Connecticut western news., 1897-03-04
NOW NEAR ITS CLOSE.
CONCLUDING SESSIONS OF FIFTY
 FOURTH CONGRESS.


 The Senate Accepts the House Amend
 ments to the Monetary Conference BiII. Now Goes to the President-The House
 Struggling With sundry Civil Bill.
 WASHINGTON, March 3.-The senate had its share of inauguration crowds, and they were compensated by something more than the routine procedure of appropTia- tion bills.
 The bill for an international monetary conference was taken up, and after two hours of animated debate the house amendments were agreed to without the formality of a yea and nay vote. This Is the final legislative stage of the bill, and 1t now goes to the president. The debate on the bill brought out earnest speeches from the Silver Republican senators and frequent reference to the break at the St. Louis convention. Mir. Dubois warned his former Republican associates that the Silver Republicans had thrown off their old connections for good. Mir. Teller of Colorado referred to the choice of Mir. sherman as secretary of state and Mir. Gage as secretary of the treasury as indi- eating that the coming administration would not be in sympathy with an inter- national monetary conference or agree ment. MT. Cannon of Utah, Mir. Mantle of Montana, two other Silver Republic ans; Mir. Stewart of Nevada and MT. Nor gan of Alabama also participated in the debate During the day Senators Elect Spooner of Wisconsin, Fairbanks of Indi- ana and Heitfeld of Idaho were on the floor of the senate.
 The Notifications appropriation bill led to animated controversy over auditing number of claims aggregating $587, 900 under the Bowman act. An amendment covering the claim was finally adopted. The bill was passed to amend the re- vised statutes prescribing the punishment for mutilating United States coins and for uttering or passing or attempting to utter or pass such mutilated coins House Amendments Rejected. The agreements of the conferees on sun dry civil bill were concurred in and the | disagreements sent back to conference. A conference report on the Indian bill was also reported.
 Mr Carter (Rep) of Montana urged that the entire report ought to be disagreed to, as a large amount of new legislation had been put in by way of substitute Aft CT some further debate, in which the house amendments were strongly criticised, the conference report was rejected as whole and sent back to the conferees. The deficiency bill was again taken up, the question being Mir. Whites motion to strike out the appropriation of S1, S10, 4s7 to the Southern Pacific railroad. Mir. Nor gan spoke at length In favor of the motion. Mr. Allen offered an amendment to the Southern Pacific item, providing that the amount be retained in the treasury until the final adjustment of the govern
 ment liens on the Southern and Central
 Pacific Railroad companies. After debate l the Allen amendment prevailed without division.
 The deficiency appropriation bill was
 then passed.
 Business In the House. The house galleries and surrounding
 corridors fairly buzzed with inaugural wis itors. The spectators were hardly repaid for their patience, however, as the day
 session was dull grind of routine save
 for an hour, when Mir. Dalzell (Rep.) of
 Pennsylvania made an elaborate defense
 of Justice Shiras of the supreme court,
 who was attacked fortnight ago in the
 house for the alleged reversal of his posi-
 ton on the income tax question when the case was before the supreme court He dis. claimed speaking for Justice Shiras and
 stated that no one knew exactly how the court had divided. Mir. McMillin (Dem. of Tennessee and Mir. de Armond (Dem. of Missouri, who participated in the origi
 nal attack, both reiterated their charges
 that Justice Shiras had reversed himself and challenged Mir. Dalzell to deny 1t.
 An attempt was made to bring up the
 antiprizefghting bill, which came over as unfinished business, but it was stayed
 off by short recesses, awaiting conference reports which would take precedence. It was unanimously voted that Mir. Black of Georgia, whose seat was contest l ed by Thomas k. Watson, the late Pop. ulistic candidate for vice president, Is en titled to the seat.
 Struggling Over sundry Civil Bill. After a tedious wait the conference re- | port on the sundry civil bill reporting | partial agreement was brought in, and tn, wrangling began over the items still ip dispute between the two houses including almost all the important senate amend | ments.
 There was a lively fight over the sugar bounty amendment of s1,0S5, 900, which
 resulted in concurrence by a vote of s3 to ! 67.
 The western members made a hard | fight for the senate amendment to restor~
 to entry the 21,O0O, 900 acres reserved as | forest reservations by the presidents exec
 utive order of Feb 22 despite the warning ! of Mir. Cannon that the final incorporation | of this item in the bill would result in it.
 nonenactment into law. The president, in ! his opinion, would not sign bill that re | versed his action of less than Q week ago. | He appealed to members to restrain them
 selves and await the advent of the new ad
 ministration. The house finally agreed tc
 substitute proposition to that of the sen ate by which the president was authorized i to modify or revoke any existing order | by which Mir. Mckinley could reverse | Mir. Cleveland's action.
 The following river and harbor items were finally agreed to: Oakland, Cal, | S200, 900, with an authorization for a com | pleted projec ito cost S666, 900; Great Kan
 awha, Va, s73,000 dams 9, and ol
 the Ohio, s400, 900; Kentucky locks and
 8, $200, 1000.