The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-02-12

ashln5ton, Feb. 1l.-A curious illus.
tratloh OF the extremely loose business
methods of Congress was furnished in
the lSenatc to-day when Mr. Vest reported
back from the committee on commerce a
House bill which had been reported TO
thai committee and stated that IL similar
BILL has passed both Houses Mt the
present session, had been approved aud
signed by the President and was now a
law.
1Ne diplomatic and consular appro
prl}tlon BILL carrying an aggregate of
Sl,q0o, Jus, was passed after some caustic
REMARKS by Mr.. Morgan OH an item of
SlOtO0O for minister penipotent ary to
Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Salvador.
Twp of these states, he said, had, accord
lngtto newspaper reports. formed with
Honduras new government called the
Greater Republic of Central America,
sending minister to Washington, who
had been formally recognized by the
President and closing their respective
offices, so that an American minister
could holl no diplomatic relations with
them Individually, but as to this change
the President of the United states hel
not condescended to give any information
tc Congress or the people
Mr.. Morgan spoke OF this state of
affairs rs having brought about Il very
awK ward complication, but he said that
he nad no proposition to make about it,
neither had Mr.. Hale, of Maine, who was
i'll charge of the bill and who recognized
the force of Mr.. Morgan's observations,
but said that the committee on appro.
prations had thought it better to leave
the usual item in the bill and let tie
State Department. arrange the difficulty
in any way that might seem best to it,
An agreement vas reached to have the
vote on the conference report on the i'm
migration bill taken ut 4 p. m next We'd
nesday.
AT half-past orc the Senate went into
eNesutsve session on the arbitration
doors till 4:l5 p. M, when it adjourned
IN THE HOUSE.
n displaced semi.colon i'm the bill pro.
vidinS for refunding bonded. ndebtedness
of the several Territories was the limo
cent cause of Il wholly unexpected debate
on the monetary question in the House
to day lasting two or three hours. Two
or three years ago Congress authorized
Arizona to sell some ''gold' bonds upon
the request Of NJ. a. Smith, then the del
egate from that Territory, because the
Territory could get better terms for such
tonds than for "lawful money! bonds.
The bill under discussion authorized the
retunding of these particular bonds but
the presence of II semi-c colon suggested to
Mr.. Mcmillan the possibility that the bill
could be so construed as to warrant the
issue of gold bonds for all the bonds is
sued by Arizona.
From Mr. Payne's declaration that he
| could see no harm that would result if nll
the bonds were made payable in gold Il
lively discussion sprung up, in which
many members took part, and which took
Il wide range.
me most important statements in the
course of the debate were those of Mr.
Knox, in charge of the bill That the
country was upon II gold basis: that il
would doubtless continue on that basis
that it would not initiate an international
bimetallic conference, and that there was
sufficient craftsmanship in the Republi-
can party to provide for the LARGEST possi-
bile Use of silver, and that it would not he
through the unlimited coinage of that
metal.
Mr.. Knox suggested the semi colon he
replaced by Al comma. On Mr.. Mcmillan :
suggestion the bonds, other than Arizona
gold bonds named, were made payable in
the Lawful! money of the United States
AMI the bill was then passed.
The sundry civil appropriation bill for
the year ending June 30, 1895 was re-
ported by Mr.. Cameron and placed on the
calendar.
MIR. Bartlett presented the unanimous
report of elections committee No. upon
the contest OF the Thomas T. Watson vs..
j. G. G. Black. from the Tenth district of
Georgia, In favor of Black, and stated he
would call it up ut the first opportunity.
TIE bill making appropriations, Il total
OF S9,2o3,32j, for notifications for the year
ending June 30, 1898, was considered ami
passed.
The postoflice appropriation bill was
taken up in committee Of the ..wnole and
discussed for an hour without action At
):l0 p. III. the House adjourned