Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 June 1888 — CONGRESSIONAL [ARTICLE]

CONGRESSIONAL

Work of the Senate and House of Representatives. Among other measures the following bills were passed by the Senate on the 4th inst.: House bill authorizing the President to appoint and retire Alfred Pleasonton with rank and grade of Colonel, with an amendment reducing the rank to that of Major; Senate bill authorizing the Presider.t’to place on the retired list, with the grade of Major Major General William W. Averill The House passed the bill to authorize the construction of a bridge across the Missouri River in the counties of Monona, lowa, and Burt, Neb Mr. Mills moved that the rules be suspended and evening sessions ordered for the consideration of certain bills, but as he would not consent to an amendment setting apart certain sessions for the consideration of pension bills the Republicans refused to vote. As no quorum could be secured Mr. Mills withdrew his resolution, He then moved that debate en the pending paragraph in the tariff bill be limited to ten minutes. After some wrangling, Mr. Mills withdrew his motion U> limit debate and simply •aked that the House go into committee of the whole on the tariff bill. But the Republicans hoping to make an opportunity for the pension bill, persisted in their refusal to vote, and another roll-call was ordered on the motion to go into Committee. On this vote 111 Democrats responded. No quorum, and Mr. Mills moved to adjourn, which prevailed, and the House adjourned. Senatob Chandler introduced a bill in the Senate, on the sth inst., to amend the fishery “retaliation act,” by striking out the words “in his discretion,” and the reference to “other produets of the Dominion’.’ than fish. This would absolutely deny Canadian vessels the right of entry whenever the President is satisfied that the rights of Americans in Dominion ports are abridged, or whenever they are subjected to annoyance; and .would also forbid the importation of Canadian fresh or salt fish. The House, in committee of thewhole, devoted the day to the Mills tariff bin, Several items in the timber schedule came up, and every attempt to strike them from the free list failed. Another great holo was made in the Senate calendar on the 6th inst. All the pension bills on the calendar—one hundred and sixteen, including sixty-four House bills—were passedAmong them were bills increasing the pensions of the widows of Gen. Thomas Kilby Smith to $75, Gen. Heintzelmau to SIOO, Gen. Sctnmmelpfennig to SSO, and giving a pension of SSO a. month to the widow of Commodore Truxton. Among the other measures passed were the House bill for holding terms of the United States Court in Minnesota, with an amendment authorizing the purchase of a site for a United States Supreme Court building; appropriating $125,000 for a public building at Salt Lake City, Utah; providing for two Associate Justices of the Dakota Supreme Court; and authorizing.the construction of a bridge at Omaha, Neb. The session of the House was spent in committee of the whale an the tariff bill, and most of the remaining paragraphs oi the schedule were disposed of, all motions to strike out being rejected. Messrs. Weaver and Funston indulged in a personal recrimination and shook their fingers in each other's faces over the barbed-wire and lumber taxes.

Mr. Morgan, of Alabama,, asked leave of the Senate, on the 7th inst., to offer a preamble and resolutions setting forth that the report of tho Committee on Foreign Relations on the fisheries treaty questioned its legality, and declaring it void and lawful. Mr. Sherman objected to its introduction. Mr. Morgan addressed the Senate upon the subject. He said: “This important treaty has been made the political football of a great party for the sake of advancing the interests of a certain gentleman in the National Convention to be held in Chicago.” The Senate adjourned until the 11th. The House went into committee of the whole on the tariff bill. Mr. Dingley, of Marne, speaking in opposition to Mr. Breckinridge's amendment to the proviso attached to the lumber schedule of the free list, which proposes to admit Canadian fish free of duty upon allowance by that country of commercial rights to our vessels, and also for reciprocity in the exchange of products- between the United States and Canada. After a long debate, the lumber schedule was passed without change. The House passed the following bills on the Bth inst.: Authorizing the construction of a bridge at Omaha, Neb.; providing for the sale of a portion of the Winnebago Indian reservation in Nebraska; granting right of way through the Indian Territory to the Paris, Choctaw and Little Rock Railroad. Free salt was the text for a number of speeches in the committee of the whole of the House. Nothing of interest was developed, ana Mr. Burrows’ motion to strike out the paragraph from the tariff was rejected. Mr. Grosvenor’s amendment to exclude bulk salt from the free list and admit only dairy and table salt met with a similar fate. Mr. Bayne (Pa.) offered an amendment to insert rice, cleaned and uncleaned, in the free list; rejected. The four lines relating to flax, were read, and Mr. Browne (Ind.) moved to strike them out of the free list. Pending debate, the committee rose and the House adjourned. The Senate was not in session.