Evening star., 1899-03-04
Through the Long Watches Of the
Night.
ADOPTION OF CONFERENCE REPORTS
Early Arrival of Spectators This
Morning.
CLOSING CEREM ONES

| recessing from time to time while await
ing conference reports upon the appropria-
| ton bills. The floor of the House was lit
tered with waste paper, which drifted ankle
deep about the desks and made the hall
look If it had been swept by snow
| storm. Still the weary and heavy-eyed
| legislators kept to their posts through the
night. The leaders. upon whom the strain
and burden of the closing hours fell most
| heavily, and the Speaker, who had the
| greatest responsibility of all, remained con-
| stantly in their places, watching vigilantly
the progress of the contests between the
| two houses.
The House proceedings dragged slowly
after midnight, as the conferences on va
| rious appropriation bills were not ready to
| report. Time was killed by frequent re-
| cesses, and the members were kept in
| good nature by song and stories.
At 4:30 am. the river and harbor confer
ence agreement was reported by Chairman
| Burton, who moved its adoption. This led
| to considerab BILE discussion.
| Mr.. Hepburn of Iowa raised a point of
| order against the canal amendment on the
| grounds tfat it was not Germane and also
| was new legislation not i'm dispute between
! the Senate and House. Both houses, he
! contended, had legisated with the Nicara-
qua route in view, but the conferences had
/ set aside this route and opened up the
| whole question of routes.
| Mr.. Hepburn was finally ruled out of or
| come too late.
The conference report was then agreed to
! without division. This was the last legisla-
| tive stage of the bill, and it was ready for
| the President.
| The Naval Bill.
| At 4:i5 am. the House took a recess until
| ). when the naval conference report was
| expected. At : an Mr. Boutelle presented
a partial conference report on the naval
| bill 1t covered everything save the three
big items-new ships, price of arror and a
government armor factory. Mr.. Bou-
| telle stated that the Senate conferees
| were weakening. particularly in the reduc-
| tion of ships. and he thought the House
| would win on the next conference.
| The partial report was adopted.
| The House insisted on It's provision as TO
| ships and price of armor. Mr.. Handy of
| Delaware moved to recede and concur in
| the Senate amendment for a government
| al NOR factory. Lost-34 to "a. The three
main items then were sent back to con-
| ference
The Speaker announced as visitors 10 the
| United States Military Academy Represen-
| tacives Marsh, Bromwell and Jett: to the
Naval Academy Representatives Dalzell,
| Steele and Little.
At $40 a recess was taken for twenty
| minutes. At this time four appropriation
bills were still in conference-navaL sundry
| civil, deficiency and District of Columbia
| but they were reported to be progressing at
| a satisfactory rate.
The two hours from $50 to 7:3o were
! every now and then to see if any work was
| ready. The chamber sul lighted with
| the myriads of electric lights in the glass
ceiling: members were lOungiag about,
some of them sleeping on sofas, others Wita
| heads bent their desks; the floors were
| Uttered with the waste paper and congress
| SIGNAL Wreckage of a whole day: the bar
| bers began to be busy, and the tired MEM
bers went in groups to the restaurant for
| brea kfaSt.
At 7:45 the District of Columbia confer
| Ell ce report was presented, and an extended
| debate occurred on sectarian charitable in
| stitutions.
Mr. Henderson made stirring appeal to
his associates to reject the conference re-
port, declaring that it cut off the orphans
| of the District and was concession TO a
| secret organization The report was
| adopted.
With the advent of the day the House
| b gan again to take the appearance of
| ufe Members went below for baths and
| breakfast, and returned refreshed TO their
| stations.
| Early Arrival of Spectators.
AS carly as 730 the people began TO pour
| into the galleries, the first party TO arrive
being dozen ladies. who took their places
in the public galleries.
| Outside fine drizzling mist was falling,
completely shrouding the top of the dome
! and glueing the wet half-masted flags over
the two wings to their stafs. The red-eyed
| members sat listlessly in their seats. the
! few persons in the galleries slumbered
peacefully.
| Conference Reports Adopted.
| The conference report upon the deficiency
| appropriation bill containing a full agree
ment upon all disputed points was pre-
s9nted at $50, and agreed to without a
| VIC I'd of debate.
| At $50 am. the final conference report
| upon the naval bill was presented by Mr..
| Routelle He explained that the Senate
| bod -ial1 lad fn ha as fn ha mn her
| of ships to be authorized Uwelve), and the
| House had confirmed the armor-plate pro-
/ vision so as to limit the cost of armor to
| $500, but had secured the elimination or
| the provision for an armor-plate factory.
| The House had reluctantly yielded up this
item as to price of armor, said Mir. Bou-
| telle, and only in the hope that a future
Congress would remedy the situation
| garding armor The report adopted
| and the House recessed again until 1889.
| The Final Ceremonies Begun.
| At Ii O'Clock the final ceremonies began.
| On motion of MIR. Dalzell a resolution was
adopted directing the Speaker to appoint
| committee of three to join a similar COM
| mittee from the Senate to wait upon the
| President and inform him that the two
houses had completed their business and
We're ready to adjourn unless thesPresident
| had some further communication to make
The Speaker appointed Messrs. DaIzelI
| (Pa.), Reeves UlI) and Lanham Crexas).
l
lucky who had just been appointed United
States district judge, by the President. en-
tered the hall and was greeted with an
oudburst Of app-ause from his colleagues,
| who crowded about to tender their con-
gratulations.
Another recess for half an hour followed.
Exchanging FareweIIs.
! During the recesses members stood about
| in groups exchanging fluctuations and fare
wells. There was much good-natured chat
A..
| ous humor. Meantime the diplomatic and
| executive galleries had hlled, and the scene
was brilliant and animated.
When the House reconvened for the last
time the hour of final adjournment was
but half an hour away. The Presidents
executive clerk announced the Presidents
signature TO a host of bi Is, and the Speak
er, who had been busiiy engaged signing