The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-27
All Efforts VIII Now he Pushed TO
stave on the Necessity for an
Extra Session.
NICARAGUA CANAL PROJECT
THE FIGHT is BITTER, AND ITS FATE
IS EXTREMELY DOUBTFUL.
The Senate Will Agree to the Build
ing of a submarine Cable to the
Hawaiian Islands.

WASHINGTON, Feb 26.-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 them 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. Everything
else except the appropriation bills and the
army reorganization bill will go by the
boards in the final crush. A few minor
bills may go through by unanimous con-
sent, but there is no longer any time for the
consideration of important general measures.
The bill for the government Of Hawaii has
been abandoned, and, although the friends
OF the public-building bills favorably acted
on in committee of the whole ten days ago
still cherish lingering hope that time will
be given for their consideration in the House,
the chance is so insignificant that it Is
barely worth mentioning. Hundreds of bills
will die on the calendar. Although the fear
Of an extra session practically disappeared
with the agreement in the Senate on the
army reorganization bill, it will require the
preparation bills and conference reports be-
fore the curtain falls next Saturday. The
actual physical work Of engrossing eight or
ten big appropriation bills during the last
forty-eignt hours WIN necessitate a large
temporary addition to the clerical force.
The engrossment of bills is done at the
government Printing Office when no special
exigency exists, but by special resolu-
tion passed Friday permission to engross
by hand during the remainder of the ses-
sion was given. In the final adjustment of
differences between the two houses the
House is enabled to bring every proposition
to a vote quickly under suspension of the
rules, a motion to suspend the rules being
in order at any time during the last week of
the session. This gives the House a distinct
advantage and enables it, at the fag end
of the session, to transact an enormous
amount of business in very short time.
The state of appropriation bills is such that
the situation might well cause alarm were
it not for the almost universal desire on
both sides of the House to obviate the ne
cessity Of an extra session of Congress.
Only three of the fourteen supply bills have
gone to the President-the' pension, Military
Academy and consular and diplomatic. Six
have passed both houses. Five of these
the legislative, executive and judicial, the
postofice, the agricultural, the District
Of Columbia and the Indian are in
conference. where the representatives of
the two houses are seeking to adjust the
differences. The other, the river and harbor,
has been referred to the river and harbor
committee of the House. The sundry civil
bill has passed the House and is under con-
sideration in the Senate. The naval bill
has passed the House, but has not yet been
reported to the Senate. The army bill is
being considered in the House and two of
the bills, the fortihcations and general de-
ficieney, are yet to be acted on by the
House. Most of the bills in conference
have problems which will be more or less
difficult to solve but none of these differ
ences, vexatious and serious as they may
be, promise a deadlock which might result
in their failure. with the single exception
OF the river and harbor bill, and it's loss
would not necessitate an extra session.
The fight over the Nicaragua canal
amendment which the Senate placed on this
bill as a rider, will be bitter and to the
death. Although the canal proposition un-
doubtedly would command a majority of
the votes in the House, against it is arrayed
the opposition of the appropriations COM
mittee and the ablest tacticians of the
House. who do not believe legislation au-
should be hastily passed during the dying
hours of Congress. Every strategy known
TO parliamentary law will be employed to
defeat the proposition. and if necessary,
probably TO kill the bill, should the Senate
prefer it's death TO it's enactment without
the canal amendment After the commit
tee considers the Senate amendments Chair
man Burton will probably come into the
House with a motion for a disagreement
on all amendments and an agreement in the
Senates request for conference Mr..
Hepburn, chairman of the interstate-com-
merce committee, win move concurrence in
the canal amendment which motion is in
order. and will take precedence.
But, as the amendment carries an appro-
priation, It must be considered in commit
tee of the whole first. and here its op-
ponents will make their first fight OBJ
structive tactics can be employed, but II
lies ia the power of the majority to win
in the end, and it is probable that on
vote the House may agree TO the amend
nent. But this bin will not end the con-
test by any means. 1t can be transferred
to all conference reports on the bill and
prolonged to the jeopardy of the sppropria-
tion bills to such an extent that it would
seem that in the final issue the friends Of
the canal amendment will be effectually
blocked, unless they can command the nee
essary two-thirds TO suspend the rules. If
they can. the bill will probably become a
law with the canal amendment in It, n
they cannot the bin viii probably fail. un-
less the Senate at the last moment jettisons
r. Taken altogether the promise is for q