Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 February 1886 — NEWS CONDENSED. [ARTICLE]

NEWS CONDENSED.

Concise Record of the Week. FOETY-NINTH CONGRESS. The Senate, after considerable debate, adopted a resolution on the 19th inst. extending tho privileges of the floor to Mr. Moody, of Dakota. A joint resolution was passed to appoint Gen. John F. Hartranft a manager of the National Soldiers’ Home in place of Gen. McClellan. A resolution was agreed to directing the Secretary of the Treasury to state the details of each purchase of silver bullion for coinage since last July. Mr. Teller argued against a gold standard, and Mr. Morrill gave notice of his ■ intention to speak on the subject of silver. Speaker Carlisle laid before the House of ltep- , resentatives a letter from the Chief of Engineers, asking for an appropriation of $50,000 for surveys on the Mississippi Biver. Bills were reported back for the purchase of the old I Produce Exchange Building in New York, to place Fitz John Porter on the Retired list as a i Colonel, and to increase the pensions of widows from $8 to sl2 per month. A resolution was adopted accepting the statue of James A. Gar- | field presented by the State of Ohio. A bill was ! passed appropriating $12,000 for the relief of the Northern Cheyennes in Montana. A resolution directing tho Secretary of the Treasury to forward all papers relating to the contract to put an additional story on tho Postoffloe at Peoria, 111., including a protest against the work being performed by convict labor, was agreed to by the Senate on the 20th. The discussion of Mr. Beck’s silver resolution was then resumed. Mr. Morrill declared that the only hostility to silver arose from what seemed to bo a fixed and passionate purpose of some of Its advocates to promote such an excess of silver coinage as will drive gold out of the country and leave our vast trade and commerce basod upon silver only. He stated that no man proposed to demonetize tho white metal; but tho public seemed to forget that out of a coinage of 215,009,009 silver dollars we had only pushed 50,000,000 into circulation. Mr. Morrill denied that there had been any failure on tho part of tho Treasury oflicials to comply with tho laws regarding the application of tho money recoived from customs duties. He contended that the public faith was pledged to tho payment of tho bonds, botn principal and interest, in gold, and that our credit would be dishonored by paying them off in silver worth 79 cents on tho dollar; that a continuance of the coinage of silver meant tho banishment of gold, a monetary crisis, and an indefinite issue of greenbacks or tho rovival of wildcat banks. Mr. Beck said that to stop coining silver money in order to make silver money move valuable was dike stopping the grinding of wheat into flour in (order to make wheat more valuable. Tho purpose was t > suspend it now and never to resume coinage. Ho gave notice that in duo time ho would reply to Mr. Morrill’s speech. Mr. | McPherson (N. J.) expressed himself in (favor of as much silver coin as would , keep it on a par with gold. Mr. Bock said tho roo:) , o of West bad shbwu their confidence (In silver. They had sent East 06,000,000 of gold dollars and took silver certificates for it, sustained by silver alone,until tho Treasury stopped ! it. Mr. Teller, ip whojc time mo it of the dobat.! bod taken place, declined so yield any longer, and continued his remarks. Ho repudiated the idea implied by the gold a Ivocates that the people whom he represented meant to scale the deot. Mr. Maxey said the bankers had been doing all they could to bring about their own predictions, and a little ring of them had been formed for tho purpo to of shipping a little gold. President Cleveland sent to tho Senate the name of Charles J. Canda to be Assistant Treasurer at New York. Tho House of ■Representatives passed the Senate bill for the purchase of tho old produce exchange building in New York. Bills were reported to r )tiro Lieutenant W. B. Bandall as a Lieutenant Commander, and to authorize the voluntary rotiroment of naval officers who have served for thirtv years or who have boon comspicuous for heroism. A lively debate took place on tho bill to iricr >asc the pensions of widows fromsßtosl2 per month Bills were introduced in the Senate on ths 21st to enable tho people of Dakota to form a State Government, and to prevent the demonetization of American coin by making contracts for gold payments void. Mr. Edmunds’ electoral count bill was discussed. The House spent the day in discussing the bill to increase the pensions of soldiers’ widows. The two political parties came to a deadlock In the House soon after the reading of tho journal [on Jan. 22, when Chairman Herbert, of the Naval Committee, asked the passago without debate of the Boutelle resolution calling on the Secretary of the Navy for information regarding the erasure of inscriptions and the discharge of Union soldiers at Norfolk Navy Yard. The BeEublicons insisted upon having an hour and a alf or two hours’ debate on either side. Mr. Herbert took the position that as the resolution was simply one of inquiry of tho Secretary of the Navy in regard to the removal of inscriptions and discharge of Union soldiers, about which the House had no knowledge, any debate that might take place before the information was sent to the House by the Secretary of the Navy would be premature. Keed, of Maine came to the assistance of his colleague, and Hewitt, of New York, restated the position of the Chairman, and the contest began. Tho Democrats did not have a quorum present, and the dilatory methods of Mr. Boutelle, intended to prevent a vote on ordering the previous question,-operated also to give the Democrats time to send for absentees. Mr. Herbert also demanded a call of the House so as to waste more time, and while that was going on Democrats who had supposed that the day would be devoted to private bills, and bad gone to tho departments on business or to call on the President, were notified that their votes were needed, and repaired at once to the Representatives' Hall. It was nearly two hours and a half before Mr. Herbert found a sufficient number of Democrats present and not paired to move that further proceedings under the call be dispensed with. Meanwhile, Biggs, of Illinois, and Sowden, of Pennsylvania, were brought to the bar by the Sergoanteat-Arms to explain their absence. After the members had some fun with the two prisoners, their excuses were accepted. The previous question was ordered by a party Vote — 159 to 91 —and the half hour allowed for debate under such circumstances was divided equally between Mr. Boutelle, of Maine, and Mr. George Wise, of Virginia. After a sharp partisan debate, the resolution was passed, with an amendment inserted bv the Democrats extending the inquiry to dismissals made at the navy-yard and light-house district at Norfolk, during the tenns of the immediate predecessors of the present Secretary of the Navy. The Senate was not in session on the 2?d.