The Week In Congress

THE WEEK IN CONGRESS.

DOINGS OF THE NATIONAL LAWMAKERS AT WASHINGTON.

This Column Shows the Full Proceedings in Both Houses in the National Legislature During the Past Six Days, condensed to a Nicety, and Made Handy for the Busy Reader.

Washington City, May 16. - In the house Wednesday a bill was passed appropriating $200,000 for a branch home in Grant county, Indiana, for volunteer disabled soldiers. The debate on the tariff bill was resumed in committee of the whole.

In the senate, after debate, the meat trust investigation was passed with an amendment by Cullom extending the investigation to the railroad routes. Tho resolution was passed without opposition. 

Washington City, May 18. - The senate agreed to the conference report on the Cincinnati exposition Wednesday, and then took up the pension appropriation bill. The question was on the amendment given in these dispatches yesterday, and it was agreed to without division, and the bill passed. Business on the calendar occupied the remainder of the session, and several bills of small interest were passed, and the senate adjourned until Monday.

The house agreed to the Cincinnati exposition bill, as reported by the conference committee, and then resumed the tariff debate. Speeches in favor of the Mills bill were made by Anderson of Illinois, Breckinridge of Arkansas, and Cox, and opposed by Peters, Stewart of Vermont, and Mason of Illinois. A night session was held at which the debate was continued, and the house adjourned at a late hour. 

Washington City, May 19. - The house spent the whole of yesterday in debate on the tariff, the speakers being Randall, McKinley and Breckinridge of Kentucky. A night session, however, was held at which thirty-five private pension bills were passed and adjournment was reached at 10:30. 

Washington City, May 22. - Blair introduced a bill in the senate yesterday which practically applies the Mosaic law to the Christian Sunday. A bill appropriating $17,500 to fire-proof the west end of the Smithsonian institute building was passed. Riddleberger complained that his resolution to debate the fishery treaty in open session was acted upon during his absence from the chamber, and entered a motion for reconsideration, by unanimous consent. Hoar offered a resolution for an inquiry whether the law should be amended to prevent the enlistment of men in time of peace without the consent of their wives. Bills to continue Sault Ste. Maria and establish Grand Rapids as ports of delivery were passed, and the bill to erect postoffice buildings in all towns where the receipts exceed $3,000 per annum was debated, but without action the senate adjourned. 

The house passed the bill creating a department of agriculture and the consular and diplomatic and District appropriation bills. A conference was ordered on the pension appropriation bill, the senate amendments having been non-concurred in. A resolution to investigate the Alaska fur seal fisheries was adopted. Bills were introduced: to pay fourth-class postmasters $5 additional salary per quarter; to put on the free list articles that can be controlled by trusts, etc. (Springer). The bill granting right-of-way through the Crow reservation to the Billings, Clark's Fork & Cooke City railway was passed, and the house adjourned. 

Washington City, May 23. - The senate received a veto yesterday of the bill to allow L. J. Warden, recently postmaster at Lawrence, Kan., $625 for extra clerk hire. Bills were passed granting right of way to the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western railway through the Lac de Flambeau reservation, Wisconsin, and granting $75,000 for a public building at Jamestown, O. A secret session was held in which Riddleberger's resolution to debate the fisheries treaty in open session was defeated. The house bill to establish a department of labor was taken up and passed, and a conference committee appointed upon it, there having been some amendments made by the senate. Bills were passed authorizing a bridge over the Missouri at Nebraska City; appropriating $12,000 for the public building at Peoria, Ills.; increasing the appropriation for a building at Winona, Minn., to $150,000; increasing the annual militia appropriation to $600,000; appropriating $10,000 for more ground for the building at Council Bluffs, Ia., and sundry other public building bills, after which the senate adjourned. 

The house took up the bill to prohibit the sale of convict-made goods outside the state in which they were made. The debate occupied nearly the whole session, and when the house adjourned the previous question on the engrossment and third reading of the bill had been ordered.