The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-05
THE F|FTY-F|FTH CONGRESS
HAS PASSED INTO HISTORY
The Weary Legislators Kept at Their Posts Throughout
the Long Session-Reed Refused to Recognize
General Wheeler-Henderson Impas-
stoned Speech-The House Won
in Conference.

the night, recessing from time to time
while awaiting conference reports upon
the appropriation bills. The floor of the
house was Uttered with waste papers,
which drifted ankle deep about the
desks and made the hall look as if It
had been swept by a 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
constantly in their places, watching Wig
ilantly the progress of the contests be-
| tween the two houses. The final amend
ment on the river and harbor bill con-
tanning the compromise on the Nicara-
qua canal, as was secured about $3.50 a.
m, the sundry civil, in which the house
forced the senate to surrender the pro-
vision for the Pacific cable about 6
o'clock, the District of Columbia, With
the provision for sectarian institutions
eliminated about O'Clock; the deticien-
cy at $50 o'clock and the final confer
ence report upon the naval bill at about
| $3.50 a. m.
The hall presented a sodden, bedrag
gled looking scene until the daylight
sitting through the ground glass cell
| ings dimmed the yellow lights this
morning. Outside a fine drzzling mist
was falling, completely shrouding the
| tops of the dome and gluing the wet
half-masted flags over the two wings
| to their staffs. The red-eyed members
sat listlessly in their seats and the few
persons in the galleries slumbered
peacefully.
! About o'clock Mr. Henderson arous-
| ed the house, by an electric speech. 1t
was one of the most eloquent or this
congress. The surroundings added i'm
pressiveness to his utterances. The dis
heveled members and the wreckage of
the night were about him. 1t was on
the question of Sectarian institutions in
the District of Columbia, provision for
which had been stricken out of the dis
trict appropriation bill. With force and
pathos he denounced the bigotry of the
conferees, who, he said, were willing at
the baheSt of secret organization, to
turn the homeless and friendless into
the streets. The scene was dramatic in
the extreme when Mr.. Henderson recall
ed the dark days of the war, when the
whitecapped sisters of mercy were ad-
ministering on the battlefield to the
sick and dying soldiers.
With the advent of the day the house
again took on the appearance of life.
Members went below to breakfast and
returned refreshed to their stations AS
early as 7:30 the people began to pour
into the galleries. At 1890 o'clock,
when the house reconvened. the CALLER
les were again packed to the doors and
the hall buzzed with confused murmur
of voices. An American flag had been
1nwprp1 from the pallarV above
the speakers chair. The closing scenes
in the house were of more than usual
interest. After all the bills had been
passed there followed the usual resolu-
tions. That offered by Mr. Bailey
thanking Speaker Reed and the re-
marks of the minority leader were of
a character to lend a dramatic turn to
the proceedings The action of the
house and the speakers reply aroused
the house and spectators to enthusiasm.
After adjournment members and visit
ors Joined in singing patriotic airs.
The house proceedings Jagged slowly
after midnight, and the conference COM
mittees or the various appropriation
bills were not ready to report. Time
was killed by frequent recesses and
the members We're kept in good humor
by soup and stories.
At 4:30 a. m. the river and harbor
conference was again reported by
CHAIRMAN IouItpu lie conference it-
port was then adopted. The bill was
now ready for the president.
At a. m. Boutelle presented par
tial conference report on the naval bill.
The house refused to recede from it's
opposition to an armor plate plant and
also insisted upon its position as to
ships and armor plate.
AT $40 four appropriation bills were
still in conference.-the naval, sundry
civil, deficiency and District of Co.
lumbia.
The two hours from $50 to 80 were
spent in recess, the house reassembling
every now and then to see if work was
ready.
At 7:35 o'clock the District of Column
bia report was presented and adopted.
The conference report upon the de-
ficiency bill containing a full agreement
upon all disputed points was presented
at o'clock and agreed to.
At $50 o'clock the final conference
report on the naval bill was presented
by Mr.. Boutelle. He explained that the
senate had yielded to the house as to
the number of ships to be authorized
12), and the house had confirmed the
armor plate provision so as to limit the
cost of armor to $500, but had secured
the elimination of the provision for an
armor plate factory. The report was
adopted and the house recessed again
until 10:30 o'clock.
AT IL o'clock a resolution was adopted
directing the speaker to appoint COM
mittee of three to join a similar COM
mittee from the senate to wait upon the
president and inform him the that two
houses had completed their business
and were ready to adjourn unless the
president had some further communca-
ton to make to congress. The speaker
appointed Messrs. DalZell, rep, Pa,
Reeves, rep, ILL.,, and Lanahan. dem,
Texas, and another recess for an hour
followed.
When the house reconvened for the
last time the hour of final adjournment
was put half an hour away. The en-