Democratic Sentinel, Volume 6, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 March 1882 — DOINGS OF CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

DOINGS OF CONGRESS.

A bill passed the House of Representatives, on the 4th inst., for holding terms of the District Court at Wichita, Kan. A resolution was adopted to dismiss tho Louisiana contestedelection case of Smith vs. Robertson. Mr. Horr reported a bill to prevent shipping adulterated food and drugs into the United States. The Consular and Diplomatic Appropriation bill was completed in committee of the whole, but the final vote was deferred. The salary of the Consul at Liverpool was fixed at #6,000. Tho Consul at Jerusalem was given an advance of #SOO. Mr. Reed presented a petition from Yankton against the admission of Dakota as a State. The Senate was not in session.

Mr. Allison presented in the Senate, on the 6th inst.,'a memorial from the lowa Legislature for a bridge over the Missouri river above Omaha. Mr. Morrill made an adverse report on the bill for a branch mint at Omaha. Mr. Ingalls reported favorably a bankruptcy bill embodying the equity system; Mr. Vest a measure for the incorporation of the interoceanic ship railway, and Mr. Teller the House bill to pension Mrs. Garfield, with an amendment to include #5,000 per annum for Mrs. Polk and Mrs. Tyler. Bills were introduced for a bridge across the Missouri river near Jefferson, Mo.; to aid in repairing levees in the State of Mississippi; for the construction of the Illinois and Mississippi canal; for a commission on the liquor traffic, and to enable claimants against the Government to bring suit in any Federal Circuit Court There was some debate on the Chinese bill. The House passed the Consular and Diplomatic Appropriation bill. Mr. Belford introduced a resolution requesting the President to appeal to the Czar to protect the Jews in Russia. Mr. Hewitt introduced a bill to restore to the peusionTfolls the names dropped for participation in the Rebellion. An interesting debate took place on the bill to permit producers of leaf tobacco to sell the same without license, but the rules were not suspended. An appropriation of #IOO,OOO was made to continue work _on the Davis island dam in the Ohio river. Immediately after the adjournment of the House a caucus of Democratic members was held to decide upou a line of policy to be pursued by the Democrats relating to proposed changes in the rules of the House. It was unanimously resolved to resist, by every parliamentary method, the adoption of the proposed amendments to the rules. Mr. Sherman reported a bill to the Senate, on the 7th inst., for the redemption or conversion of outstanding $lO refunding certificates. Mr. McDiU presented a memorial from the lowa Legislature asking for $7,000,000 for tho improvement of the Missouri river. Mr. Beck made a favorable report on the bill to punish the unlawful certification of bank checks, and Mr. Dawes banded back the act to ratify the agreement of the Grow Indians and the Northern Pacific road. A joint resolution was passed to authorize the Secretary of War to use hospital tents for the sufferers by overflow. When the Chinese bill came up, the Pacific coast Senators oalled attention to the recent chain of meetings in opposition to the Celestials. Messrs. Dawes and Edmunds retaliated by giving their views on the issue. In the House a bill was passed for a Local Board of Inspectors of Hulls and Boilers at Gallipolis, Ohio. An appropriation of $20,000 was made to erect a statue to Chief Justice John Marshall. In committee of the whole on the state of the Union, the Tariff-Commission bill was tabled by 77 to 30. A bill from the Senate, authorizing the Secretary of War to use hospital tents for the relief of sufferers from the overflow of the Mississippi was passed. Mr. Garland introduced a bill in the Senate, on the Bth inst., for the construction or repai r of levees on the Mississippi, and Mr. Jackson reported an appropriation of $25,000 to continue the improvements of the harbor of Memphis. The motion to refer to the Finance Committee the bill for a liquor commission was lost, aud the measure was laid aside. The Chinese bill came up. Mr. Ingalls’ amendment to limit to ten years the suspension of immigration was defeated by a tie vote. Mr. Platt made a lengthy argument against the measure, and Messrs. Edmunds and Hoar had an interesting war of words. Mr. Saunders submitted a joint resolution for a constitutional amendment allowing the people to elect Marshals, District Attorneys, Postmasters, and internal-revonue officers. Iu the House Mr. Reed reported amendments to the rules, which were laid over. Mr. Harris reported a bill for the construction of naval vessels. A bill authorizing the purchase of the Freedmen’s Bank building at Washington for $250,000 was passed, as was also an appropriation of $7,500 to aid the Society of the Army of the Cumberland to erect a statue to Gen. Garfield.

A resolution by Mr. Sawyer was adopted by the Senate, on the 9th inst, instructing the Secretary of War to report the cost of constructing the Sturgeon Bay canal in Wisconsin, with a view to makiDg it free to commerce. A resolution was passed instructing the Secretary of State to ascertain the cause of the im prlsonment in Great Britain of an American citizen named Daniel McSweeney. The bill for a liquor commission was taken up, and it was agreed that not more than three shall be prohibitionists. The Chinese bill was amended to provide that no Celestial shall be naturalized witbin the United States, and that no laborers can immigrate within twenty years, and then passed, by a voto of 29 to 15. In the House, Mr. Dunnell reported a bill for canceling stamps on tobacco exported by rail. A bill was also reported for tho admission into the Union of the Territory of Washington. The Agricultural Appropriation bill came up, and amendments were adopted for statistics in regard to the manufacture and exportation of oleomargarine, for statements of freight charges by rail and river, to appropriate $35,000 for experiments in making sugar, and to increase the allowance for investigating forestry, when the bill passed. The Senate adopted a resolution, at Its seerion on the 10th, requesting the President to arrange with Nicaragua for the settlement of public and private claims. A resolution was passed directing the use of Government vessels m distributing supplies along the Mississippi and its tributaries. A bill was passed for the creation of a commission on the liquor traffic, to be composed of seven persons. Mr. Voorhees introduced a bill appropriating $125,000 for the improvement of the Wabash riyer. The Senate refused to take np the Japanese In-demnity-fund bill ty a vote of 14 to 24. Col. Rufus Ingalls was confirmed as Quartermaster General of the United States army. In the House, a minority report was presented declaring U. D. Ball entitled to a seat as delegate from Alaka. Four memorials from Utah, with over 50,000 signatures, were presented asking a suspension of action on all bills relating to that Territory, and the appointment of an unprejudiced commission to determine the state of affairs, An appropriation of SIO,OOO for extra expenses by the Lighthouse Board, caused by the flood in the Mississippi, was passed. A joint resolution for the nse of Government steamers in distributing food to the sufferers by the overflow was adopted.