Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 September 1888 — THE SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

THE SENATE AND HOUSE.

NATIONAL LAW-MAKERS AND WHAT THEY AKE DOING. Proceedings of th* Senate and House of Representatives Discussed and Acted On Gist of the Business. The House bill pensioning “Aunt Lizzie Aikens' of Chicago, an old army nurse, at the rate of *25 a month, was passed by the Senateon the 10th inst. The Senate voted to non-con-eur in the House amendments o the bill to pension the widow of Gen. Kilpatrick (reducing theamount from *lO9 to *75 a month) and ordered, a conftrence. Mr. Vest’s resolution on the subject of campaign work by an employ* o; the Senate wus passed by the Senate. Both branches of Congress agreed to the conference reports on the army and appropriations. This leaves the sundry civil and deficiency bills the only general appropriation measures to be acted upon. The latter is new in the Senate, while the conference report on the former was discussed by tho House, the question being on the Senate amendment appropriating *250,000 to investigate the practicability of reclaiming the arid regions of the United States by irrigation. The debate occupied nearly the whole session, and was not concluded when the House adjourned. In the House Mr. Oates introduced a bill to amend the naturalization laws, providing, among other things, that no alien who has ever been legally convicted of any infamous crime or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude, or who has immigrated to the United States in violation of the laws thereof, or who cannot speak the English language and read the Constitution of the United States in English, or who is a polygamist, an anarchist, socialist, or communist, or belongs to any society or association of such, shall be naturalized or adjudged by any court* to be a citizen of the United States or of any State; nor shall any alien be naturalized who has not continuously for six years, next preceding such adjudication, resided within the United. States.

The House bill to allow certain claims known as the Fourth of July claims was passed by the Senate on the 11th inst. The bill applies to 636 claims, aggregating *180,090, the only large items being two Of *35,966 each—for John Reynolds and the lepresentatives of James Reynolds, of Mississippi, and these were inserted as an. amendment. The Senate voted to non-concur in the House amendment to the bill to pension thewidow of Gen. Heintzelman (reducing the amount from *IOO to *75 a mouth) and ordered a. conference. Mr. Shermau reported to the Senate a substitute for all anti-trust measures heretofore introduced. Consideration of the Chinese exclusion bill was resumed. The sundry civil appropriation bill occupied the attention of the House,the time being taken up in the discussion of the Senate amendment relating to the reclamation of arid lands, the appropriation for which was finally reduced from *250,009 to*loo,ooo. Mr. Holman (lud.) offered a substitute for the Senate amendment providing that the necessary expenses for carrying cn the work of survey shall be paid from the appropriation for the topographic survey and suspending the operation of the desert-land law during the pendency in Congress of legislation looking toits repeal. The vote resulted—yeas, 61; nays, 73; no quorum, and the House adjourned.

In the Senate Mr. George offered an amendment, on the 12th, to the trust bill reported from, the Finance Committee. It consists of foursections, the most important being one making it the duty of the President, when satisfied that the price of any article of merchandise is raised, in consequence of agreements or combinations, toissue his proclamation suspending temporarily the collection ot import duties on such articles. It was ordered printed. The House voted to non-concur in all the Senate amendments to the sundry civil appropriation bill except that relating to arid lauds and ordered a further conference. The arid-land section as amended by the House appropriates slol’,ooo tor the purpose of investigating the extent to which the arid region can be redeemed by irrigation. The Director of the Geological Survey is directed, to make an annual report of the progress of the inquiry, and all the lands which may hereafter be designated for sites for reservoirs, ditches, or canals for irrigation purposes, and all lands made susceptible of irrigation, are re served from sale or entry until otherwise provided.

The discussion of the Chinese exclusion bill was continued in the Senate the 13th. TheHouse passed the Senate bill amendatory of theinterstate commerce act, after adopting the following amendments: Giving State courts of competent jurisdiction concurrent jurisdiction, with United States courts in cases arising under the act; directing the Interstate Commerce Commission to prescribe uniform classification schedules for the use of common, carriers in making rates, and requiring common, carriers to charge the same rates on refined oil, petroleum, cottonseed oil, and turpentine in wooden packages or barrels as ujon the same products in tank or cylinder cars owned or leased by the shipper. The House also passed a bill giving States and Territories legislative control over passenger and freight rates of common carriers on traffic between points within such Stateor Territory.

The resolution offered by Mr. Flatt in reference to a foreign syndicate controlling the production of copper in the United States was adopted by the Senate the 14th. A heated personal debate between Senators Hoar and Vest followed. The Senate made an attempt to dispose of Mr. Blair's motion to reconsider the vote by which the Chinese exclusion bfll was passed. Tne vote resulted—yeas, 18; nays, 17. As there was no quorum voting or likely to vote, it was arranged by unanimous consent that the next vote should, ba taken on the 17th. Among the bills passed by the Senate were the following t House bill providing boards of arbitration, to settle aifferences between interstate railroads and their employes; providing penalties for the violation of quarantine regulations ; House bill for the investigation of the mining debris quesiion in California; Senate bill to declare forfeited certain lands granted to the State of Michigan to aid in the construction of a railroad from Ontonagon to the Wisconsin State line. The House passed the Senate joint resolution appropriating $200,003 to suppress infection, in the interstate commerce of the United States. The House at its evening session passed thirtytwo private pension bills.