Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-02-18
WORK IS SLOW.
Congress is Not Pushing Business Very Fast at
 Present.
Especial to Democrat.)

adjourned, after only an hours ses- sion, although there were several bills on the calendar that could have been taken up and passed. The word has gone forth. however. that only. most urgent mea sures are to be taken up, The thousand and one private claims will have to go by the board. A nota- ble exception to this are the private pension bills, which are passed by the hundred every other week.
 The committees are at work just as though they expected to have all the bills they take up passed by the house. The river and harbor committee IS giving hearings on various proJects, and yet it Is almost certain that no river and harbor bill will be reported this session. The same is true of the committee on public buildings. The judiciary committee is also at work on several bills. and the other day gave hearing to the women suffTages. when about fifty of them appeared and pleaded their cause No one expects that anything practical will come of it, and that is also true with many other eharings.
 The committee on labor of the house is one of the busiest nlaces i'll Wash ington these days Fl arings are being held on the eight-hour bill. and Do n the manufacturers and the Janor unions have presented their sides This year it Is stated that the ,ouse committee will consider this subject thoroughly before Till is reported at all. Tn former years the committee has always reported the bill, and It has passed the house by almost d unanimous vote. The senate has either not taken up the bill at all. or changed it so that the two houses could not agree. This year, It IS claimed. this is to be changed and II a bill is reported at all by the house committee it will be after thorongh discussion and consideration. I1e Connecticut manufacturers have made most urgent appeals to their members. and the opposition to this bill is strong CT to-dav than eyer. before. If. how ever a bill Is repo~trd to the house bv the committee: it will pass by large majority. but it is very doubtful If bill will be prepared this session. The apprnpria tinn bills aFey fairlr well under way. The naval approprl- alton bill Is ready, and will be taken up by the house next. The postof1ce apnropr .ation bill. one of the largest will probably be ready this week. and miners will follow in quick order. The senafe is Keeping uRYHsith the work Of the house. and in addition@is- passz ing large number of minor bills which cannot gor+llro'tgh the house, as it looks now TIle Panama treaty IS, of course. the most Important work before the senate, and it will be voted on next Tuesday. The prediction of Senator o. H. Platt made early i'll the session that it will pass by large nla- jority will be verified and many pre- dict that work will be commenced on the. canal this summer.
 Many political speeches have been made thus far for use during the com ing campaign, and yet it is very no- tlceable here that no one really knows what the issue will be. It would seem as though the democrats were trying to force the tariff issue to the front again. At all events everything is being done to keep free silver in the background These matters will how ever, be allowed to drift from now on, and many things may come up be- tween now and the national conven tiens to change the drift of public sen- tinlent entirely. Much will also de- pend upon who the opposing candidates will be. As far as the republicans are concerned there is but one name men toned, that of President Roosevelt, but the democrats have not as yet come down to 6 reasonable number of candidates. Much is heard down here about the candidacy of Congress-
 man Hearst, as the representative of the 1aboring element. AS yet he has not been heard on the floor of the house; in fact. he is scarcely ever seen and few members know him. but -.e spends much of his time ill the com mittee on labor. and the labor leaders, who appear before this committee, turn to him for advice and aid. Tue German boom is not as strong as it was a month ago, and but few speak of Judge Parker with any enthusiasm. Half dozen other names are heard more or less, but when the situation Is summed up no one down here can predict who will be the nominee or the democrats
 Already some of the members of congress are getting impatient at the inactivity of congress and want to go home. 1t is hard some days to get a quorum, because every one knows very little is to be done. They are all is predicted that the session will be over, and the members can go home to look after their fences. Congressman Henry to-day present ed in the house petitions from citizens Of Meriden and Waterbury, and from several pastors of Hartford and Man chester. in favor of the enactment of the Hepburn Deliver bill, forbidding the interstate traffic in beer and spir- ituous liquors. The brewers are here in great numbers and they claim that the passage of the bill would complete ly destroy the brewing interests of the country. There is a great array of legal talent on both sides and ex- tended hearings will be given to the contending interests early in March, before the house judiciary committee.
 Charles H. Brooker was here yester- day as the Connecticut member of the republican national committee, attend ing the obsequies of the late Senator Hanna.