Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 September 1888 — NATIONAL LAWMAKERS. [ARTICLE]

NATIONAL LAWMAKERS.

What Is Being Done by the National Legislature. The Jackson iMiss.) election report was again taken up by the Senate, the 27th, and Mr. Wilson (Iowa: concluded his remarks, followed by Mr. Wa thall, after which the report went over. Mr. Edmunds proposed the following amendment to Mr. Hoar's resolution calling on the President to communicate t > Congress all remonstran .s, if any. wh.ch he has addlessed to Canada in regad to discriminations agiinst Ameiican vessels passing th ough Canadian ca ala: “Aid also that there be comnmnicate 1 to ths Senate copies of all paper j, co. respondent and information touching the mailer oi the refusal of the British Government, or that of any of her Nor h American dominions, to allow entrance at Dominion seaports of American fish or other cargoes tor transportation in bond to the United States since duly 1, 3885. And also that ha communicate to the Senate what instances have occurred since March 3, 1887, of wrongs to American fishing vessels, or other American vessels, in the ports or waters of British North America, and what steps, if any, havp been taken in respect thereto." After a long discussion the Senate adopted Mr. Stewart’s resolution calling for copies of reports, affidavits and communications on which the Commissioner of the General Land Office based his letter to Mr. Burnes on the subject of timber depredations, with an amencment adding the words “except such as ought to be withheld for purposes of justice.” Iht Senate agreed to a new conference on the army appropriation bill, and Messrs. Allison, Plumb, and Gorman were appointed conferrees. The House passed the deficiency appropriation bill, with the French spoliation claims section omitte I, the decision of tne chairman cf the commit) uj of the whole in ruling it out having been previously sustained. The conference report on the sundry civil bill was taken up by the Senate, tho 28th, and Mr. Allison made a general defense of the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticising the administration in regard to public buildings and. extravagance. Senator Beck replied in defense. Pending a disposition of the report the Senate adjourned. The Senate agreed to the resolution offered by Mr. Hoar last week, with the amendment offered by Mr. Edmunds, calling on the President for copies of all remonstrances made by his direction against unfair treatment by the British Government of American citizens, etc. The House Committee on Foreign Affairs referred the Presi ent’s message on the fisheries and the Wilson bill to a sub-committee consisting of Messrs. McCreary, Chipman. and Hitt. The question of public building appropriations was again discussed in the Senate, the 29th, in connection with the conference report on the sundry civil bill. Mr. Berry denied tho statement made by Mr. Hale as to the preference given to the Soutuem States over Northern States, and remarked that the State of Maine, with. 200,000 less population than Arkansas, had received $2,000,000 more for public buildings. He also resented other charges made against the administration for want of economy. Mr. George spoke in relation to the fisheries question, showing the inadequacy of the retaliation law and the necessity of granting the President the additional power asked for. The House bill fur the relief of the Baptist Female ‘ College of Lexington, Mo., was passed by tho Senate. A bill was passed by the House providing that Government securities shall bo printed in the highest style of art on handroller presses. The Oklahoma bill was furtherconsidered by the House in committee, Mr. Payson’s amendment providing that the land shall be open to homestead entry only was defeated, as was also an amendment otfered by Mr. Holman .debarring from the benefits of theact persons owning lands in any State or Territory, or who shall sell land in any State or Tertatory within three months of the taking effect of this act.

The President’s retaliation message was brought up in the Senate, the 3Cth, and Mr. George proceeded with hie remarks begun the previous day. He denied Mr Edmunds’ assertion that the President had the right to suspend the section of the Revised Statutes allowing the transit in bond of Canadian goods across United States territory, and said that such autocratic power was denied the executive by the constitution and was only possessed by some potentates in Europe and Asia. Mr. Cullom express, d the opinion that in the not far distant future the Canadian provinces would become a part of the United States, and said that the retaliation message might be fairly taken as evidence that even the President has become satisfied that the treity was a mistake. He argued that the Secretary of the Treasury already had the power practically to prohibit shipments from Canada to United States ports for exportation by establishing such rules and regulations as would make it inconvenient. The Senate adopted the following amendments tothe fortifications bill: Providing for a supervising board ; increasing from $201,000 to $500,000 the item for torpedoes for harbor defense; reducing the appropriation for a gun factory and machinery at Watervliet arsenal from $750,000 to $550,000; increasing the appropriation for steel for. guns from $1,500,000 to $2,500,000, and inserting the word “American” before the word “forgings." The sub-committee of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs completed a substitute* for the Wilson retaliation bill, which was unanimously adopted by the full committee and afterward reported to the House. The substitute is practically the Wilson bill with its ambiguous expressions corrected. The House again attempted to consider the Oklahoma bill in committee, but after two amendments had been rejected the point of no quorum was raised and the House adjourned. Both houses agreed to the conference report on the bill for the sale of the Fort Wallace military reservaticn in Kansas. The Senate resumed consideration of thefortifications bill on the 31st ult., the question, being on the adoption of an amendment authorizing contracts for cast-iron, breech-loading mortars, not less than fifty nor more than onehundred, at a cost not exceeding $6,500 each, and. of single charge, breech-loading steel guns, not less than fifty ten-inch and fifty twelve-inch, ata. reasonable pries; appropriating $500,000 for investigations, experiments, and tests, providing that the contracts shall not involve an aggregate expenditure of over $5,000,000, or an annual expenditure of over $2,000,000, requiring all guns, etc., to be ’of American production, and to befurnished by citizens of the United States. The amendment was adopted and the bill passed. The Senate passed the House jointresolution to extend until Sept. 15 the joint resolution of July 31 to provide temporarily torttie expenses of the Government. The House joint resolution to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to certify lands to the State of Kansas for the benefit of agriculture ani the mechanical arts was passed by the Senate. The House spent nearly the whole day in committee of the whole on the report of the conference on the sundry civil appropriation bill, and it was finally adopted. The Senate amendments, upon which an agreement had not been reachedin conference, were then taken up and the remainder of the session was devoted to the discussion of the amendment relative to the Congressional Library building. The House insisted on its disagreement and adjourned, leaving the other amendments pending.