The Bourbon news., 1899-02-28
NEAR THE END.
The Last Week of Congress Will No
Doubt Be a Very Busy One.
The Appropriation Bills VIII Demand At
tentiOn-There Are Still Five of
These-They Will Occupy the
Balance of the Session.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27.--The week
will open with the compromise army
dill still before the senate, but it is
impossible to say how long it may con-
5inue to demand the attention of that
oody. The best opinion is to the effect
hat vote will be secured Monday,
but this depends largely upon the tenn
per of Mr.. German and his friends,
who insist upon the amendment of the
army bill so as to further curtail the
size of the army in 1901.
If the debate should be continued to
any considerable length, the action
would be generally accepted as indicat-
ing an intention to force an extra ses-
sion, as all admit that with as many
appropriation bills as are pending, it
is impracticable to give very much
more time to the army bill and still
pass the supply bills before the 4th in
slant. There is yet no
danger of failure on either
the army bill or the appropriation
bills. No senator can be found who
avows himself desirious Of forcing
a called session. Hence the general
belief that all these measures will be-
come laws and that when congress ad-
journs for the session next Saturday
legislation will be in such shape as to
render it safe to permit the legislators
to remain at their homes until next
December.
The appropriation bills will demand
almost all the attention of the senate
after the army bill is out of the way,
and the senate will have to materially
increase the length of sessions in order
to secure their enactment into laws.
There are still five of these bills which
have not as yet received attention
from the senate and five others which
are in conference and which will re-
quire more or less consideration on
conference reports.
The house will devote practically all
of the closing week of the session to
the appropriation bills and conference
reports. and the prospects are that
every minute of the time will be re-
quired to get through before noon on
March 4. An order has been made to
meet at II o'clock each day,
but in addition to this night
sessions will be held, and it would
surprise no one if one or more all-night
sessions should be necessary. Every
thing else except the appropriation
bills and the army reorganization bill
will 60 by the board in the final crush.
, zsz'rTrq : 'reTrq minor bills may go through by
unanimous consent, but there is no
longer any time for the considera tion
of important general measures. The
bill for the government of Hawaii has
been abandoned, and although the
friends of the public buildings bill, IA
vorably acted upon in the committee of
the whole ten days ago, still cherish a
lingering hope that time will be given
for their consideration in the house,
the change'is so insignificant that it is
barely worth mentioning. Hundreds
of bills will die on the calendar. AL
though the fear of an extra session
practically disappeared with the agree
ment in the senate upon the army re-
organization bill, it will require the
most arduous labor to get through the
appropriation bills and conference re-
ports before the curtain falls next Sat-
urday.