The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-14
WINTER WEATHER
At THE CAPITAL
Causes a Slim Attend
anCe in the House.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


WASHINGTON, Feb. 13-The biz
zard caused practically a suspension of
business at the House to-day. The
great marble Capitol looked Hike snow
palace. Lodges, facades, parapets We're
banked with snow. On the drives and
on the plaza in front of the building
the snow had drifted into great bill
lows, in some places ten feet deep. Not
a car line approached the building, but
a few members of the House managed
to reach the Capitol in carriages and
sleighs. The hall Of the House was as
dark as cellar. The snow banked up
on the ground-glass ceilings, shut out
the light, and half an hour before noon
the hour for the House to convene
the lights were turned on to relieve the
gloom. The committee meetings, with
but one or two exceptions, were not
held. The few members of the House
who arrived had no thought for any
thing save the weather. They stood
about the weather map in the labby in
the rear of the hall discussing tempera-
lures and snowfall and record breaking
in all parts of the country, and it was
the unanimous verdict of the Oldest
members in the group that nothing APP
preaching the present cold spell and
ton in their experience. The nearest
approach to it was the blizzard of 1858.
which cut Washington off for a week
from communication by railroad and
telegraph.
Speaker Reed did not appear at the
Capitol, but sent word to his lieuten-
ants that in his opinion it was inadvis-
able to hold session of the House to-
day, and after consulting several of
the majority General Henderson of
Iowa, who had braved the storm. de-
cfded 1t would be the best to adjourn
Immediately after assembling. Some of
the Republican leaders were disposed
to go ahead with a session and an at
tempt was made to communicate with
the Speaker, but he could not be
reached at his hotel by telephone. -
At 1905 p. m. Clerk Mcdowell called the
House to order. There were about sixty
members me I9er on the moor Payne moved that
the House adjourn, but there were cries
of No from the little circle of members
most, of whom held in their hands bills
which they honed to pass by unanimous
to "A.
On motion of Grosvenor CR.) of Ohio
Payne of New York was elected Speaker
pro tenn. amid an outburst of applause
District day was postponed until Tuesday
On motion of Cannon, the House then
went into committee of the whole, Hop
kins of illinois in the chair. and resumed
the consideration of the sundry civil bill
Cannon asked unanimous consent that
Hepburn be allowed to offer the Nicara-
In the bill as he should see fit. all points
of order to be reserved He made the
request, he said, in order that there might
be a full House when the amendment was
considered.
Corliss made similar request regard
ing the Pacific cable bill, whereupon Cam
A resumption of the discussion of the
receipts and expenditures of the treasury
which attracted considerable attention
last week, was again precipitated by Sui
ger, who offered some figures as to the
cost of the steamship subsidy bill
Cannon reiterated his statement of last
week regarding the ship subsidy. bill and
the Nicaraguan canal bill.
Payne chairman of the committee. which
reported the subsidy. bill. said he wei
coined any information that would throw.
against alarming statements as to- def
ciencies IN advance. Estimates did not
always coincide. with appropriations. AS
an illustration he: cited the fact that the
estimates for the army bill had ranged
as high as S145,O00,000,. whereas the Mill
tary Committee had prepared a bill car
non why he had not thrown his influences
against the public buildings bills a; few
days ago. These bills, he said, would
take. more money from the treasury in
a a year than both the subsidy and canal
bills together.
Cannon declared that # the army bill
carried but $S0,00O00 there would be a de-
felt on that account OF ~$45 600 600
Berry CD of Kentucky made a. speech
House, who were shouting for. economy
and reaching their hands into the
treasury at every opportunity. He at
tackled the steamship subsidy bill. charg-
ing that the. decay of our merchant
marine. was attributable to the ruinous
protective policy of the Republican party
Williams CD of Mississippi declared
that the dream of eastern empire was
already a failure. With the ratification Of
the peace treaty, peace and commercial
expansion were to come. Instead there was
war, the prospect of long,. bloody and
expensive war, and now, owing to the
great expenditures involved in the East
the CONSTRUCTION of the. Nicraguan canal
which would furnish real basis for com,
mercial expansion, was to be postponed.
After having completed fifty-nine para
graphs of the bill. the committee rose and
at 4:45 p. m. the House adjourned.