The times., 1898-06-08
A PRosY SESSION.
The House Talks All Day and Takes
No Action

No Action
After hours OF qaborious discussion in
the House yesterday two bills were put
over until today under the head Of privl-
legged unfinished business 1t was dun
and prosy session throughout The at
tendance was light and the galleries were
almost deserted.
Representative Cannon opened the days
business by calling up the urgent def
cheney bill. and moved to concur in the
Senate amendments with a few excep-
tions.
The motion was agreed to and subse-
quently MIR. Cannon moved to amend with
additional appropriation Of $4,000 for
printing. This motion was also agreed to,
and the bin will go back to the Senate.
Representative Griffin, by the direction
OF the Military Affairs Committee. called
Up the resolution providing that the year
limit imposed upon officers who fail in
examination for promotion before they
may be re-eXamined, be waived. After
some slight opposition the bill was passed.
Representative Cannon then succeeded
in getting the sundry civil appropriation
bill before the House, and submitted. not
the report but a statement of the report.
as compiled by the Senate House commit
tee conferees, to whom the bill had been
referred for compromise.
Upon a number of the House and Sem
ate amendments the conferees reported
an agreement. but upon others they had
disagreed. Representative Cannon moved
! the adoption of the conference report and
| the motion was agreed to.
He then moved that the House insist
! upon its disagreement to certain Senate
amendments upon which the conferees
We're unable to effect a compromise as
! stated in their report, and further that
/ the House agree to further conference.
! Representative Sayers objected, saying
! that many on both sides of the chamber
/ desired a separate vote on such amend
ments as had been reported back without
( an agreement.
/ Mr.. Cannon thereupon withdrew his
motion and the amendments disagreed TO
were taken up one by one for separate
| consideration. Most of them were Of
/ comparative unimportance. dealing with
! proposed Improvement appropriations IN
! various parts of the country.
| When the amendment appropriating
$4,000 for a new postoffice at Annapolis
come up for consideration Mr.. Cannon
moved that the House insist upon its
| disagreement Representative Mudd. OF
| Maryland offered an amendment mooi-
| flying the original amendment and reduc-
ing the appropriation TO 100000. Spirited
opposition developed. Mr.. Mudd defend
ed the proposed appropriation. saying
that such a bill had passed either one
branch of Congress or the other at every
session during the past fifteen years
| Once il passed both houses OF Congress
and was vetoed by President Cleveland
Representative Hepburn of Iowa took
occasion to vigorously attack what h'
chose TO call the throwing away of money
on public buildings
In answer to Mr. Mudds representation
that Annapolis was in need of com
! bined postoffice and customs building Mr.
Hepburn declared that during the fisca
year lust ended not one dollar of custom!
was collected in Annapolis. and two gov
ernment employees at an expense Of Sl.Ot
a year were stationed there to collect tina
mil dollar.
Proceeding Mr.. Hepburn sarcastically
amused himself with ChicagO's giOriOu:
vanity over her Sc, 100000 postoffice now un
der course of construction. He said i
would have been infinitely better TO givt
Chicago a $1,000, 000 postofice and expent
the difference in erecting second-clas
postofiices in various parts Of the countr!
where they are urgently needed.
At O'Clock Representative Cannon
asked unanimous consent TO postpone
further consideration of the bill until
today, and there was no objection.
| Representative Lacey of Iowa theT
| took advantage of a previously arranged
special order and called up his bill t
enable volunteer soldiers to vote at con
gressional elections during the present
war, regardless of their whereabouts Thi:
bill called forth a spirited discussion
concerning the constitutionality of sucl
legislation. but the measure was not di
rectly opposed. Shortly after o'clocl
Representative Lacey himself asked tina
his bill be put over as unfinished business
and the House adjourned.