National Legislature

Washington City, Aug. 30. - Reagan introduced a bilí in the senate yesterday to place jute bagging on the free list, the object being to break up the cotton-bagging trust. The report on the sundry civil bilí was again taken up and Gorman spoke to controvert the implication of Democratie extravagance made by Allison Tuesday. The confereuce report was then agreed to. The senate insisted on those nniendinents disagreed to by the house and asked a further conference. George made a speech deferiding the positiou of the president on the fishories question. A short secret suss-ion was then held aud the senate adjourned. The house passed another joint resolution - the third this sessiou- to provide tempo rarily for government expenses. The bill providing that printing of government securities shall bu done uu hand presses was passed, and the Oklahoina biil was taken up, and Payson's amendment to throw the land open to homestead entry alone rejected. The. bill was still pending when the house adjourned. Washington City, Aug. SI.- A resolution ■was oiïsred in the senate yosterday by Blair instructing the inter-state commerce coramittee to inquire into the Craig system of telegraphy, by which it is claimed 2,000 words can be sent at a cost of 2 cents. If this was so Blair wanted to secure it for the people. George then finished his speech in defense of the president's fisheries message, and Cullom took the floor in epposition thereto. When Cullom had concluded, the forti fications bill was taken up. Amendments were adopted, providing for a board of army officers to super vise gun, motor, torpedo and other tests appropriating $100,000 for dynamite gu tests; reducing the house appropriation fo a gun faetory at Watervliet arsenal to $550, 000; increasing the appropriation for stee for heavy ordance to 2,500,000, and provid ing for the use of American steel only. Th bill then went over, and Cullom olïered a resoluüon ioquiring of the treasury whethe Canadian gouds have been transported il bond across United States territory since th abrogation of the Washington treaty, ant if so by wbat authority of law. The senate then adjourned. The house rèleased Tracey of New York from further duty on the Pacific railways and coinage, weights and measures commit tees at his own request. The Oklahoma bil was briefly discussed, laid aside and the re taliatory bill,slightly changed from Wilson's propositiou, reported. Tne Oklahoma bil was again taken up, but no quorum voted on the flrst proposition put to the house. Spring er offered a resolution directing the sergeantat-arms to telegraph absent members to return, but it was declared out of order anc the house adjourned. Washington City, Sept. 1.- The senate yesterday passed the house joint resolution providing for government expenditures in the absence of the regular appropriations. Cullom's resolution referring to shipments of Canadian merchandise duty free throu=;h the Uniieü States was laid over, Cullom deferring to an objection by George that the president had no power to stop the same. Cullom said he was not sure about the statute in the case. A long political debate on the subject of participation in campaign work by goverment officials took place, and then the fortifications bill was taken up, the committee amendmants adopted, the bill passed and a conference ordered. The joint resolution authorizing the land office to certify to Kansas lands for the benefit of agriculture and mechanical arts was passed. Some unimportant business was then debated, but no aetion taken and the senate adjourned until Monday. The house took up the sundry civil bill af ter routine busines3 had been disposed of, and insisted on its disagreenient to tbe senate's amendment providing for continuing the work on the congressional library building. Payson said the building could not be flnished for less tbau $10,000,000, and might cost $16,000,000. Pending aetion on the other amendments recess was taken to S p. m. , and at the evening session twenty-seven private pension bilis wera passed and the house adiourned. Washington City, Sept. 3. - The retaliation bilí was reportad to the house Saturday and made the special order for Tuesday. Upon resumption of the debate on tbe sun dry civil bilí, Breckinridge, Symes, and Cox advocated the senate proposition for an appropriation to investígate the subjjct of irrigating the arid lands ia the west. Pending discussion the house adjourned. Washington City, Sept. 4. - Vest showed a book in the senate yesterday entitled "Protection Echoes from the Capítol," edíted by Thomas H. McKee, assistant senate librarían, and offered a resolution of inquiry into the same - whother it is necessary to prevent or punish it. This lead to an extended partisan debate, participated in by Vest and Plumb principally, and Vest's resolution went over. Hoar read a letter he had received f rom Charles Arpin, of Quebec, suggesting that if certain bay claims held by Canadian against the United States were paid uow the Canadians would assist the Republican party in the election - by making a liberal allowance. Hoar asked that the letter be filed so that when the claims came up this letter might come up, too, as an at .empt at corruption. Certain bilis for lighthouses, principally on the Atlantic coast, were passed, and then the bill to prohibit Chinese immigration was taken up (the one passed by the house yesterday). Butler opposed the bill, and the debate was long, and finally wenlit over without action, and the senate adjourned. Scott of Pennsylvania introduced in tha house yesterday, as soon as it was called to order, a bill which, with all its legal verbiage elitninated, is in effect as follows: From and after the passage of this bill Chinese laborera are absolutely prohibited from landing auywhere in the United States under any circumstanees. All laws inconsistent with this are hereby repealed. The bill was passed without división. Bills were iutroduced to punish those connected with trusts and to put cotton bagging on the free list. An attempt to get up the Oklahoma bill disclosed the absence of a quorum, and the house adjonrned. Washington City, Sept. 5. - Cullom introduced a resolution in the senate yesterday asking the secretary of war whether the United States or Canada has jurisdiction over the Detroit river and the St. Clair Falla canal ; also a bill deflning trusts and declaring them unlawful. Vest's resolutiou regarding Assistant Librarían McKee's book was then takeu up, and the daily political debate ensued, anü the resolution went over. The anti-Chiuese bill was then consilered, and brought on auother political debate, Teller doing the most talking' The bill went over without action. Some unimpcrtant business was then transacted, and after a short secret Bession the senate adjourned. A resolution was introduced in the house by Kelley directing the special committee on tho library building to itiquire whether any member of the huuse bad attempted to eorru tly influence the architect to accept inferior material, Ha said ha knew the man, but on calis to "name biin" he doclined, sayine; he Wpuld do 80 before the coraiuittee. The resolution was referred to a special couimittsj aptomted forthat purpose. The conference report on the army bil! was calleci up and a f nrther conference ordered. The retaliation liill took up the remainder of the day. McCreary advocated it, and said the first bill did not give the president power to stop shipment of Cauadian goods through this country duty free. He held that the twenty-ninth article of the treaty had been abrogated. Hitt held otherwise, and opposed the bill, saying that the proposed retaliation would inflict needless damage on railways in the United States, and that the president already had power enough if he would use it. Chipman of Michigan' made an attack on England, and said diplomats were fools and knaves, and without action the house adjourueil