Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1890 — THE SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

THE SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS. Proceeding* of the Senate and Honse of Representatives Discussed aud Acted Upon—Gist of the Business. The Senate, on the 17th Inst., considered and passed a number of bills on the calendar and then resume! the consideration of the Senate bill to establish a United States land court and to provide for the settlement of private land claims in the States of Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, and In theTerritories of New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. After a long discussion the bill was laid aside without action. The privatepension bills on the calendar were laken up and eighty of them were passed in thirty minutes. The Senate then adjourned. In the House, Mr. Haugen (Wis.)demanded the regular order—being the Langston-Venable contested election case—but Mr. Payson (111.) interposed with the conference report on the landgrant forfeiture bill. The House decided • - yeas, 62; nays, 117—not to consider the conference report. Mr. Haugen then called up the election case, against which Mr.' O'Ferrall raised the question of consideration. During the roll-call nearly all the Democratic members deserted the chamber, leaving but a bare dozen present to look out for their Interests. The result of the vote was. announced: Yeas, 136; nays, 15—the clerk noting a quorum. Mr. Haugen Immediately demanded the previous question on theelection _ case, and the direction “All go out,” was given by the Democratic managers. It was not necessary to put this direction Into force, for after an emphatic protest of Mr. Cheadle (Ind.) against, the stifling of debate, Mr. Haugen withdrew his demand and proceeded with an argument of the case. Mr. Cheadle, of Indiana, spoke against tho majority resolution and the matter went over. The Speaker announced his signature to the river and harbor appropriation bill and the House took a. recess, the evening session to be for the consideration of bills reported by the Committee on Military Affairs. At the eveningsession Mr. Allen (Mich.) presided. Several Senate bills were passed and the House at H):30 adjourned.

In the Senate, on the 18th Inst., the calendar was taken up for an hour apd the following bills, among others, were passed: House bill to amend the articles of war relative to punishment on conviction by court-martiul: Senate bill to provide forthe inspection of live cattle, hogs, and thecarcasses and products thereof which are the subjects of interstate commerce: Senate bill to revive the grade of Lieutenant General In the army of tho United States; Senate bill for the relief of women enrolled as army nurses; Senate bill granting tho right pf way to the Sherman and Northwestern Railway Company through the Indian Territoryt; the Senate hill appropriating 575.000 for a public building at Colorado Springs, Col. Mr. Manderson presented resolutions relative to thedeath of the late Representative Laird, and after remarks by Messrs. Paddock and Manderson the Senate adjourned. In the House, while attempting to get a quorum for the approval of the journal, the doorkeepers locked the doors to prevent Democrats leaving the chamber. Hardly had this been done before Representative Kilgore (Tex.) presented himself at the door on the Speaker's left hand and sought to go out into the lobby. He found that the door was lockod. and the doorkeeper refused to unlock it. Mr. Kilgore gave a, sudden and vigorous kick and the frail baize structure flew open and Mr. Kilgore strode out. He was followed by Representatives Crain (Tex.), Cummings (N. Y.), and Coleman (La.), who In turn forced the lock open without opposition from the door-keeper. At the moment Mr. Ivllgore drove the door flyiug wide, open Representative Dingley (Me.) was approaching from the other side. The door struck him with full force In the face, bruising his nose badly. Further proceedings under the call were dispensed with. The journal was then approved, the'Clerk noting a quorum. Mr. Haugen demanded tho previous question on the Langston-Venable contested election case. On ordering the previous question the vote stood: Yeas, 135; nays, 10. This being no quorum, a call of the Housewas ordered. There were but 151 members present, and the House adjourned. In tho Senate, on the 19th Inst,, Mr. Plumb's resolution to recommit the 1 ankruptcy bill to the Judiciary Committee with instructions to amend it by making It apply to voluntary bankruptcy only was taken up, and after discussion the bill was placed on the calendar without action. House bill to reduce the amount of United States bonds to be required of national banks and to restore to the channels of trade the excessive accumulations of lawful money In the treasury having been reached on the calendar, Mr. Slie?said he believed its passage v. uuld tend very much to quiet even the present agitation In the money market. Mr. Plumb said tho hill had to a certain extent merit, but feared that it would finally result in a contraction of the currency. After further discussion the hill went over. Adjourned. In the House tho day was spent in roll calls, the Speaker’s count of a quorum being several times questioned and tellers being appointed to verify the count The question of Venable being duly elected was lost—4 to 155—but on an attempt to declare Venable not elected the quorum was lost. By unanimous consent tho House took a recess, the evening session to be for the consideration of private pension bills. At its evening session the House postponed until tno 24th Inst, the hill granting pensions to the wddows of Gens McClellan, Fremont, and Crook. Seventy-two private pension bills were passed, aud the House, at 10:30, adjourned. The Sonata on the 22d resumed the consideration of the bill to define and regulate the jurisdiction of the courts of the United States—tiie pending question being on Mr. Daniel’s amendment extending the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to all casesof conviction of felony, and to all cases where the matter In dispute Is the right to personal liberty or the right to tho custody of a child. The amendment was rejected. The bill was then reported from the committee of the whole to the Senate. Without disposing of Vie bill the Senate went into executive sossi'on and soon, adjourned. Representative Moore, of New Hampshire, introduced In the Housethe following resolution: “That the Committee on Rules be Instructed to report an additional rule, towit: Rule XLVl.—Contempt of the House. When a call of the House discloses tho presence of a quorum, any member absenting himself on the succeeding roll-call for the purpose of breaking a quorum shall be arraigned,at tho bar of the House and fined In a sum not exceeding $590.” There w»,s no quorum present and the House adjourned.