Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 July 1888 — CONGRESSIONAL. [ARTICLE]

CONGRESSIONAL.

Afork of the Senate and House of Rep« resentatives. Mr. Cullom's bill to amend the inter-state actwas passed by the Senate the 9th, with an amendment giving to the Un'ted States Circuit and District Courts jurisdiction of violations of any provisions of tne net, upon the petition of any person or firm, with power to issue a. peremptory writ of mandamus. Other amendments, of which notice had been given —to extend the provisions of the act to express, sleeping-car, and stockcar companies and regarding discriminating between the Pacific coast and Denver—were withdrawn in order not to retard the passage of the bill, but notice was given that they would be brought up at the next session. An amendment offered by Mr. George, prohibiting carriers from transportin : goods for any shipper in a car or vehicle owned by such shipper, unless they charged exactly the same rates as were, charged to other shippers, was also withdrawn on Mr. Cullom's promise that the matter should be considered at next session. Senator Blair from the Senate Education Committee reported favorably the proposition to submit to the people of the several States a constitutional amendment to prohibit the liquor traffic in the United States. The tariff debate in the Housegot rather warm at times. Mr. Cannon’s amendment offered Friday was rejected by a vote of 37 to 108. Mr. Fuller (Iowa) offered an amendment, which was defeated, placing all sugar and molasses on the free list. The day was occupied iit discussing various amendments. Mr. Hoar, of Massachusetts, addressed the Senate in opposition to v-ie fisheries treaty on the 10th inst. He sevevely criticised the treaty, and attacked the President, the Secretary of State, and all concerned in its negotiation. Mr. Vest introduced a bill to prevent the evasion of the law recently passed by the Senate, prohibiting use of the "bad debt” envelopes in the mails. He explained that the intent of that measure was being evaded by collection agencies, whonow used a transparent envelope, that showed the inclosure legibly. The House devoted the day, in committee of the whole, to the tariff bill, and Mr. Nutting’s amendment, restoring the existing duty on starch, was rejected. In discussing the rice section, Mr. Elliott, of South Carolina, said the Republicans, having nominated a Chinese President, were ready to sacrifice the colored labor of the South by allowing free importation of rice from China. Mr. Warner, of Missouri, offered an amendment fixing the rice duty at 14 cent per pound, and said rice should be free; that rice growers made $33 per acre, while wheat growers made sl2 aud com growers $lO. He said that the Mills bill was in the interest of the rice and sugar raisers of the South as against the com and wheat farmers of the North and West. On motion of Mr. McMUlin, of Tennessee, the duty on rice flour and rice meal was fixed at 15 per cent, ad valorem. A motion to increase the duty on raisins was lost. Motions to restore existing duties on peanuts, cotton thread, yams and cotton cloth were made and rejected. On motion of Mr. McMillin an amendment was adopted fixing the rate of duty on flax, hackled, known as dressed line, at $lO per ton.. A motion to restore existing duties on flax,, hemp and jute yams was lost. The conference report on the postoffice appropriation bill was presented to the Senate the11th. The item for postoffice clerks for unusual business is fixed at $25,000 instead of $50,000.. The item for rent, light and fuel in third-class offices is retained, with a proviso that no contract for rent for such postofficea shall be for more than a year. The postage on seeds is fixed at 1 cent for every two ounces. On the amendment known as the subsidv clause the conference committee was unable to agree.. The House resumed consideration of the tariff bill and occupied the day in its discussion. At the evening session the House passed the bill for taking the eleventh and subsequent censuses, after adding amendments increasing the pay of messengers and watchmen from S4OO to S6OO a year, and providing that preference be given to honorably discharged soldiers and sailors in appointing enumerators. There was an extended political debate in the Senate the 12th over a motion to print extra copies of the Pension Committee’s report on seven vetoed pension bills. The House adopted: the resolution providing for a special committee to investigate alleged evasions of the contractlabor law. The debate in the House on the free-wool clause of the tariff bill was rather tame, the Republican speakers generally arguing that free wool would destroy the wool-growing industry of the country, while the Democrats denied that it would reduce the price of wool and claimed that it would secure cheaper clothes. After a long and rambling discussion, which touched upon almost everything except the tariff, including Southern elections, the committee rose and the House took a recess till 8 o’clock. The House failed to accomplish anything at its evening session, as the first pension bill brought up was objected to, and after a call of the House and two ineffectual roll-calls t.he House adjourned. Mr. Dolph addressed the Senate in,opposition to the fisheries treaty, on the 13th. He asserted that it was proposed by "the pending treaty to surrender the American position concerning bays and harbors and the American claim to reciprocal commercial privileges, and to purchase commercial privileges for American fishermen with the annual remission of duties to the amount of $1,000,000. The House bill appropriating $50,000 for a public building at Wabasha, Minn., was reported to the Senate. The Senate passed bills authorizing the building of a bridge at Wabasha, Minn., and appropriating $200,000 for a branch Soldiers’ Home in Grant County, Indiana. A bill was introduced to provide for the construction of the Lake Borgne outlet to improve the low-water navigation of the Mississippi river. The subsidy question gave rise to an extended debate in the House, the matter being brought up by the report of the conferrees on the postoffice appropriation bill of a continued disagreement on the Senate “subsidy amendment.” The other Senate amendments to the bill were agreed to by the House, and a motion was made to concur in the subsidy amendment with an amendment reducing the appropriation from SBOO,OOO to $450,000, including China, Japan, the Sandwich Islands, and the West Indies in the proposed arrangement, and providing that American ships carrying the mail shall be allowed four times the rate of compensation they now receive. Pending the debate the House took a recess until 8 o’clock. At its evening session the House passed twenty-four private pension bills, including one granting a pension to “Muck-A-Pee-Wah-Keu-Gah,” or “John.”