The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1899-03-07
WINDING UP OF CONGRESS.
The Last Legislative Day Was One of Ex-
element, Confusion and Work-An
All Night Session.

WASHINGTON, March 4.-EXcltement,
confusion, heavy strain and hard work
have characterized this the last legis-
lative day of the Fifty-ffth congress
in the senate. At times the confusion
was SO great in this usually staid and
decorous body as to render the
transaction of business almost
impossible. Business that ordinar-
lily would have the undivided at
tentiOn of every senator on the floor
was transacted amid so much noise
that it was next to impossible to follow
the proceedings.
Towards midnight order was being
evolved from the seeming chaos of the
early part OF the day and evening and
the prospect was fair that congress
would adjourn at noon Saturday with
its absolutely necessary work COM
pleted.
When the senate convened at II
o'clock Friday morning it faced the
task of considering two of the great ap-
preparation bills, those for the army
and for supplying the general de-
fciencies. The former carries apprO-
priations exceeding $50, 900, 600 and the
latter about $50 900, 600. With deter
minatiOn to complete the appropria-
ton bills the senate began immediate
ly at IL o'clock in the morning to con-
slider these measures and at o'clock
Friday night the army bill was passed,
the deficiency bill having been assed
nearly three hours before.
A conference report on the Alaska
criminal code bill was presented and
agreed to.
A partial report on the sundry civil
appropriation bill was agreed to but
the inability of the senate conferees to
secure an agreement on the Hawaiian
cable proposition created heated dis
cussion, in the course of which Speaker
Reed was alluded to in uncompliment-
airy terms
The Toledo exposition bill carrying
an appropriation of $500, 600 was passed
without debate.
Friday night when the river and
harbor conference report was present.
ed debate upon the recession of the
senate conferees from the senate
amendment providing for reservoirs to
irrigate arid lands at the headwaters
of the Missouri river was precipitated
by the advocates of the proposition.
An effort was made to recommit the
bill to the conferees, but it failed after
an impassioned speech by Senator Frye,
who submitted the report.
Crowded galleries looked down upon
the struggling members of the house
Friday, as the closing scenes of the last
legislative day of this congress were
being enacted. Step by step the lead
ers in charge of the appropriation bills
pushed them through the final stages
and during every lull in the considera-
ton of conference reports members
clamored for recognition for belated
local bills in the vain hope of rescuing
them from death on the calendar.
At times the house was like Bedlam.
Pound as the speaker would with his
gavel, it was almost impossible to pre-
serve order, and to the casual visitor
in the gallery proceedings on the floor
must have been about as ineligible
as an exciting day in the wheat pit
would be to parish priest. The noise
and confusion on the floor, punctuated
with the constant banging of the
speakers gavel or backgrounded with
the droning voice of the clerk, irate
members facing each other and talking
at the same time, pages scurrying up
and down the aisles, all this was utter
ly distracting. But the people in the
galleries stayed on, and there were a
dozen persons in line in the corridors
waiting for every vacant seat SO great
is the attraction of a dying congress.
Both houses were in session at an early
hour Saturday morning.
The house passed the army appropri-
alton bill with all senate amendments,
and the bill now goes to the president.
A CONSERVATIVE MINISTRY.
Senior Taodar Hos