Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1884 — A GOOD BEGINNING. [ARTICLE]

A GOOD BEGINNING.

[Valpuruise Messenger.) On the 7th of January, 1884' our representative iu Congress' Hon. Thomas J. Wood intro' duced the following bills in the House: A Bill to Grant Pousiooe to Prisoners Incarcerated in Confodernte Pria ons. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United State! of America in Congress assembled, That ali Union soldiers taken Srisoners in the late war for rie Union, incarcerated in Confederate prisons more than ninety days, shall have a pension of dollars per month commencing from the first day of such imprisonment. Sec. 2. That the widow and minor children of any Union soldier deceased, take, prisoner during the late war for the Union and incarcerated in any Confederate prison more than ninety days,shall receive eight dollars per month, commencing from the date of such imprisonment. Sec. 3. That all pensions under and by virtue of the provisions of this ket shall be paid to the persons entitled thereto under the rules and regulations of existing pension laws. Above was read twice, referred to the select committee on the payment of pensions, bounty, and back pay, and ordered to be printed. * * * A Bill to Limit the JurisdioMon of Uuited States Courts and to Prot«t:t lußocfen: Purchasers of Patent Rights.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That hereafter the United States district and circuit courts shall have no jurisdiction to hear or try any case arising from the actual use of any patent right, or its infringement by such use, byam person in or citizen of the United States or the Territories, wherein the amount in controversy does not exceed two hundred dollars against one person or citizen. Sec. Sf That purchasers of any patent right for actual use shall not be liable to damages, royalty, or for the value of the same, or for infringing the same in any manner, who at the date of such purchase had no khowledge of the claims of any third person, or that the inventor of the same has an interest therein adverse to the seller thereof. Above was read twice, referred to the Committee on Patents, and ordered to be printed. * *

A Bill to Equalize :h® Bounties of Soldiers whw served iu the late war for the Union. , Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That there shall be allowed and paid to each and every non commissioned officer, musician and artificer, wagoner, and private soldier, sailor,and marine, including those borne upon the rolls as Indians, who faithfully served as such in the military service of the United States, who has been honorably discharged from such service, the sum of eight doilars and thirty-three and one-third cents per month for all the time which such non-commis-sioned officer, musician, artificer,wagoner, or private soldier, sailor, or marine actually so served between the twelfth of April, eighteen hundred and sixty-one. and the ninth day of May, eighteen hundred and sixtv-five; and the provisions of this act shall extend to all soldiers who were mustered into the service of the United States and who were subsisted, clothed and paid by the Government of the United States. Sec. 2. That in case of the

death, either before or after thejjpassage of this act, of any such non-commissioned officer, musician, artificer, wagoner, or private soldier, sailor, or ma rine, the allowance and payment shall be made to his widow, if she has not remarried, or if there be no widow, or she having married, then to the lhinor child or children of such deceased n o n-commissioned officer, musician, artificer, wagoner, or private soldier, sailor, or marine. Sec. 3. That in computing and ascertaining the bounty to be paid to any non-commission-ed officer, musician, artificer, wagoner, or private soldier, sailor, or marine, or to his pro; per representative, under the provisions of this act, there shall be deducted therefrom any and all bounties already paid under the provisions of any United States or State laws. Sec. 4. That no bounty under the provisions of this act shall be paid to or on account of any soldier who served as a substitute, who was a captured prisoner of war at the time of liis enlistment, nor to any one who was discharged on his own application or request, for other causes than disability incurred in the service prior to the nineteenth day of April, eighteen hundred and sixty-five, unless such discharge was obtained with a view to re-enlistment, or to accept promotion in the military or naval service of the United States, or to be transferred from one branch of the military service to another, and such person did actually so re-enlist, or accept promotion, or was so transferred; and no bounty shall be paid to any soldier discharged on the application or at the request of parents, guardians, or other persons, or on the ground of minority.

Sec. 5. That every petition or application for bounty made under the provisions of this act shall disclose and state specifically, under oath, and under the pains and penalties of perjury, what amount of bounty has been paid under the previsions of any United States or State laws to the noncommissioned officer, musician artificer, wagoner, or private soldier, sailor, or marine, by whom, or by whose representative, the claim is made. Sec. 6; That any attorney or agent who shall receive from any claimant a sum greater than ten dollars for the prosecution of any claim under the provisions of this act, upon conviction thereof shall pay a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or be imprisoned for a term not less than one year, or both, as the conrt or jury may determine, and shall forever tnereafter be excluded'from prosecuting claims of any nature whatsoever against the Government of the United States. Sec. 7. That it shall not be lawful for any soldier to transfer, assign, barter, or sell his discharge, final statement, descriptive list, or other paper, for the purpose of transferring, assigning, bartering, or selling any interest in any bounty under the provisions of this act; and all such transfers, assignments, barters, or sales heretofore made, are hereby declared null and void as to any rights intended to be conveyed by any suph soldier. Sec. 8. That in case where a person entitled to receive payment of bounty under the provisions of this act shall make app! i- a ■ ion therefor, or where application sliall be made by the proper representative of such person being deceased, and the discharge of sucli person has been lost, it shall be competent for the accounting officer to receive, in Ueu of the actual production ol such discharge, proof of the actual loss of the same, and secondary proof of its issbo and c intents together .with proof of the identity of the

claimant or person deceased under sucli rules defining the character and form of evidence as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe. Sec. &v.That no adjustment or payment of any claim of any non-commissioned officer, musician, artificer, wagoner, or private soldier, sailor, or marine, or his proper representative under the provisions of this act, shall be made unless the application be filed within five years from the passage of the same. Sep. 10. That all soldiers of the hue war of the rebellion .. ho. having re-enlisted as vetvolunteers, received commissions as officers in the Army, shall be paid all installments of veteran bounty, with interest, which were withheld from them respectively, on being so commissioned and mus- * subject to the provisions of this act. . Sec. 11 That this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Above was read twice, referred to the select eommittee on the payment of pensions, bounty, and back pay, and ordered to be printea. , # *

•if A Bill to rctfuoc ;h» duty on Colored and Bleaoh d Cotton Good! to an ud vuloretn duty of thirty-five per centum. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Kepresentatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, 1 hat all bleached cotton goods nnported to the United States, counting less than one hund* red threads to the square inch, mcludmg warp and filling, shall hereafter pay a duty of thirty-five per centum ad valorem per square yard, instead of three and one-half cents specific duty per square yard, as under the existing law; and that all colored cotton goods hereafter imported to the United States, counting less than one hundred threads to the square, counting warp and filling shall pay a duty of thirtyfive per centum ad valorem per square yard, instead of the specific duty of four and one-half cent i per square yard, as under existing law. Read twice, referred to the Committee on Ways and Means,and ordered io be printed. * * * i > A Bill to admit free of duty <tll Wood** puip and certain ,duds of paper munufaTlu r e, boo Its, and so forth. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That printing Paper, unsized, used for books ana newspapers exclusively, blank books, bound or unbuund. and books for press-copying; paper envelopes, and paper, foolscap, imperial, letter, or note; and pulp, dried, for maker’s use, and all kinds of wood-pulp j, used in the manufacture of paper for any purpose, shall hereafter be admitted into the United States free of duty. Read twice, referrod to the Committee on Ways and Means, aud ordered to be printed. * #

A Bill to admit Lumber and Wood, and Salt of any kind, grade, or quality, tree of duty. Be it enacted by the Senate a ? ( li^ ( i l T S< ?i o^^et)resen^a tives ol the United States of America l l }- Stress assembled, 1 hat timber hewn and sawed, and timber used for spars and m building wharves, and timber squared or r id sawed boards, plank, deals, or other sawed pieces of any kind of wood, or any lumber planed or finished by any process, or •planed on one side and tongued and grooved, or planed on two sides, tongued and grooved, and hubs for wheels, posts last-blocks,wagonddoeks ore-tilocks, gun-blocks, head-ing-blocks, and all like blocks or sticks, rough-hewed or saw-

ed only, and slaves if wood of all kinds, pickets aad paling, laths and shingles, pine and spruce clapboards house or cabinet furniture ia piece *r rough, cabinet waro and house furuiture, casks and barrels,' sugarbox ahook-s and peeking-boxes and packin -box shocks es wood, ana ali manufactures of wood of wi.icn wood is tue chief component part, and all wood unmanufactured and not specifically enumerated hereiD, and salt es any kind, grade. 01 quality, which may hereafter bo imported into the United States, shall be admittei free of duty. Read twice, referred to the Committee en Ways and Means, and ordered to be printed. * * * Mr. Wood is an able and csnscientin as representative of the people. H- is just the man that will do their bidding in Washington