The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-03-10
CONGRESS THIS WEEK.
Appropriation Bills Will Be Under the
Senate's Consideration.
House Will Pass Bills for Relief of the Sur.
vivors and Victims of the Maine. and
for the Creation of Two Additional
Regiments Of Artillery.

WASHINGTON, March 1-The action
regarding the cruiser Montgomery
and the gunboat Nashville is looked
upon by officials here as much less
grave than that affecting Gen. Lee.
Secretary Long said Sunday night that
he did not regard the question as to
what ship would carry the relief sup
plies as serious in any way, or as like
ly to present any perplexing issues.
Thn senate will in all probability be-
gin the week with the consideration OF
the bill making appropriations fer che
District of Columbia and when this is
completed will take up the conference
report on the legislative, executive and
judicial appropriation bill, which has
been agreed upon and will be
made to the senate Monday. II
is considered quite probable that
the district bill will consume two or
three days or even more. One of the
questions in this bill which may
arouse debate is the action of the sem
ate committee on appropriations in
striking OFT the item in the bill as it
came from the house limiting tele-
phone charges in the district. There
will be an effort to restore this pro-
vision.
The census bill, the Methodist book
agent bill and Senator Pettigrew's bill
donating five per cent. of the proceeds
of sales of public lands to the various
states in which the lands are located
will contend for right of way when
there are no appropriation bills to re-.
ceiye attention and it is as yet uncer.
tain which of them will be first taken
up.
All OF these may be antagonized by
the Hawaiian annexation treaty but
the plans of the foreign relations com.
mittee with reference to the treaty are
so far too indefinite TO permit any pre-
diction as TO what it will do.
1t is probable that both the bill for
the relief of the survivors and the vic.
Tins of the Maine disaster and the
senate bill creating two additional
regiments of artillery with which to
man the coast defenses will pass the
house this week. The former bill was
held up until it could be investi.
gated, as it was said that the special
bin for the relief of the sur.
vivors and victims of the Samoan wreck
in 1888 led to some scandal. That bill
was loosely drawn and it has been as
serted some advantage of its provis.
ions were taken. The present bill
has been carefully drawn and is now
satisfactory to Mr.. Cannon, chair
man of the committee on appropria-
tions. Practically all opposition TO
the artillery bill has now disap-
peared in the house. The leaders were.
it is said, in favor of delaying action
upon it to allay public alarm which
might have been intensified had it been
rushed through the house as it was
through the senate. Beyond action on
these two measures the house pro-
gramme this week SO far as is now an
ticipated is entirely peaceful and has
no reference to possible foreign COM
plications. Monday is District
OF Columbia day and Friday,
by special order, has been set
aside for the consideration of
the Bowman act claims bill. The
Thorp-Eppes contested election case
will occupy two, possibly three days.