The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-05
DRAMATIC SCENES
OF CLOSING HOURS
Heavy-Eyed Statesmen In Session
Through the Night.
All the Big Appropriation Bills Were
Disposed of-Henderson Makes a
Sensational Attack Upon Religi-
Gus Bigots and the A. P. A.-Sec-
tartan Institutions In District of
Columbia-Resoluti of Thanks
to Speaker Reed.

Washington, March 4.-Wearily the
house set through the silent watches of
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 snowstorm. 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
constantly in their places, watching Wig
ilanfly the progress Of the contests be-
tween the two houses
The final agreement on the river and
harbor bill, containing the compromise
on the Nicaragua canal, was secured
about $3.50 a. m; the sundry civil, in
which the house forced the senate to
surrender the provision for the Pacific
cable, about 6; the District OF Columbia,
with the provision for Sectarian insti-
tutions eliminated, about o'clock; the
deficiency at $50, and then final con-
feEence 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, drizzling mist
was falling, completely shrouding the
tops of the dome and gluing the wet
half-masted flags over the two wings to
their STATS. The red-eyed members sat
lisdlessly in their seats and the few
persons in the galleries slumbered
peacefully.
About o'clock Mr.. Henderson
aroused the house by an electric speech.
1t was one of the most eloquent of this
congress. The surroundings added i'm
presslyeness to his utteranceS. The dis
heVesed members and the wreckage of
the night We're 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, We're willing,
at the beheist of a secret organization,
TO turn the homeless and friendleSS into
the streets. The scene was dramatic in
the extreme when Mr.. Henderson re-
called the dark days of the war, when
the white-capped sisters of mercy We're
administering 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 for baths and
breakfast and returned refreshed to
their stations. As early as 7:30 the peo-
PIE began to pour into the galleries, the
first party TO arrive being a dozen la
dies who took their places in the pub
lie galleries. The important business of
the house had been virtually completed
when the house recessed for an hour at
$3.50 All that remained was the enroll
ment of bills and the final ceremonies,
At 10:30, when the house reconvened,
the galleries were again packed to the
doors, and the han buzzed with the con-
fused lnurmur of voices. An American
flag had been lowered from the press
gallery 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 resolutions.
That offered by Mr.. Bailey, thanking
Speaker Reed, and the remarks of the
minority leader We're of character to
lend a dramatic turn to the proceed
ings. The action of the house and the
speakers reply aroused the house and
spectators to enthusiasm.
ARMOR PLATE AGREEMENT.
At $50 O'Clock the final conference re-
port on the naval bin was presented by
Mr.. Boutelle. He explained that the
senate had yielded to the house as TO
the number Of ships to be authorized
(12l, and the house had confirmed the
armor plate provision, so as to limit
the cost Of armor 10 $500, but had se-
cured the elimination Of the provision
for an armor plate factory. The house
had reluctantly yielded upon the item
as 20 the price of armor, said Mr. Bou-
teile, and only in the hope that a fu-
ture congress would remedy the situa-
ton regarding armor.
The report was adopted, and the
house recessed again until 10:30 a. m.
AT Il o'clock, on motion of Mr. Dali
zell, 2 resolution was adopted directing
the speaker to appoint G committee of
three to join a similar committee 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 the president
had some further communication to
make to congress.
The speaker appointed Messrs. Dali
zell (I2ep.,. .Pa.), Reeves (Rep. Ills.), and
Lanham (Dem.. Tex), and another re-
cess Cor an hour followed.
During the recess members stood
about IN groups exchanging felicita-
tions and farewells. Everybody SEEM
ed to be in joyous humor.
Meantime the diplomatic and execu-
tive galleries had filled, and the scene
was brilliant and animated.
LAST LEGISLATIVE ACT.
When the house reconvened for the
last time the hour OF final adjournment
was but half an hour away. The en-
crossing clerks were now the busiest
people about the capitol, and almost
every minute one Of them rushed in
with belated measures in his arms. The
last legislative act of the house was the
passage of a joint resolution authoriz-
ing the acceptance by the United States
,,f a cession of a tract of land from the
state Of Massachusetts. needed to e8-
tend the lines of the Boston navy yard.
1t WAS now Has by the clock, but the
assistant doorkeeoer, with long POLE,
set back the hands ten minutes. Tnis
raised = loud laugh.
GENERAL WHEELER IGNORED.
Immediately afterward was a most
dramatic episode. General Wheeler,
who has carefully refrained from exer-
cising his privilege as a member Of the