Bridgeton pioneer., 1903-03-12
WITH THE NATIONAL LAWMAKERS.
Fifty. Seventh Congress Ends-A Stormy
Session.


the House the Fifty-seventh Congress
ended at noon Wednesday There was
the usual crowd in both galleries of Con-
gress. and persons eager to witness the
closing scenes in both branches fiocked
through the corridors in the big building
on Capitol Hill. and for an hour before
the time of adjournment made the lite
of the doorkeepers very uncomfortable
by repeated efforts to gain admission to
one of the galleries
Both branches of Congress assembled
at 10 o'clock after their long night ses-
sion. which lasted in the House until
nearly 4 o'clock and in the Senate until
?. and as a consequence the senators espe-
cially were late in assembling. At the
meeting hour, when President Pro Tenn.
Frye mounted the steps to his desk, there
was considerably less than a quorum OF
senators present in the chamber, and
after Senator Frye had called the body to
order Senator Cockrell insisted upon the
presence OF a quorum, and slowly one by
one the delinquent senators made their
appearance until the requisite number
answered to their names, and the Senate
was able to proceed with the business.
President Signs the Bills.
Meanwhile, President Roosevelt, ac-
companied by several members of his
Cabinet, including Secretary Cortelyou,
the baby OF his official family, arrived at
the Capitol and was shown to the Presi-
dents room in the rear of the Senate
chamber. Here he was greeted by quite
number of senators and the other mem
bers of his Cabinet who had not come
with him from the White House. The
President drove down Pennsylvania ave-
nue in the White House carriage, accom-
panied by his son Kermit. who had ex-
pressed desire TO see Congress die,
and was taken by his father to ride down
the Avenue on a 4th of March
The day. so far as the weather went,
was clear and balrny, and as the presi-
dental party passed down the wide Ave
nue many remarked that it would have
been perfect day for Inauguration. On
arriving at the presidents room Presi-
dent Roosevelt found a number of bills
awaiting his signature, although the great
majority passed during the closing hours
OF the session had been sent to the White
House and had become laws before the
President left his executive Offices The
two most important bills awaiting the
President at the Capitol were the Naval
and General Deficiency Appropriation
Bills. After comforting with Secretary
Moody and Secretary Shaw on these
bills, the President signed them and then
turned his attention to other bills await
ing his signature.
Billion-Dolla Congress.
Meanwhile in the Senate Senator AL
l1son, as chairman OF the Committee
on Appropriations, made a statement
regarding the amount of money ap-
propriated by the expiring Congress as
compared with the appropriations of
the Fifty-sixth Congress. The total
appropriation for the present Con-
gress, he stated, was $I,554, ,1o8, ,5I8, as
compared with $I,44o4So,43S for the
Fiity-sixth Congress.
1t was a curious but necessary thing,
he said, to make this comparison more
in detail than by mere statement of
aggregates. The first and most impor-
tant item included in this statement
for the present Congress is an appro-
pr1atlon of $50, I3o, 900 for the Panama
Canal, which, he said, accounts for
nearly one-half of the increase
There is also, he said, an aggregate
appropriation for the Postoffice De-
partment Of $I53,4oI,54o for the next
tscal year, as compared with $I3S,-
100000 for the current year, making a
difference OF more than $4,000, 900 in
excess OF the appropriations for the
last Congress for the postal service
This, he explained, arises from the
enormous increase in expenditures
caused by increased postal business
Then, too, he said, the rural free de-
livery service required large sums
There was, he said. smaller de6cien-
cy than there has been in many years
in the postal receipts as compared
with the expenditures.