Show of the the good old american fashion of making new years calls is still as prevalent as ever in the capital chiy while it is being abandoned gradually in most of the other large cities of the country it will probably remain for washington to honored custom as the fact that the president of the united State sets the example will always make new years calling both fashionable and popular in this city this year was ushered in by the usual grand reception of public dignitaries dignat aries and private citizens by the head of the nation and many there were who regarded the affair as a hilarious occasion not observing the proprieties of dress and decorum that usually characterize presidential receptions at this season the only unfinished business now before the senate is the blair aduca dional bill and senator Plair who is the champion of the measure will per in claiming the attention of the senate for his pet scheme until it is pressed to passage it is known that the bill win be opposed both in the senate and house and debates of considerable length are anticipated senator beagan will speak in the negative his opposition being based upon constitutional objections the constituents of southern members are bringing much influence to bear in favor or the measure and other sections of the country are using efforts in the same direction there seems little reason to doubt the passage of the bill though the prospect is that the president will veto it on account of its paternal and centralizing character president cleveland and secretary lamar are exerting themselves for the passage of a bill drawn by the latter to appoint a commission of three military officers and two civilians to treat with the indians for tha purpose of getting them more chai factly settled moving the tribes w the eastern portion of the indian territory with the object of opening twenty one million acres of land in the western part of the territory to the settlement of immigrants to chis it is proposed to annex no mans land covering three million acres and thus constitute a new territory about the size of the state of ohio this is virtually a revival of the project of forming the territory of oklahoma which has been agitated a long time but there does not appear to be much prospect of its success it is probable that the territories of dakota utah washington and montana will be admitted as states during the present session of congress but that they will not be permitted to have a voice in the next presidential election mr seney of ohio will re intro duce into the house a bankruptcy bill which has the merit of being the simplest solution of that vexed problem yet proposed it provides that while a debtor makes an assignment in trust in favor p his creditors fuming over all of his property without reserve he can apply to a united states court for a release which shall be granted after it is shown that he has made an assignment in good faith after which the settlement is to bo arde in the courts of the state it is hoped that some such bill will pass for a national bankrupt law has long been one of the great needs of the country A case of such national importance that it has been advanced on the docket of the court of the united states so as to be heard on the is the noted boycott trial of a number of the knights of labor in this city in which the lower court decided that a boycott is a common conspiracy and that the offending person is subject to fine and imprisonment it can be seen at a glance that the action of the supreme court will either strengthen or totally destroy the great organization known as the knights of labor hence the wide interest felt in the case washington JAI ath |