Evening star., 1898-11-17
ON THE CALENDAR
The District Bills Still Before the
Senate.
DISCUSSED BY SENATOR M'MILLAN
Anxious for a Law Doing Away
With Grade Crossings.
A CTION TO BE TAKEN

Senator Mcmillan of Michigan. chairman
of the Senate committee on the District of
Columbia. is in the city already busily IN
gagged in work ir his commit ee prepara-
tory to the transaction of District affairs
by the Senate at the coming session of
Congress. In speaking to The Star re-
porter today concerning the prospect of
District legislation during the session Mr..
Mcmillan said:
There are a great number of District
bills on The Senate calendar left over from
the last session. but there is nothing Ct
very great Importance which will demand
cur attention. Since my arrival in the city
have been at the committee room eacn
day getting matters in shape for the full
committee and the Senate when IL conyenes
next month.
'All of the most important District legis-
lation of this Congress was disposed of dur
ing the last session, but there are still q
number of subjects to be discussed by the
committee and pushed through the Senate.
Railroad Crossings Bill.
''At the next session of Congress- how
ever, 1t is the intention of the committee
to report bill to the Senate, and do every
thing possible to secure its enactment re-
latins to steam railroad crossings. The
time the advsa blity of reporting a meas
ure abolishing the present system of rail-
read crossings in the District, but up to the
present it has been unable to agree upon
bill, the views of senators being so diverg
ent 1 purpose to introduce bill which
shall revolutionize the present system of
crossings.
THE system now prevailing both on thG
baltimore and Ohio and the Pennsylvania
roads is L dangerous one, and a. long rs it
Is continued eXDpct the
OF fatal accidents, such as have happened
in the past. The railroads should be COM
PEELED to i1augurate either overhead or
underground crossings. Either one of these
systems would preclude the possibility of
accidents to the residents of the District
and in other cities have proved to be
highly satisfactory. There is a great de-
mand for the passage of a biz of this char
acter, and l believe that an agreement in
the committee during the next session of
Congress can be reached without much diff
Guilty. This bill, I expect, will pass during
the first session"
What do you expect in the way of tariff
legislation during the coming session of
Congress?'' Mr.. Mcmillan was asked.
Tariff LegislatiOn.
Il do not anticipate that there will be
any radical legislation on this subject he
replied. 'Of course the House and Senate
will make some changes in the schedules
of the existing tariff law such as have
been made necessary by the creation of
Few conditions but there will probably be
no general legislation. The war revenue
bill in my opinion, will not be repealed
Some amendments will be made but the
bill as a whole will probably stand"
DO you expect any legislation looking
to a reform in the present currency sys-
tenn he was asked.
This is subject which has provok ed
such a difference of opinion in the House
and Senate that it is almost impossible to
predict with any degree of accuracy what
will be done regarding it during the ses-
sion. l think that the present currency
system could we'll stand some alteration
and l should not be surprised if the Con-
gress decides to amend it i'll some vital
particulars, hut just how it will be done
| unable to say.
Il think that the recommendations Of
the Hawaiian commissioners for the eS-
tahlishment of d territorial form of gov
erEment for those islands will be adopted
by the Senate. My opinion. however, is
that Porto Rico and the Philippines will
be kept under military form of govern
ment until the people of those islands can
be heard from and Congress fully advised
of what they desire in the way of govern
D1f RI