Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 January 1891 — THE SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

THE SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS. Proceedings or the Senate and House of Representatives Discussed and Acted Upon—Gist of the Business. • V The financial bill was taken up in the Senate on the 7th, and Mr. Daniel spoke ini favor of the absolute free and unlimited, coinage of silver. Mr. Plumb followed Mr. Daniel. He credited the silver act of last session with having had the effect of preventing a universal financial panic. It had facilitated the purchase of $100,000,000 of American securities that had been sent hack from Europe, and thus the Bank of England! and the other financial institutions of Europe had been able to tide overthe difficulties of the Barings, arising out of South American flnan--cial trouble. Whatever might be said about the silver bill of last session, and aboqt its shortcomings, its effect on the immediate situation had been of a most beneficial character. The House went into committee of the whole for the further consideration of the shipping bill. Mr. Dingley of Maine, reviewing the decadence of American shipping interests, said that in such, a condition as the country now found itself,, with only 12% per cent, of the foreign carrying trade, with Great Britain intrenched on every ocean route, it was obvious that it was utterly out of the power of privateindividuals, without assistance in some direction, to dislodge the shipping of Great Britain. Within five years from the establishment of a subsidy system the steam tonnage of France was doubled. With thewidest extent of coast known to any nation, the United States could reap a benefit from subsidies far greater than any other nation. Italy adopted a subsidy policy in 1885, and in four years its steam marine had increased 4(5 per cent. The maximum expense of the bill the first year would bo 52.000.000. of which all but about $300,000 or 5400.000 would come from postage and tonnage dues. Mr. McConnell, Introduced bills in the Senate, on the Bth inst., for the erection of public buildings at Lewiston and Boise City, Idaho. Referred. On motion of Mr. Edmonds a resolution was adopted calling upon the Secretary of the Treasury for information as to what books and documents are in possession of his department relating to the late so-called Confederate States and as to whether there is any legal objection to their being placed among the archives of the War Department. Mr. Piatt gave notice that he would at the earliest possible moment call up the copyright bill for consideration. Mr. Allison gave notice that if the Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture (who was necessarily absent) did not at an early day ask for the consideration of the Conger lard bill he (Mr. Allison) would himself do so. In the House a bill was passed authorizing the issuance of certificates of service to telegraph operators who were with the Union army during the war. Then Mr. Farqubar, of New York, moved to go into committee of the whole on the shipping hill, and suggested that some arrangement should be arrived at as to the conclusion of general debate. Failing to secure any agreement Mr. Farquhar moved that general debate close at 5 o’clock. After wrangling over this point for two hours the House adjourned.

In the Senate on the &th Mr. Plumb gave notice of an amendment to the finance bill limiting to SI,OOO the compulsory requirement of deposit of United States bonds for every national .bank. [This not to apply to the deposit of bonds to secure public moneys in the national banks.] The bill was, on motion of Mr. Wilson, of lowa, laid aside informally and the House bill to provide for an additional Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Arizona was taken from the calendar and passed, with an amendment. Conference reports on bills for public buildings at Youngstown, Ohfo, and Fort Dodge, lowa, were presented and agreed to. Mr. Dolph moved to take up another bill, but Mr. Edmunds insisted on the regular order, and remarked that it was duo to those who wanted to discuss the finance bill that they should have the opportunity to do so. The finance bill was therefore taken up again, and Mr. Blackburn addressed the Senate in advocacy of Mr. Stewart’s amendment for the free coinage of silver. Mr. Harvey of Oklahoma called up in the House the bill authorizing Oklahoma City to issue bonds to provide a right of way to the Choctaw Coal and Railroad Company through the city. The bill was passed. The House then went into committee of the whole (Mr. Allen of Michigan in the chair) on the private calendar. The Vice President laid before the-Senate on the 10th inst. the protest of twentyeight members of the Idaho Legislature against allowing Mr. Dubois to take his seat, and it was referred to the Committee on Privileges and Elections; also resolutions of the Grand Army of the Republic recommending certain legislation in regard to civil employments for honorably discharged soldiers and tendering thanks for the liberal pension laws, etc.; referred 1o the Pension Committee. In the House after Mr. Butterworth of Ohio, from the Committee on Appropriations, bad reported the legislative appropriation bill, and it had been placed on the calendar the House went into committee of the whole, Mr. Dingley of Maine in the chair, on the army appropriation bill. Mr. Cutcheon, of Michigan, Chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs, explained that the bill was purely an appropriation measure and contained no general legislation whatever. The amount carried was $400,000 more than the appropriation for the current year. In the Senate on the 12th Senator Quay introduced a substitute for the election bill. The principal point of difference between the bill introduced by Senator Quay and the Hoar bill is in the last section, which is as follows: “When it shall appear to the satisfaction of the President of the United States that in any locality the provision of this law cannot otherwise be executed, it shall be his duty, and he is hereby empowered, to suspend the writ of habeas corpus and to employ the armed forces of the United States, naval' and military, for its enforcement, and for the protection of the officers whoso duties are herein provided for. ” In the House Mr. Dockery, rising to a question of privilege, offered a resolution reciting the fact of the reference of his “silver pool” resolution to the Committee on Rules, and the fact that that committee had refused to report the same, and directing the Committee on Rules to report the resolution to the House for consideration. The resolution had been referred the first day of the session. The session was now half gone and nothing had been done in regard to it. The House ought not to adjourn until it had exculpated the innocent and placed -the damnation where it rightfully belonged. Mr. Adams of Illinois argued that the resolution did not involve a question of privilege. By a vote of 148 to 80 the House decided that the question raised by Mr. Dockery was not one of privilege.