Omaha daily bee., 1915-03-04
CONGRESS ENTERS
THE FINAL SESSION
Disputed Points in Agricultural Bill
and POstOffice Bill May Cause
a Deadlock.
SENATE PASSES RIVERS BILL

! WASHINGTON, March 3.-The
Sixty-third congress swung into the
last twenty-four hours of its life to-
| day confronted with a mass and jun
BILE OF work which must be done be-
fore noon tomorrow. Both house
and senate will be in practically con
tinuous session until adjournment.
One by one the accumulation Of bills
and resolutions was being disposed
of and sent to the White House for
President wilson's signature. but the
closing hours were not without
threats Of failure for some measures.
Today house and senate conferees were
deadlocked over the rural credit amend
ments TO the agricultural appropriation
hill; there was likewise a deadlock over
the railway mail pay provision in the
postoffice bill UItimatums TO abandon the
disputed points or let the bills fail, were
being exchanged between the contendlng
sides. No differences appeared in the
other large bills which were not sure to
be composed
So much work on the appropriation bills
leaders did not hope to see any Of the
democratic legislative program passed.
They expected the ship bill, the Philippine
bill and other measures would have to
go over for the next congress.
Senators Root Burton, smoot and
Lodge, who led the republican opposition
to the ship bill. arranged to watch the
closing hours of the senate to meet any
attempt to pass the bill when the oppo-
sition was not watchful.
senate Passes Rivers Bill.
At 6:ST a. m. the senate passed without
amendment the river and harbor bill
the last of the big supply bills to come
before 1t, and then recessed until IL
O'Clock
1t was only by taking the Unprecedented
step of arousing the vice president and
requesting his attendance that a quorum
was obtained to pass the bill. Shortly
after o'clock Senator Oliver raised the
point Of no quorum in order TO get full
consideration for an amendment authoriz-
ing new dam in the Pittsburgh harbor.
Only forty-six senators could be found,
and two more were needed to make a
quorum. A motion was made and car
ried for the issuance OF warrants for the
arrest of absentees. Senator Bryan, tenn
porarily in the chair, declined to sign
the warrants on the ground that they
could be signed only by the vice presi-
dent or president pro tempore, Senator
Clarke.
After q parliamentary wrangle, how
ever. Senator Stone moved that the vice
president be requested to attend. This
was carried and the vice president was
reused from his bed about o'clock. Just
before he arrived. however. Senators Nell
son, Page and Dillingham; reported and
made q quorum. The vice president
however, resumed the chair.
The senate, after spending two hours
on the conference report on the Nave
bill debating the abolition of the pluckint
board, finally accepted it :
Two More Bills Finished.
Then in short order the senate agreed
to the reports on the legislative bill and
! the diplomatic and consular appropriation
bill, putting two more of the principal
supply measures out of the way.
The house agreed to the conference re-
port on the legislative, executive and
judiciary appropriation bill, accepting
the senate provision to pay mileage az
usual for travelling expenses OF congress
men. then debated the river and harboJ
bill after some heated discussion, accepted
the senate amendments and sent that
measure TO the president.
Meanwhile disputed points in the army
Indian, General efficiency and other bill
were taken up in conference committees