Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1885 — CONGRESSIONAL. [ARTICLE]

CONGRESSIONAL.

The Work of the Senate and House of Representatives. Mr. Allison submitted a conference report to the Senate, Feb. 25, ou the army appropriation bill, and said that the conferrees had agreed as to all differences, except tboee relating, to courts-martial in time of peace. The House provision, he said, so amended the ninety-fourth, article of war as to enable courts-martial tocontrol the hours of their own session. An animated discussion concerning the Swaim court-martial ensued. Mr. Hoar said that persons inferior in rank to the accused were sometimes fbuua in such courts, and that such persons might have auersonai interest in the decision of Theoretically, the Judge Advocate was an impartial officer, but in fact he was a vigilant prosecutor, who regarded a conviction as a personal triumph. Mr. Ingalls thought that the proceedings subsequent to the Swaim courtmartial were a disgrace to civilization. Mr. Sherman said that the great evil Connected with courts-martial was the Judge Advocate. Mr. Hoar declared that he saw no reason in time of peace for the existence of oourtsmartiaL Mr. Ingalls said that what had been done in the trial of the Swaim case would not ■ be permitted under Russian tyrannyor Turkish despotism. Gen. Swaim, he said, had been Enrsued with a revengeful malignity ever sinceis appointment to office. Th s persecution was due to the jealousy of West-Pointers. Mr. Conger spoke in the same strain. The wholeaffair, Mr. Conger averred, was a mockery of justice. Mr. Hawley denied that any such jealousy existed between volunteer officers and graduates of West Point. The Senate insisted! upon its amendment striking out the Houseprovision permitting courts-martial to control their own hours ot session, and the conference committee was reappointed. A bill was reported in the House of Representatives by the Committee on War Claims making an appropriation for the payment of Fourth of July claims. The Senate bill was passed withamendments appropriating $l(X),oeo to pay certain citizens for supplies furnished the Sioux, and Dakota Indians in Minnesota between 1860 and 1862. Consideration of the river and harbor bill was resumed, and continued till late in the ■ evening. When the silver bill came up in the Senate, on the 26th ult.. Mr. Sherman declared that the--Government rested under no obligation to give the trade dollar preference over silver bullion.. Since the coinage of standard silver dollars com- . menced, the market value of silver bullion had been steadily declining. The exportation or~ hoarding of gold would contract the currency so sharply as to shock every hamlet in the country. The best remedy for threatened evils would be an international agreement to maintain the free coinage of silver aZ afixed ratio. Mr. Beck said he would give no President the power to strike down silver coinage. Mr. Hill argued that the expulsion of gold would give an increased value to the silver and paper in circulation. Mr. Coke remarked thatthe suspension of silver coinage would itself contract our money supply by* $50,000,000 a vear. No action was taken by the Senate. Mr. Hoarintroduced a new Pacific Railway funding bill. The House bill to provide a fireproof building to contain the medical library of the army was passed. In the House of Representativesthe conference report on the army bill was adopted. An agreement was reported on all amendments except that relating to the hours during which courts-martial, may hold sessiona, and a further conference was ordered. Mr. Cobb moved to suspend the rules and. take from the Speaker’s table the bill repealing the pre-emption and timber-culture lawsHe said that no greater evil had been done tothe future of the country than had been done through these laws. Mr., Converse asserted that more fraud had been committed under the homestead laws. Mr. Valentine said that he voiced the sentiments of the people of the West in protesting against the repeal of the timber-culture laws. The demand fortheir repeal, he said, came from the railways and cattle kiffgs. The motion to suspend the rules was lost. Mr. Randall moved tosuspend the rules in order to consider the sundry civil bill for four hours, the time to be devoted to debate on the clauses relating to silver suspension and the New Orleans Exposition. The motion was lost by a vote of 118 yeas to 149 nays, Mr. Randall finally moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, with the silverclause stricken out, after two hours’ debate on. the New Orleans proposition. This was agreed to, and after further discussion the bill went, over. The naval appropriation bill, with an item, of $112,000 for the purchase of the torpedo-boat-Destroyer from Mr. Ericsson, passed the Senate Feb. 27. A bill also passed for the sale of theSac and Fox reservation in Nebraska and Kansas. On a bill to grant a pension of SSO per month, to the blind and penniless daughter of ex-Presi-dent Tyler, the vote showed that no quorum waspresent. In executive session. Francis E. Warren was confirmed as Governor of Wyoming. An hour was spent on the nomination of E. A. Kreidler to be Marshal of Montana, the Wisconsin Senators, opposing the removal of A. C. Botkin, and noaction was taken. The House of Representativ< s passed the sundry civil appropriation bill, with an item of $300,000 to pay indebtednessand premiums of the New Orleans Exposition. • Mr. Losecrans reported a bill for the retirement, ot Maj. Gen. H. G. Wright. A bill was passed appropriating $5,0(10,035 to be expended by the Secretary of War in improvements at Galveston, and for continuing work along the Mississippi River. A communication from the Attorney General, stating that the deficiency bill as passed by the House insufficiently provided for the expenses of juries, etc., in the United Statescourts, was read in the Senate on the 28th ult. The report of the conference committee on the agricultural bill was agreed to. The House substitute for the river and harbor bill, appropriating a gross sum ot $5.1.00,000, was referred to the Commerce Committee. Mr. Mitchell offered a resolution instructing the Finance Committee to prepare a bill suspending the coinage of the silver dollar. He asked unanimous consent to an immediate consideration of the re-olution, and requested permission, to read Mr. Cleveland’s letter on the subject. Objection was made and the matter went over. The House bill forfeiting the Sioux City and St. Paul land-grant was taken up and discussed at some length. The Senate passed the House bill providing . for the erection ot public buildings as follows: AtAberdeen, Miss,, not to exceed $75,000; Clarksburg, W. V ~ $50,000; Wichita, Kan., $50,000; Port Townsend, W. T., S7OJX-O; for the Appraiser’s office, Chicago, $50,000. Also abill increasing to Siuo.ooo the appropriation for a public building at Louisville, Ky. In the House of Representatives Mr Anderson offered an amendment to the rules providingthat the Appropriations Committee shall report all general appropriation Bills nb-., later tha i May 1. during the long session nor later than Feb. 1 during the short session. The conference reportstn the agricultural and army bills were adopted. The postoffice appropriation bill wastaken up and most of the Senate's amendments were concurred in. An exception was: made, however, against the amendment relative to the compensation of American steamships foncarrylng the mails, and a new conference was appointed. The naval b.ll was referred, to the Appropriations Committee The fortification bill was passed, thus disposing of the last, of the appropriation bills. In tne course of debate, Mr. Horr, of Michigan, expressed his approval of every line of Grover Cleveland’s letter on the silver question. The House Committee on Foreign Aft airs submitted a majority report, finding no sufficient reason why the United. States should participate in the Congo conference. The President signed an order throwing open to settlement the greater part of theWinnebago and Crow Creek reservations, comS rising 6 O.fXio acres, lying east of the Missouri, iver and south of Pierre. President Arthur issued a proclamation calling upon the Senate toconvene March 4 for the transaction ot business. The friends of silver in the House of Representatives held a conference, and decided to make a formal reply to the le'ter ot Presidentelect Cleveland. They deny that the continued! coinage of $28,000,000 per annum in standard silver will force gold to a premium or drive itout of circulation. They contend that, in order to preserve a stable ratio between the money volume and population, an annual increase of $40,000,000 in currency of some kind is required. In Sweden young girls place under three separate cups a ring, a coin, and a piece of black ribbon. If the ring ia first accidentally exposed she will be married Within the year; if the money,, she will get a rich husband; if the ribbon, she will die an old maid. It is a favorite amusement among the young girls in Russia to conceal their fingerrings in small heaps of corn on the floor. A hen is brought in, which at once begins to peck at the tiny heaps of grain. The owner of the first ring exposed to view will, according to popular belief, be married before her companions in the experiment Journalists in India are excused from jury duty.