District Bill Amended

Washington, April y. - i lie uistrict or Columbia appropriation bilí, which was recommitted to the committeo by tho house on account of the aid carried by it to charitable institutions, was Wednesday considered by that committee and remodelod so far as it applied to private institutions. The question whieh caused so fierce a een test in the house was disposed of by a sweeping amendment. All of the items for private and semi-private institutions which have heretofore depended largely upou the governraent for support were stricken from the bill. In place of these appropriations a lump aam of $94,700, equal to the total of the various items, is added for the re'ief and care of tho poor and such charitable and reformatory work as has heretofore been provided for by direct appropriations, to be expended by the district commissioners, either under contract or by employing tho public institutions of the district. Contracts aro limited to June 30, 1897, the end of the next fiscal year, tho coinmiasioners are required to render an account of their disbursements and stnet limications are placed upon their powers. Tho amendment ends with this clause: "That no part of the inoney here appropriated shall be paid for the purpose of maintaining or aiding, by payment for services or expenses or otherwise, any church or religious denomination or any i nstitution or society which is under sectarian or ecclesiastical control."