Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-01-03
THE WORK AHEAD.
Business Likely to Occupy Early
Attention of Congress.
The House viii Take Up the Civil Service
Question and Long Debate viii
Follow.

Washington Jan. 1.-The prevailing
opinion among senators is that very lit
tie legislation will be attempted during
the present week, The fact that con-
gress will not reconvene until Wednes-
day, will probably be taken by the alb
.sentees to mean that nothing win be at
tempted until the following week and,
as a consequence, it is doubtfub whether
there viii be a quorum present in the
senate on Wednesday, in which event
there probably win be an early ad-
tournament until the following day, and
then an adjournment until Monday.
In any event. 1t is not probable that
any important questions will he raised
during the present week. The gem
eral understanding is, however, that the
work of the session shall begin in real
earnest after this week, and that hence
forth there will be no justification of
the complaint Of dullness in the pro-
ceedings.
Among the questions which will en-
gage early attention are: The Hawaiian
annexation question, the claim of Mr.
Corbett of Oregon to a seat in the SEN
ate, the immigration bill and financial
question. In all probability, the COM
mittee on privileges and elections will
! meet during the present week, and the
chances are that, an early report on the
Corbett case will be ordered, even
though it may not be favorable. The
republican side of the chamber will not
/ be unit in Mr.. Corbett's interest. SEN
| ator Burrows of the committee which
has charge Of the case, is preparing an
exhaustive speech antagonistic to Mr..
! Corbett and the opposition is counting
upon the assistance of still others from
| that eide of the chamber. 1t is not be-
/ lieyed that there viii be any serious an
/ tagonism to the immigration bill. but
| there may be considerable time con-
sumed in speeches upon the subject
The time Of the house this week, after
it meets Wednesday, probably will be
1 entirely devoted to the debate on the
| civil service question. By general con-
| sent the appropriations in the legisla-
! tive, executive and judicial bill for the
| maintenance of commissions, upon which
| the debate will be based, went over I'M
! til after the holidays. It is intended by
| the opponents Of the civil service law
! that the debate shall cover the whole
! question: and they expect to develop
! some very interesting facts The de-
| Tenders of the law have made elabo-
| rate preparations to meet these assaults,
and some highly interesting incidents
are anticipated
| 1t is not expected that the debate will
| be concluded this week. as Saturday
has been set aside for paying tribute
| to the memory of The late Representa-
| tive Wright of Massachusetts.
Gen. Crosvenor OF Ohio, who has been
| one of the mainstays of the opposition
to the law, is very DESTROYS of partici-
pating in the debate, but owing to the
| senatorial fight now in progress in Ohio,
he probably viii not be able to return
until next week. 1t is not believed that
| there will be any attempt to Close the
| debate before he has had an oportuni-
| ty to make the speech which he has
prepared.
! No one seriously believes that the up
shot of the present debate wifi be the
striking out of the appropriation for the
commission. The proposition cannot by
any means command the full strength
of the opposition, the leaders of which
think direct legislation should be enact
ed to repeal or radically amend the law.
The debate, therefore will simply be in
| the nature of d. general airing of the
views of the members of the house the
only practical effect of which will be to
place them on record for the future