The Mena star., 1898-03-23
CONGRESSIONAL.
Condensed Summary of the Proceedings of Senate and House from Day to
 Day-Important Bills,

THE senate on the 18th confirmed the nomi- nation of T. V. Powderiy to be commissioner of immigration by Q vote of 23 to 90. Several unimportant bills were passed and then Sena- tor Davis tMinn ), chairman of the committee on foreign relations, reported a resolution for annexing the Hawaiian islands to the United States It was placed on the calendar. .. The post office appropriation bill was before the house, but the subject was almost lost track of in the debate, the Cuban-Spanish question be- ing brought up by MT. Cochran (Mo.). In the discussion which followed Mir Grosyencr tOl took occasion to deny emphatically the stories afioat to the effect that the president desired an early adjournment of congress in order that he might effect settlement without congress sional interference The subject of Hawaiian annexation also came in for some attention.
 AMONG the bills passed by the senate on the l7th was one to erect statue of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, Pa. the commander of the G. A. R. the secretary of war, the con- mander of the army and the governor of Penn sylvania being named commissioners for carry ing out the work Senator rector (Vt) made lengthy speech on his trip in Cuba and de- pcted the misery and woe on the island from disease and starvation. He said also that au- tonomy was an utter failure and the Spaniards could only hold what their army sat upon. Senator Stewart (Nev) gave notice of an amendment he will offer to the naval appro- priation bill to provide for the construction of IS coast defense monitors The senate then adjourned until the 2fst... Mir Hull Qa) chair man of the committee on military affairs, in- troduced bill reorganizing the army and placing it on a war footing for the full strength of l04000 men The bill has been carefully one over by the war departnent MT. Wheeler tAla) introduced joint eaoiution for com lnttee of five senators and live representatives to report an address to be delivered to Spain. declaring in firm language that Americans and American interests must be protected in Cuba
 THE senate was not in session on the 18th ... Tho house considered the post office appro- priation bill. but only two pages were disposed
 f. most of the day being devoted to discus sion of tae merits of the pneumatic tube mail service in New York, Boston anu Philadelphia. An effort was made to have the appropriation of .225, GOO for the purpose struck out butit was not successful The opponents of the ap- propriation succeeded, however, in getting an amendment adopted that no additional con- tracts for pneumatic tubes should be made.
 THE senate was not in session on the 19th... At the opening of the house Mir Dingley (Me.), the floor leader of the majority offered the bill reported from the ways and means committee providing for the free entry into this country of guns ammunition and other war material purchased abroad until January 1, 1899 Some of the democrats poked fun at MT. Dingley by asking him why these supplies should be ad- mitted free of duty if the foreigner paid the tax" MT. Dingley replied rather sharply that on articles purchased abroad and imported the purchaser paid the duty. The bill was passed without division. The post office appropEia- tion bill was also passed.
 SENATOR BACON (CSae) announced to the sen ate on the 2lst that he would offer an amend ment to the resolution for the annexation of the Hawaiian islands. The amendment pro- vides that the resolution shall not be effective until the question of annexation shall have been submitted to the qualified electors of Ha- waii and passed upon afIlrmatively by them Senator Allen (Neb.), from the committee on public lands, favorably reported the bill ex- tending the right of communication to certain homestead settlers on land in Oklahoma terri tory. He also secured the passage of a resolu- ton calling upon the secretary of the interior for information as to the number of all classes Of pensioners A number of unimportant bills were passei and tt :45 tine senate adjourned .... The house unanimously passed the bill for the relief of the survivors and victims of the Maine disaster, The bill remburses the sur- viving officers and men for the losses they sus- tained to an amount not to exceed years pay, and directs the payment of a sum equal to a years pay to the legal heirs of those who per- Ished. MT. King (Utah) introduced joint resolution to recognize the independence of Cuba The evening session was devoted to pri- vate pension bills