Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 June 1884 — THE WORK OF CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

THE WORK OF CONGRESS.

What Is Being Done by the National Legislature. In the Senate, on the 17th, Mr. Brown stirmatized the recent remarks of Mr. Ingalls as a deliberate insult, and contended that Senators were always accorded an opportunity to revise their remarks before being printed in the official proceedings. Mr. Ingalls retorted that all he had said in regard to interpolation might be construed as the Senator from Georgia chose. A joint resolution was passed to lease to the Michigan Fish Commissioners a strip of land adjoining St. Mary’s Falls CanaL Mr. Sherman argued against the wisdom of ordering an investigation into the condition of the banks of New York, but suggested a stringent law prohibiting bank officers other than directors from engaging in speculative operations. The house, by 158 to 61, agreed to the conference report on t: e bill for the relief of Fitz John Porter, providing that he shall receive no compensation for the period since his dismissal. The deficiency api ropriation bill was passed, the chair ruling out a proposition by Mr. Randall against political assessments. A bill to amend the Pacific Railroad acts in relation to the survey of lands was passed.

In the Senate, June 18, after the readingofthe journal, which contained an allusion to the Fitz John Porter bill, the Chair stated that no further action on that bill was necessary than to have the action announced to the Senate. A debate ensued as to whether the provision relating to back pay secured the object in view, which was ended by the Chair laying before the Senate a message of the House of Representatives announcing the concurrence of that body in the report of the conference committee, which recommended that the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate and agr eto the same. 11 his action takes the Porter bill back to the House of Representatives as finally passed, so far as the action of Congress is concerned.] By a vote of 33 to 15 the Utah bill was then passed. The bill embodies many suggestions offered by the Utah Commission and by District Attorney Van Tile, and is intended to afford some means by which polygamy can be punished. It compels wives to testify against their husbands as to the fact of marriage, and declares children born in polygamy illegitimate. In the House a further conference was ordered on the postoffice bill, and Messrs. Townshend, Holman, anil Horr were appointed conferrees on the part of the House. The remainder of the day was spent in considering a bill to extend the provisions of the Thurman act to the Kansas Pacific, the Sioux City and Pacific, and the Central branch of the Union Pacific Road. It requires the Union and Central Pacific Companies to pay annually into the sinking fund $2,000,(100 each, with lesser amounts for the smaller lines. In the Senate, June 19, when the Mexican pension bill came up, Mr. Beck said the amendments proposed would, in the opinion of the Commissioner of Pensions, involve an outlay of $246,000,000. The House of Representatives passed the Pacific Railroad bill, with the amendment to make the Central Pacific Road pay yearly into the treasury 55 per cent, of its net earnings. The bill to prohibit the importation of aliens under labor contracts was passed without division.

In the Senate, June 20, a favorable report was made on the bill to amend the act relating to the immediate transportation of dutiable goods. The credentials of Ephraim K. Wilson as Senator-elect from Maryland was presented. The Mexican pensions bill was debated at considerable length, but no actio > was reached. The House, in the Ohio contested election case of Campbell versus Morey, decided to seat the former, and he were duly sworn. Bills were passed to reduce the clearance fees levied upon vessels engaged in domestic commerce, and to forfeit the unearned land grant of the Bioux City and St Paul Railroad Company. The Judiciary Committee reported in favor of appropriating for the relief of ex--Bergeant-at-Arms Thompson the amount of the judgment received by Hallet Kilbourne. On June 21, the Chair laid before the Senate a bill amending the Thurman act relative to the Pacific railroads. Mr. Van Wyck desired that this bill be referred to the Committee on Public Lands rather than to the Committee on Judiciary. It was with some surprise that he had for the first time learned from the public press that the Judiciary Committee had resolved no: to a t on any bill of this kind this session. Mr. Hoar said the Senator from Nebraska was wholly mistaken (of course unintenti mally) as to the action of the Judiciary Committee. Mr. Van Wyck insisted that for twenty years the railroads had controlled the Government, as shown, in his opinion, by the operations of the Land Department, the opinions of the Attorney Generals, and some of the opinions of the Supreme Court. Mr. Garland said the sp :- cial matter referred to by the press was different matter to that covered by the bill from the House. After some further discussion, Mr. Van Wyck withdrew his motion to refer the bill to the Committee on Public Lands, and it was referred to the Committee on Judiciary. In the Hou=e, the electoral count bill was taken up, and Mr. Hart addressed the house in favor of the Senate measure. Mr. Parker made a constitutional argument against the Eaton bill. Mr. Springer lavored the Eaton bill, asserting that it was safer to leave the decision of a disputed Pi es dential election to a joint convention and the House than to a returning board or a committee which might be provided in any State. Mr. Peters spoke in support of the Senate bill. The previous question was ordered upon the b. 11 and amendments, but no further action was taken.