The record-union., 1897-03-04
Weary Legislators Continue Clearing Up
the Business Of tie Session.
Labor Hard Through the Day and
Late Into the Night.
The House Passes Over the Presi-
dents Veto the immigration Bill
The Senate Hurrying Through the
Last Hours the Various Measures
to Their Final Executive Stage.


WASHINGTON, March 3.-The weary
legislators of the House, after snatch
| ing few hours sleep after the recess
at 5 O'Clock this morning, met again at
~ o'clock and continued the work of
closing up the business of the session.
All day and all night they labored, while
oblivious to the sightseers who wormed
through the rotunda and many corri-
doris, making communication between
the two houses almost impossible. The
crowds packed the galleries until the
occupants were hardly able to breathe.
The dreary grind of routine business
was almost unintelligible to them, but
they held their places tenaciously for
hours. The hall was filled with inde-
scribable hum of their conversation.
Occasionally the monotony was relieved
by sharp skirmsh, but the Chairrnen
of the committees in charge of the ap-
preparation bills held their own, and
step by step advanced their bills to the
final stages.
By tremendous majority the House
voted, 1913 to 81, to override the Presi-
dents veto of the immigration bill The
conference report was defeated, 81 to
100. This was the first serious setback
the appropriation bill had received in
the House. The House ordered the bill
back to conference
Cannon sought to put the general de-
ficiency bill into conference under sus-
pension of the rules, but friends of the
bowman Act claim, amounting to $780,
OO0, resisted with the purpose of fore
ing an agreement for a separate vote of
the amendment carrying these claims.
Cannon scored the Senate unmerci-
fully. 1t was not parliamentary he de-
clared, to attack the old branch of Con-
gress, but he insisted that $4,000 of
the alleged Bowman Act claims includ-
ing the Choteau claim, were inserted
fraudulently with intent to deceive in
the dying hours of Congress. Unless
his motion was agreed to, he declared
that this bill would more certainly fail
than the vilest sinner on earth would
fail Of salvation at the judgment day.
The temper of the House seemed
doubtful, and Dingley, the floor leader,
sought to rally the members to support
the appropriation committee by holding
up the spectre Of the failure of the sup
ply bills. These appeals showed their
effects. The rules were suspended and
the bill went to conference.
Grout then brought in the partial con-
ference report on the District of Column
bia bill which was adopted without de-
bate.
The immigration bill was passed over
10 &c h,,a
81.
The conference report on the postoffice
appropriation bill announcing an agree
ment on all items was presented by
Loud as agreed to.
For several hours there was a contin-
uous routine grind on conference re-
ports on minor bills. Shortly after )
o'clock the first conference report on
the naval BILL reporting partial agree
ment, was agreed to-
Hopkins R) of Illinois moved the
concurrence in the Senate amendment
still in dispute, to fix the price on ar
NOR plate at $500 per ton, the House
provision having fixed the price at $400
The motion was carried.
Robinson (R) of Pennsylvania made
the point of no quorum, and after some
wrangling it was decided to take a
vote at 8 o'clock. when more members
We're present
The agreement on the fortifications
bill was reported and agreed to, and at
GAO the House took a recess until $50
After the recess there was more dis
cussion Of the cost of armor plate,
which resulted finally in the acceptance
Of TO
price to $500 ton. This action was
taken by a vote of 131 to %
Boutelle, Chairman of the Naval
Committee, who had made a fight
against the armor plate amendment
and had been refused unanimous con-
sent to speak a few minutes. moved
that the House accept the other Sem
ate amendments, which he said includ-
ed nothing important excepting three
torpedo boats and a practice vessel for
the Annapolis cadets. This motion was
agreed to and the naval bill thus dis
posed of
Then the Indian bill conference report
was presented, and the House voted to
accept the Senate amendment on the
school question and mineral lands. and
the bill was disposed of so far as the
House is concerned.
The District of Columbia appropria-
tion bill was reported by Grout R) Of
Vermont, who stated the conferrees
had settled all differences. The report
was agreed to.
This left but two appropriation bills,
the sundry civil and the deficiency, to
be finished, so far as the House can
act, and at 1920, the House took a re-
cess until IL o'clock tomorrow.
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
WASHINGTON, March 3.-This was
practically the last working day of the
Senate, and there was the usual hurry
to carry various measures to their final
executive stage. Reports were received
from time to time of the pending con-
ference on appropriation bills, seven of
them still being in the balance. The
Postoffice and fortification bills were
cleared out of the way early in the day
and but five remained uncompleted at
8 o'clock. A number of minor bills were
passed during the day.
The galleries We're filed long before
the session to-day, and long lines of
visitors stood in the outer corridor,
eagerly waiting an opportunity to get
inside. The Senators began to look
jaded. having been together until the
opening hours of the morning The day