Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 March 1886 — CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS.

What Is Being Done by the National Legislature. The bill authorizing the Central Missouri. Railway Company to build c, railroad bridge across the Mississippi River at or Eear Alton. £ll.. was passed by the Senate, on the 9th. Senator Edmunds spoke at lengta on the subject of suspensions. He opened with a reference-to-former differences between the Senate and the executive branch of the Government, and said that for nearly fifty years Congress and its committees had been furnished upon request and without question with the public papers on file in the departments. The House passed the bills requiring Pacific railroads to pay the cost sf surveying their lands and to take out patents for the lands; also, by a vote of 249 to 8, a bill forbidding the hiring out of the labor of Federal prisoners. The Secretary of War transmitted to the House reports of Chief cf Engineers Newton and Maj. Handbury, of the engineer corps, in reference to surveys for the Hennepin Canal. Maj. Handbury recommends the Marais d’Osier route, and estimates the cost of the canal at $5,811, 367, exclusive of the cost of the “Dixon feeder,” which will cost $1,664,117. General Newton adheres to his previous recommendation of the Rock Island route. The urgent-deficiency bill with an amendment appropriating $30,000 to defray the expenses of Gen. Grant’s funeral, was passed by the Senate on the 10th. The Secretary of the Treasury reported to the Senate in reply to a resolution of inquiry, that the reduction of the gublic debt from July J, 1877, to June 30, 1885, as exceeded the requirements of the Sinking Fund by $312,617,531. The amount of 3 per cents outstanding is $181,683,250, and these are the only bonds now rait-standing redeemable at the option of th Government. As these bonds may be absorbed before the maturity of the i':> per cent, bonds of 1891, which come next in order for redemption, further adlitions to the fund cau only 1>? made by the purchase of bonds in open market Senators Riddleberger (Va.) and Logan (111,1 enlivened the Senate proceedings by a sharp persona) controve.sy. The chair having laid before the Senate in the absence of Senator Logan 'he latter s resolution to refer to the Committee on Rules for investigation the letter of Mr. Eads denying that he (Eads) had any representatives ’on the-floor of the Senate, Senator Kiddleberger called attention to the fact that the letter had crept into the Record, and attempted to speak on the subject, but was induced by Senator Cullum (Ill.) to postpone the matter.’ Later, Senator Logan being then present, Senator Riddleberger called up the subject again, and asked Senator Logan how ho had got the letter into the Record. Senator Logan said that ho had had nothing to do with getting it into the Record. He had treated the Senator kindly, but if the Senator stated that he was the “representative” of anybody in any sense except a perfectly proper sense he stated what was absolutely untrue. Senator Riddleberger said he merely meant that he was Mr. Eads' representative to the extent of putting his letter in the Record. During a debate over the Indian appropriation bill in the House Mr. Cannon (Ill.) opposed the education of the Indian as ineffectual to civilize him, and favored the granting of land in severalty to Indians. In his opinion the man who still favored this reservation svstern was rendering the future of the Indian certain -certain destruction. The Seney bill to repeal the civilserVice reform law was reported adversely. Mr. Stone (Mo.) was given permission to file a minority report.

Resolutions inviting the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, and Foreign Legations to be present at the funeral of Senator Miller, on the 13th, were adopted by the Senate on the 11th. Senators Jones (Nev.), Frye, Cullum, Butler and Gray were appointed a committee to accompany the body to California. The Senate adopted resolutions of respect for the memory of the dead Senator, The Senate in executive session confirmed the nomination of Mr. Dement to be Surveyor-General of Utah. The vote stood 25 to 22, Gen. Logan and five other Republicans voting with the Democrats. The President returned to the Senate without his approval the bill to quiet title of settiers on the Des Moines River land in lowa, lhe President says in his veto message that every possible question that ought to be raised in any suit relating to these lands has been determined by the highest judicial authority, and if any substantial point remains unsettled he believes there is no difficulty in presenting it to the proper tribunal. Senator Logan submitted tho views of the minority of the Military Committee on the FitzJohn Porter bill. It is the same report presented by the minority in the last Congress, with the addition of Gen. Logan’s letter in reply to Gen. Grant’s article in the North American Review justifying the conduct of Fitz-John Porter. In tbo House, Mr. Sowden, of Pennsylvania, from the Committee on Expenditures in the Navy Department, reported a resolution, which'was adopted, calling on the Secretary of the Navy for a statement showing tho amount of money expended in the Ordnance Shop at the Washington Navy Yard, the number of guns made, altered, and repaired there, and the number of cartridges purchased, and from whom. A bill to forfeit certain lands in lowa was passed by the Senate on the ll'.th. The session was mainly devoted to the speech by Mr. Kenna in oopcsition to the Edmunds resolutions. The executive session was devoted to the confirmation of a large number of minor nominations, mostly Postmasters. There was. no contest over any of the cases considered. Secretary Manning has communicated to the Ways and Means Committee of the House his approval of a bill extending the draw-back system to all exported articles manufactured of imported materials. A bill granting a pension of $2,000 per annum to the widow of General Hancock was favorably reported by the Committee on Invalid Pensions. Representative Weaver, of Nebraska, asked leave to offer tho following preamble and resolution : '* Whereas, nearly every Congress embraces at least one crank; and wl-sreas, the present Congress is no exception to this r le; and whereas, it should not be in the power of an idiot, insane man, or criwrk to prevent the consideration of any m.’asur ■: therefore, Resolved, That the rules of this House be so amended that it shall require at least two members to object to the consideration of a bill.” The reading of the resolution was greeted with applause, but Mr. Springer, of Illinois, objected to it on the ground that it was not respectful to the House. At the evening session forty-five pension bills were p issed.