utI erly unorganized and
IL has been decided by Speaker Reed and MIR
Cannon. who are working To keep down
appropriations. 10 try a coup tomorrow by
which they expect To take advantage of the
fact that tomorrow is suspension day and
put through the bill under suspension of the
rules The general debate on the bill closed
yesterday. and If the bill can be passed TO-
morrow under suspension il will not only
save the three to tve days which IL would
require 10 consider II under the fve-minute
rule. put IL would cut off the danger of
amendments carrying large sums TO which
II would be subject If the members succeed
ed IN efttcting a log-rolling combination
Acting on the supposition that the bill
VIII be passed tomorrow under SUSPENSION
the leaders have decided TO give Tomorrow
and Tuesday evenings for private-pension
legislation The three remaining contested
election cases Will occupy the time until the
naval appropriation bill is brought forward
towards the close of the week. As the ses-
sion draws to a close partisanship is croD
ping out, as IL did yesterday and there
will probably be some very lively dehataS
The preparation of the general deficiency
Dill VIII be begun tomorrow and be ready
early next week. The crowding towards the
close Will be greatly relieved by the ruIe
which makes the last six DAYS of the Sos
sion suspension days. This will enable those
In charge OF the imperative bills and confer
ehce TsPortS 20 secure direct vote on any
proposition with but twenty minutes debate
on side.