The Savannah morning news., 1900-06-08
CONGRESS HAS ADJOURNED.
LAST HOURS OF THE HOUSE SAW
HILARIOUS SCENES.

ment and FFn-HOuse Backed
Down and Adopted Senate Amend
ments to Naval Bill Over CannOn's
4 Protests-FormeT Conference Conn
mittee Vindlcat,d-Speak Fare
we'll.
Washington, June TN marked con-
8trast with the exciting scenes attending
1.-THE bitter struggles of the closing hours
4of the session, Speaker Henderson, laid
3down his gavel at O'Clock this afternoon,
lat the conclusion of one of the most pic
3turesque scenes which has ever occurred
lin the hall of representatives.
Party passion and personal rancor,
(which have brought the House to the
ibrink of actual riot several times during
1.-THE last forty-eight hours. gave way in
1.-The closing haf-hour to good fellowship
which found vent in patriotic outburst
that stirred the crowded galleries to the
!highest pitch of enthusiasm.
During brief recess taken within thirty
minutes of the time fixed for the final ad-
| tournment 20 give the President an op-
portunity TO affix his signature to the
bills that were being rushed to him for
Il
| Messrs. Mercer of Nebraska, Ball of
Texas, Fitzgerald of Massachusetts, and
Tswney of Minnesota, congregated in the
! area to the left of the Speakers rostrum,
and began singing patriotic airs The
| galleries were banked to the doors.
| National Airs Were Sung.
| Columbia. Gem of the Ocean,"
"Auld Lang Syne." THE Red, White ard
| Blue" succesSively rang out. AS the sing
| ing proceeded, members Joined the group
| until without regard to age or party the
| entire membership of the House Joined
\ in the choruses. The spectators in the gal
| leries appla uded each song until the
| strains of Dixie filled the hall Then
their unbounded enthusiasm broke out in
| wild cheers. But the enthusiasm Dixie
| evoked was not to be compared with the
| remarka BILE demonstration which followed
| when. in a clear, ringing tenor Mr.. Fitz-
gerald of Massachusetts started the ma
l tional anthem with the inspiring words
| Through the dawns early light" In an
instant every man, woman and child in
4 the galleries were on their feet joining in
the singing. The mighty chorus from
4 thousands of throats reverberated through
/ the hall. making the pulses leap and the
blood tngle.
1 II was a magnificent and soul-inspiring
4 spectacle The ladies kept time to the
rythu of the music with their handker-
chiefs and the men beat the measure with
4 their hands. The speaker, pausing as he
4 entered the hall raised his voice also. The
\ excitement produced by the scene over
4 came whitehaired old man in one of the
4 public galleries and when the song ceased
] he jumped upon his seat and shouted:
That is the song of the angels in
/ heavenr'
He was plainly crank, but as he
4 showed a disposition to harangue the
4 House he was quickly elected. After
4 Speaker Henderson had made a graceful
/ farewell speech thanking the members for
/ their courtesy and had declared the
4 House adjourned, the members testified to
his popularity by singing For He Is
Jolly Good Fellow" and the newspaper
correspondents in the press gallery cele
brated their emancipation from the bur
dens of Congress by singing the "DoXol-
1 ogy."
House Backed SquareIy Down.
The principal feature of the closing day
in the House. was the reversal of its
action last night, in turning down the
Il conferees on the naval bill for yielding on
the item rela ting 90 ocean surveys. Over
night the sentiment of the House under
went complete change. and to-day the
members voted by a large majority to ac-
cept outright the Senate amendment,
which goes much further than the com
promise which the confereeS offered last
night. The new conferees, led by Mr..
Cannon who had brought in compro-
mise which they considered more salts
factory, were ANONYMOUSLY pushed aside.
1t was a distinct victory for the old con-
ferees, Messrs. Foss of Illinois, Dayton
OF West Virginia, and Cummings of New
York.
The other feature of the closing day
was the course of Mr.. Lentz of Ohio, In
blocking npapimOHg consent legislation,
For three days he has objected to bills
because the majority would nos allow
the testimony in the Coeur d'Alene in
Nestigation to be printed, and he main
tained his position to the end. His ac-
lion caused many heartaches. He only
re snted when bills behind which lurked
possible votes in the coming campaign,
were brought up. On such occasions he
g cefully sidestepped and allowed them
I, go through.
LentE Was Heard From Again.
When the House reconvened at 10 o'clock
tms morning il was still Tuesday under
the legislative fiction AS the conferees
on the naval bill were not ready to report
the House adjourned until u o'clock, when
the legislative day of Thursday began.
After some amusing peasantries be-
tween Mr.. Grosvenor and Mr.. Sulzer a
OH was passed to amend the car coupler
law so as to require railroads TO report
monthly under oath to the Interstate
commerce Commission all accidents to
their employees and TO make reports as 10
all collisions between trains; also a bill
10 authorize the payment of travel pay to
enlisted men in the army
Mr.. Lentz then brought matters to
Htandstil. Some of the Republicans at
tempted 10 circumvent him by getting
'helr friends on the Democratic side to
OFFER their bills. Mr.. Hay of Virginia ask
ed for the consideration Of a bill to make
DesMones. Ia, a SUPPORT of entry, dn1
as a result got into a warm tilt with the
ohioan, who promptly interposed an OBJ
lection, MIR. Hay displayed considerable
temper and was proceeding 10 cridcise
MT. Lentz' course in perslsting in mis- at
utude when the latter objected TO his
statement
Il will not receive a lecture from the
gentleman from Virginia" he announced.
Until the Republicans agree to the print
ing Of the Coeur d'Alene testimony / shall
object 10 all this class of legislation"
Mr.. Cannon Makes Report.
few moments afterward Mr.. Cannon
on behalf Of the conferees on the naval
appropriation bill formally reported aR-
otner disagreement. Mr. Cannon moved
ina The House recede and concur In the
senate amendment with an amendment
winch struck out the word photographic
aua provided for ocean surveys including
m IN waters of Porto Rico, Cuba and. the
philippine. axcent the, coasts thereof