Abilene weekly reflector., 1897-01-21
NICARAGUA CANAL.
Mr.. Turpie Speaks Against the Bill
In the Senate.
OLD SOLDIERS DAY IN The HOUSE.
Fifty-Two Private Pension Bills Disposed
ef-A Pathetic Incident In COnnectioa
with One Bill-An Agreement ON
the immigration Bill.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2O.-The sessio
Of the senate yesterday was withou
incident. Senator Turpie spoke agains
the Nicaragua canal bill, and the reat
ing Of the Legislative appropriation bill
was completed, with the exception q
sections making provision for the con
gressional library. which were passe,
over temporarily in the absence Of sen
ators interested in the subject.
Mr.. Hale, Of Minnesota, called up
bill providing for the organization Of
naval battalion in the District Of Co
lumbia. The bill was passed.
A bill was passed for public build
ing at Altoona, Pa, to cost $125,00 fo
the incorporation Of the American in
structors of the deaf.
Messrs. Quay, Hale and Blackburn
wereappointed as conferees on the army
appropriation bill, and at 5:45 p. IN. tn,
senate adjourned.
THE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 20.-The old sol
diers had field day in the house yes
terday. Under special order adopted
Monday the whole day was devoted To
the consideration of private pension
bills. OF the 900 on the calendar, 81
were disposed Of during the five hours
session. Among those favorably
acted upon were bills to grant
pensions to Maj. Gen. julius H. Stahl
at the rate Of Shopper month, the widow
of Maj. Gen. Erastus b. Tyler at s75,
Hannah Il. Rodgers, daughter Of a
revolutionary soldier, at sls, and the
widow of the late Gen. Mathew NJ.
Trumbull, Of Iowa, at 800 per month.
There was pathetic incident in
connection with the first bill
called up. 1t proposed to grant
pension Of s12 per month to Margaret
0'Donnell, a volunteer army nurse,
who devoted her service from 1869
to 1865 to the wounded Of the Twenty
Second regiment Of New York light ar
tillery. Her claim has been pending
before congress for several years. Yes
terday when the bill was brought up
Mr.. Thomas, of Michigan, moved that
It be laid on the table. "The relief
carried by the bill for this poor
said he, "comes too late. Our
has just received word that
the beneficiary is dead"
The house disagreed to the senate
amendments to the army appropriation
oill and agreed to the conference asked
or by the senate. Messrs. Hull Of
owa, Parker of New Jersey and Nc
'lellan of New York were appointed
,onferees on the part Of the house.
At four o'clock the regular order on
he calendar was abandoned at the re-
uest OF many members SO that each
ould, if recognized, call up any bill in
which he was interested. The result
vas that for the rest Of the session the
rea in front of the speakers chair re-
embed an exciting scene in the whea.
it. A hundred members with hands
loft shouted and We'd with each other
0 catch the chairman's eye. Mr.. Crisp,
he son of ex-Speaker Crisp, was one Of
he fortunates, and succeeding in pass
lg his first bill, to pension the widow
a soldier of the war of 1912. At $40
. m. the house adjourned.
IMMIGRATION BILL AGREEMENT.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2O.-The conferees
the two houses on the immigration
i'll reached an agreement yesterday,
nd the bill as agreed upon will proba-
ly be reported to-day. Many of the
rovisions of both the senate and the
ouse bills were retained, but they
ere modified so as to make it a very
itferent bill from that which passed
ither house.