Crawford avalanche., 1898-03-03

Monday was private bill day In the
House. The feature Of the day was a
spirited contest over the bill to pay New
berry College, n Lutheran institution in
South Carolina, $4,000 for damages by
Federal troops. 1t was finally. passed.
On motion of Mr.. Bailey, the Democratic
leader, the House yoted-5S to 35-to OBJ
serve Washington's birthday by adjourn
ing over until Wednesday, but Mr.. Ding
ley raised the point Of no. quorum and
before further action could be taken the
House recessed For three hours the
Senate had under discussion the bill pro-
viding for the taking of the twelfth and
subsequent censuses. 1t was amended
so as to place the census bureau under
the Secretary Of the Interior, but the ex-
tended discussion which followed discles-
ed so wide divergence of views as to
the various features of the measure that
no further action was taken. A resolu-
ton offered by Mr.. Allen. directing the
Committee on Naval Affairs to make an
investigation of the Maine disaster. was
adopted without debate.
On Wednesday a variety of subjects
occupied the attention of the House dur
ing the consideration of the sundry civil
bill. Mr.. Mahany of New York made an
attack on the patriotism of some of the
social leaders of New York, who. he said,
held high revel while the nation was
bowed down with grief over the loss of
life resulting from the Maine explosion.
The Southern members, who have for
years been fighting the appropriation for
''informers" on Illicit distilleries, succeed
ed in killing the appropriation in commit
tee of the. whole, but Chairman Cannon
gave notice that he would demand a yea
and nay vote in the House. A resolution
was adopted inquiring of the Treasury
Department what has been done by the
United States to prevent the conveyance
to the Cubans of articles produced in the
United States; also as to the prevention
of filibustering. In the Senate the entire
day was devoted to debate on the Cuban
question. BY a vote of 81 to 5, Mr.. AL
lens proposition to add belligerency rid
er to the consular and diplomatic appro-
priation bill was rejected.
The House disposed of thirty additional
pages of the sundry civil appropriation
bill on Thursday. The fact that the Gov
ernment is preparing for contingencies
was recognized when Chairman Cannon,
who has been laboring to keep down ap-
preparations, accepted without word Of
protest an amendment to increase the ap-
preparation to care for the unused machin-
cry at the Springfield arsenal. Resolu-
tions which were objected to a few weeks
ago for the appointment of two extra
naval cadets to positions in the engineer
corps Of the navy were also adopted. One
Of them will fill vacancy caused by the
death Of Lieut.. Merritt of the Maine. a
feature of the Senate's session was the
| speech of Mr.. Spooner wisconsin, on the
right of Henry w. Corbett to seat in
the Senate from Oregon under appoint
ment of the Governor. Mr.. Spooner made
| a constitutional argument in favor of seat
ing Mr.. Corbett. An effort was made to
obtain consideration of the Alaskan home
| stead and railway right of way bill, but
on a parliamentary technicality it went
over. The resolution offered on Wednes
day by Mr.. Allen (Nebraska) to appoint
committee of five Senators to investigate
the Cuban situation was withdrawn by
its author when it was laid before the
Senate.
In the House on Friday a long and
somewhat exciting debate over the oues-
ton of river and harbor appropriations
was precipitated during the consideration
of the sundry civil appropriation bill. 1t
was practically agreed by all those who
participated that there would be no river
| and harbor bill at this session of Con-
gress. The item appropriating 100000
for San Pedro harbor, California. was
passed, and the Oakland harbor appro-
priation remains in the bill by a vote of
11S to 16. An unsuccessful effort was
made to secure consideration of the bill
passed by the Senate for two additional
regiments or artillery, but on objection
from Mr.. Cox Dem., Tenn, it went
over. In the Senate Henry w. Corbett's
right to n seat in the Senate from Oregon
was under consideration for five hours.
A bill permitting the building of a dam
between Coon Rapids and the north linn
its of Minneapolis, across the Mississippi
River, was passed. Early in the session
an attempt was made to get up the Alas
kan bill, but it failed.
The House did not complete the con-
sideration of the sundry civil bill on Sat-
urday, but Chairman Cannon held the
floor with it until adjournment refusing
to yield to Mr.. Boutelle (Maine). the
chairman of the naval committee. who
was anxious to secure consideration for
relief of the victims and survivors of the
Maine disaster About twenty pages of
the sundry civil bill were disposed Of.
Many efforts were made by different
members to inject river and harbor items
into the BILL three of them being success
full; amendments appropriating 100000
for Cleveland harbor, 100000 for Will
mington, Del, and increasing the appro-
priation for Boston harbor from 500, 900
to $250,O00 were adopted. As contracts
for these works were authorized, they
were in order under the rules. During the
greater part of the Senate session the
right of Henry W. Corbett to seat from
the State of Oregon was under discussion,
Mr.. Thurston (Nebraska), in an extended
speech, opposed the admission of Mr.. Cor
bett, while Messrs. Foraker, Kyle and
Mantle supported Mr.. Corbett's claim.
The pension calendar was cleared by the
passage OF several private pension bills. A
few bills of general character were also
passed.
News of Minor Note.
Mrs. Abram X. Robinson and Edith