The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-13
NICARAGUA BILL
SEEMS DOOMED
Not Likely to Pass at
This Session.
LAST STAND IN ME HOUSE
ATTEMPT TO ATTACH 1T TO THE
sUNDRY CIVIL BILL.
In the Senate Strife Over Army He
organization Will Occupy Much
Time During the
Week. !
ATTEMPT TO ATTACH 1T TO THE
sUNDRY CIVIL BILL.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-THE House
will have little or no time curing the
remaining three weeks of the session
to devote to anything except approprld-
ton bills. The announcement OF Chalr-
man Cannon that there was not time
to consider the steamship SUBSIDY Dill
and the Nicaragua canal Dill settles the
fate of the former. The friends OF the
latter are TO try flank movement ny
attempting to attach the canal Dill 10
the sundry civil bill, now under consid-
Grafton. AS it will be the only chance
the bill Will have at this session, ltS
supporters will make a desperate ngnt
Time must be given for the conslderd.
ton of the bill for the Government OF
Hawaii; but it also, for the present.
must give way to the appropriation
bills. Five of the great annual BUDGETS
still remain Enacted upon by the House,
and as they are the most important Oh
the appropriation bills, it Will require
practically all the remainder OF the
session to put them through and con-
slider the conference reports upon the
other appropriation bills as they are
brought in.
During the earlier part of the session
the opposition was passive, but 1t seems
to have been aroused by the debate on
the army reorganization bill ana WITHIN
sive The threats of an extra session
appear to hold no terrors for the DEM
ocrats and the Populists; indeed, some
of them would apparently welcome It,
especially If 1t were called to increase
the size of the regular army.
AS an unembarrassed proposition, the
Nicaragua canal bill would doubtless
command a very strong majority in the
House, but with the power of the APP
preparations Committee and the threat
of a bond issue thrown into the balance
against it. and the likelihood that to get
a direct vote upon it will require re-
versal of the ruling of the chair, 1t is
exceedingly doubtful whether 1t can
carry.
The promised effort on the part of the
Committee of Military Affairs to get
immediate consideration of the army
reorganization bill promises to be the
most important feature of the proceed
ings of the Senate during the present
week. Lines are divided very sharply
on this bill, and the contest over it's
consideration unQuestionably will be
both fierce and stubborn.
The Democrats, not only on the Mill
| tary Committee, but throughout the
! Senate, will resist any effort to get the
army bill through. They say, however.
they will not try to prevent considera-
ton of the bill.
ported to the Senate, but there will be
an all-day session Of the Committee on
Military Affairs on Monday, with the
hope of concluding the consideration Of
the bill in committee and of having 1t
ready to report on Monday or Tuesday.
The probabilities are, however, that 1t
will not get into the Senate before
Wednesday.
Another question which bids fair to
provoke considerable controversy Is
| that involved in Senator Hawleys no.
tice of a motion for the reconsideration
of the unanimous consent to Senator
Mason's proposition to vote on the Nc
Emery resolution at 2:30 o'clock Tues
day. Senator Hawley had objected to
the consideration of this question when
it came up Saturday, and he was alb
sent when the agreement was reached.
| Several other Senators who also oppose
the McEnery resolution, including Sem
ator Plat of Connecticut, were absent,
and Senator Hawley's motion for a re-
consideration was made after consulta-
ton with them. There are very few in
! stances ON record in which effort has
been made to deviate from an unani-
nous agreement, and there is little
doubt that Senator Mason will strenu-
| ously resist this attempt.