Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1888 — NATIONAL LAW-MAKERS. [ARTICLE]

NATIONAL LAW-MAKERS.

What Is Being Done by the National Legislature. The motion to refer to the Committee on Finance the President’s annual message wascalled up in the Senate by Mr. Frye on Jan. 23, and the Senator from Maine made a vigorousattack on the administration and its tax-reduo-tion policy. Mr. Chandler introduced a bill to regulate elections for members of Congress. A bill was introduced by Mr. Stewart providing that the legislative power in Utah shall be vested in the Governor and a legislative assembly of twelve citizens of the Territory, to be appointed bjf the PresidentIn the House of Representatives Mr. Anderson (Iowa) introduced a resolution to authorize the institution of judicial proceedings against the various Pacific Railroad Companies. The Thosbe-Carlisle case was called up, and the House proceeded to vote on the majority resolution confirming Carlisle s title to the seat The resolution was adopted—yeas, 164 ; nays, 7. Messrs. Cannon, Cooper, Davenport. McKenna, Post, and Steele, Republicans, voted in the affirmative, and Messrs. Baker (Ill.), Brewer, Buchanan, Cheadle, Hovey, Kerr, and Laidlaw,. Republicans, in the negative. Mr. Palmer addressed the Senate Jan. 24 on the subject of the bill introduced by him to regulate immigration. Mr. Hoar called up Mr. Gorman’s motion to reconsider the vote referring the President’s message on the Pacific re-~ ports to a special committee of five Senators. After considerable discussion a motion to refer the matter to the Railroads Committee, made by Mr. Davis, , was rejected. The original resolution ’ was modified by increasing the membership of the select committee to seven—and it was then adopted—yeas, 54; nays, 15. Among the bills introduced in the Senate were the following: By Senator Plumb, for the extension of thesouthern and western boundaries of Kansas so as to include the public land strip; by Senator Wilson of lowa, to amend the postoflice appropriation act of March 3, 1879, so as to provide that publications of the second class may be transmitted through the mails free of charge to subscribers who live in another county but receive their mail in the county in. which the publication is issued ; by Mr. Hoar, to change the time of meeting of tho long session of Congress to the first Monday in October, and of the short session to the second Monday in November; by Mr. Voorhees, for the formation and admission of the State of Montana. A bill wM passed, authorizing the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi river' at or near Burlington, lowu. In the House of Representatives Mr. Breckinridge of Arkansas introduced a bill authorizing the President to discontinue any customs district where tho revenues are not equal to the expenses and appoint deputy collectors at subports when necessary. The House passed bills authorizing the construction of a bridge across tho Missouri River at Lexington, Missouri; conferring civil jurisdiction in the Indian Territory on United btates Courts having criminal jurisdiction; granting to theDuluth, Rainy Lake River & Southwestern railroad company right of way through certain Indian lands in Minnesota. The House adopted a resolution, reported from the Committee on Printing, calling on the Public Printer for information as to whether he has recently discharged or furloughed any of his force, and if so, for what reason, at a time when the printing ordered by the House is largely in arrears. Also, whether in making such discharges regard has been had to the statute giving preference in employment to honorably discharged soldiers.

The Committee on Manufactures reported to the House on Jan. 25, and that body immediately passed, the resolution introduced by Mr. Mason, of Illinois, directing that committee to' inquire into the names, number, and extent of the corporations engaged in manufac* turing or mining or dealing in any of the necessities of life, and known as “trusts” and “pools,” their methods of doing business, and the effect of their combination, upon the prices of necessaries. Mr. Si>ringer presented a memorial of settlers on the publiclands strip, praying for the organization of theTerritory of Cimarron. Tnq Senate bill authorizing the construction of a bridge across the Mississippi River at Burlington was passed by the House. The Senate Pensions Committee made a favorable report on the bill introduced by Senator Manderson (known as the Grand Army bill) to pension ex-sol-diers and sailors who are incapacitated for manual labor and provide pensions for dependent relatives of deceased soldiers. Mr. Chandler’s resolutions calling for information from the Navy Department were taken up by the Senate and passed. Mr. Butler, in behalf of the minority of the Committee on Territories, reported a substitute for the bill reported by Senator Platt for the division of Dakota and) the admission of the northern half as a State. The substitute is in the nature of an enabling act to allow the people of the whole Territory to form a State Government. The Senate amended and passed the deficiency appropriation bill. A bill granting a pension of $2,030 a year toMrs. John A. Logan passed the Senate on the 26th ult. by a vote of 55 to 7. A bill increasing to $2,000 a year the pension of the widow of Geu. Frank P. Blair was passed by a vote of 54 to 6. On motion of Mr. Quaytne Senate, took from the calendar and passed the bill increasing the pension for total dealness to S3O a month from sl3, and allowing a proportionate raising for partial deafness. Mr. Blair' addressed the Senate in support of his educational bill. Mr Spooner introduced a bill to» regulate commerce carried on by telegraph. Among the petitions presented in the Senate, was one from the Chicago Board of Trade, asking for retaliatory legislation against - France and Germany for excluding American meat. Other petitions were iireseuted from Pennsylvania against the* admission of Utah as a State with polygamy;, irqm various States in favor of prohibition in. the District of Columbia, and one from New Jersey in favor of licensing ra Iroad conductors. The Appropriations Committee reported the House bill to carry into effect the agricultural experiment act. The House of Representatives passed the following bills: Amending the navigation laws ; providing for the sale of the New York Indian lands in Kansas; to subdivide the western judicial district of Louisiana; appropriating $175,0J0 for the repaid of the • United States war steamship Hartford; providing for holding terms of court at Quincy,. 111.; regulating pratice in cases removed from State to Federal courts, ft provides that the plaintiff shall not be required to givesecurity for costs of the suit if he be a citizen , of tho State in which the suit was brought. Mr. Belmont, from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, reported the joint resolution accepting the invitation of the French Republic to take ■ part in the international exhibition to be held in Paris in 1889, and appropriating $200,003 to • enable the United States to participate. Mr. Blan ', from the Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures, reported a bill to discontinue the coinage of the 3-cent piece. The delayed deficiency bill of last year, with*. Senate amendments, was favorably reported on the 27th ult. in the House and passed. Mr. White, of New York, introduced a bill withdrawing from disposal the ufisurveyed public lands embracing natural forests and all public lands returned by the public surveys as timber lands. It provides for the appointment of a. commissioner of forests and four assistant commissioners, whose duty it shall be to classify the forests and timber lands and to determine what portion of those lands shall be permanently retained in reservation for climatic and other economic or public reasons, and what portion may be disposed of. Lands which are more • valuable for agricultural than timber purposesshall bo restored to homostead entry and sale— The Senate was not in session. One day a young clerk who was ambitious for a large fortune determined to visit Commodore Vanderbilt and learn from him the secret of accumulating wealth. He entered the magnificent apartments of the millionare, with whom he was somewhat acquainted, stating his errand, and asked him on what mysterious principle he conducted his business with such unexampled success. Mr. Vanderbilt eyed him a moment to sound his motives and then, slowly replied: “By working hard and; saying nothing about it."