Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 March 1890 — THE NATIONAL SOLONS. [ARTICLE]

THE NATIONAL SOLONS.

WORK OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Our National Law-Makers and What They Are Doing for the Good of the Country— Various Measures Proposed, Discussed and Acted On. / lx the Senate on the 3d inst. the Commiltee on Public Building and Grounds, among others, reported favorably the following bills for the construction of public buildings : Aurora, 111., 875,000; Sioux Falls, S. D.. $150,000; Rock Island, 111., $75,000; Fargo, N. D„ $100,000; Sioux Citv, lowa, Senate bill, with amendment reducing the appropriation from 8501,000 to 8353,000; Bloomington, 111., $100,000; Davenport, lowa, 8100,000; Racine, Wis., $103,000; South Bend, Ind., 875,000; Rockford, 111., $100,000; Fort Dodge, lowa, Senate bill, with amendment reducing appropriation from SIOO,OOO to $75,000; Eau Claire, Wis., Senate bill, with amendment reducing appropriation from .SIOO,OOO to $75,000. Mr. Voorhees offered a resolution calling upon the Secretary of the Treasury to furnish to tho Senate all the papers in relation to the lease of the seal islands, and reciting that ail the provisions of tho law had not been complied with. The bill fixing the salaries of United States District Court Judges at $5,000 per annum was passed by a vote of 38 to 13. At 2:20 the Senate resumed consideration of the Blair educational bill, and was addressed by Mr. Spooner, who opposed the passage of the bill at present. After a brief executive session the Senate adjourned. In tho House, a bill to appoint thirty additional medical examiners in the Pension Office at SI,BOO per annum was passed by a vote of 171 yeas, 67 nays. The House then took up the bill to organize the Territory of Oklahoma. The bill was discussed for half an hour, when consideration of the Featberstone-Cate contested election case from the First District of Arkansas was resumed, Mr. Outhwaite occupying the floor. At • the conclusion of his remarks the House adjourned. Thf Senate, on the 4th inst., went into executive session at an early hour and spent nearly the entire day with closed doors. It is understood that much time was devoted to discussing the accounts published in the papers of matters which were under consideration in former executive sessions. Newspaper men were rigidly excluded from all the galleries and approaches to the Senate chamber. In tlie House the following committee appointments were announced by the Speaker: Messrs. Tarsney, of Missouri, and Reyburn, of Pennsylvania, on claimß; Brickner, of Wisconsin, on Mississippi levees; ChtadL, of Indiana, postoflices and post-roadß. The consideration of the Arkansas contested election case of Foatherstone vs. Cate, was then resumed, Mr. Dalzeli, of Pennsylvania, taking the floor and speakiug in behalf of the contestant. Mr. Crisp, of Georgia, followed for the contestee. Mr. Rowell, Chairman of the Committee on Elections, then spoke and was followed by Mr. Moore, of Texas, for the contestee. Mr. Morton also spoke in support of the contestee. Mr. Buckalew, foi the contestee, emphasized the judicial aspect of the question. Mr. Breckinridge, of Arkansas, for the contestee, repudiated the charges of crimes and corruption made by the Republicans against tho people of his State and the citizens of the country in general as a reflection on American character. Messrs. Greenhalge and Gheadle for the contestant and Marsh and Springer for the contestee also made addresses, after which the House adjourned. In the Senate, on the sth inst., on motion of Mr. Turpie, the Senate bill appropriating SIOO.000 for a public building at Lafayette, Ind., was taken from the calendar and passed. Senators Barbour and Plumb both spoke in opposition to the Blair educational bill, and the Senate then went into executive session, after wnich an adjournment was taken. The confirmations of William F. Ruuibusch, for Supervisor of Census for the First Wisconsin District, and l-D'cry Warmoth, to be Collector of the Fort.at New Orleans, were aunounced. In the House consideration of the Arkansas election case of Featherstone vs. Cate was resumed, and the contestee was accorded the floor to speak in nis own behalf. Mr. Houske closed the case for the contestant. On motion for the previous question the Democrats demanded a yea and nay vote. The motion was carried by 145 yeas to 141 nays. Mr. Outhwaite offered a resolution that Featherstone was not duly elected to Congress from the First Congressional District of Arkansas, and demanded the yeas and nays on the resolution, which was lost hy a vote of 138 yeas to- 144 nays. Mr. Springer then offered a resolution to recommit the case to the Committee on Elections, with instructions that the committee appoint a sub-committee of five authorized to proceed to the Congressional district and investigate the election. The resolution was lost, 133 yeas to 146 nays. The Speaker stated that the "question recurred to the vt solution of the majority of the committee that Cate was not duly elected and that Featherstone was. Mr. Outhwaite moved that the resolution be divided aud a vote taken on the first part—to wit, that Cate was not duly elected. This was done, the vote being yeas 147, nays 133. The question was then put on tue latter half of the resolution that Featherstone was duly elected, and was adopted by 145 yeas to 13j nays. The Speaker declared the resolution adopted, when Mr. Houk escorted Featherstone to the front of the Speaker’s table, where tho oath was administered to him by the Speaker. The House then adjourned. In the Senate on the Gth inst. the following bills were passed: Giving a pension of $75 a month to the daughter of Maj, Gen. W. J. Worth; increasing to $lO3 a month the pension of the widow of Mai. Gen. G. K. Warren. The Senate then proceeded to the consideration of executive business. It is understood that most of the session was spent in the discussion of propositions for forcing newspaper representatives to tell the source from wnich they derived news relating to exeeu'ive sessions. In the House the Speaker laid before the House a message from the President, transmitting the report of the Chippewa Indian Commission. Referred. Mr. Morse, of Massachusetts, presented the petition of the AVomen’s Industrial League, asking that two women be appointed on the World’s Fair Committee of 1332. Referrod. The House passed the afternoon in committee of the whole in the consideration of bills reported favorably from committees to the House, among them one providing for tho acquisitioof a site for the Fostoffice buildings at Washington, and similar bills for the cities of I ansing, Mich., Galesburg, ill., and Ashland, Wis. The committee then rose and reported its action to the House. ’Die first, bill considered was one providing for the purchase of a site and the erection of a postotfice building in Washington, which was passed. The bill appropriates $1,075,000 for this purpose. The House also passed the bills relating to the erection of public buildiugs at Lansing, Galesburg, Ashland and San Jose above mentioned, after which the House adjourned. In the Senate, on the 7th, the following public building bills were passed: For Sterling, 111., $50,000; Oakland, Cal., $300,000 ; Cheyenne, Wy. T., $150,000; Chester, Pa., SIOO,OOO ; Helena, Mont., $400,000. The Blair educational bill came up, and Senators Hale and Blair spoke on the measure. The Sena'6 passed Senator Plumb’s bill, which provides that all lands granted to railroads and lying alongside of those portions of the roads which are not completed before the passage of the.bill shall be forfeited. An amendment was aided extending the provisions of the act by one year to the lands granted to roods in Alabama. The Senate then went into executive session and adjourned. In the House Mr. Haugeu, of Wisconsin, from the Committee on Elections, reported a resolution in the Alabama contested election case of Threat vs Clark. The resolution, which was unanimously reported declares Clark entitled to retain his seat. It was adopted. The Speaker laid before the House the Senate bill referring to the Court of Claims the claim of Woodbridge for the use of 1 his invention of projectiles for rifled cannon. After some discussion the bill was defeated. The House then went into committee of the whole on private calendar, and took up the claim of Albert H. Emery for perfecting a machine for testing iron and steel. Tlie aitsrnoon was spent in the consideration of this claim, and at 5 o’clock the committee of the whole reported the. bill to tho House with the re.ornmendation that tho enacting clause be stricken out. The House, without action on the report, took a recess until 8 o’clock, and spent the evening in the consideration of pension bills.