Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1891 — THE SENATE AND HOUSE. WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS. [ARTICLE]

THE SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS.

Proceedinga of tl»o Senate and House of Representatives Discussed and Acted Upon—Gist of theBusiness. In the Senate, among the bills reported and placed on the calendar on the 4th were tbe following: Senate bill, to provide for the Inspection of vessels carrying export cattle from the United States to foreign countries; Senate bill, to prevent adulterations of food and drugs. Mr. Blair presented the credentials of h successor. Jacob H. Gallinger, and they were placed on. file. After a short executive session the doors were reopened, and legislative business was, resumed. In the House Mr. Dingley of Maine reported from the Silver Pool Committee a resolution discharging J. A. Owen—by from the custody of the Sergeant-at-arms. Adopted. Mr. McKinley asked unanimous consent that during the remainder of the session the House shall meet at 11 o clock a. m. Mr. Rogers of Arkansas objected. The House then went into executive committee of the whole on the diplomatic and consular appropriation bill. In the House, on the sth. it was ordered that during the remainder of the session ‘the hour of meeting shall bo at 11 o’clock a. m. Mr. Boothman, of Ohio, reported a resolution for the printing of a digest of the election cases decided by the Fifty-first Congress, which was adopted, and the House went into committee of the whole on the sundry civil appropriation bill. The Senate took up the pension appropriation bill. It appropriates for pensions for the year $133,175,085; for fees and expenses of examining surgeons, $1,500,000; for salaries of eighteen pension agents, $72,000; for clerk hire, $300,000. The latter Item is increased by an amendment of the Committee on Appropriations to $400,000. Another amendment reDorted from the committee strikos out the proviso limiting to $2 the compensation of a pension attorney, and inserts in lieu of it a proviso limiting such compensation to $5. There was a long discussion on the latter amendment.

In the House, on the 6th, Messrs. Flower, Wilson, Vaux, and others pitched into World’s Fair matters in a vicious way. They denounced the whole managerial machinery as extravagant, cumbersome and blundering, and attacked the constitutionality of any appropriation by Congress. Mr. Vaux’s performance was so amusing that his time was extended two or three minutes. The old gentleman was in hts quaintest mood. He told stories on General Jackson, cracked jokes at the expense of the Farmers’ Alliance, and for fifteen minutes kept the House in uproarious laughter. Free coinage is believed to be killed by tho decision of the Speaker that no amendment of existing laws can be made in an appropriation bill. In the Senate Mr. Morrill made a speech in opposition to the eight-hour bill. He said that ho was convinced that the eight-hour law of 1868 was wrong, and that it would indict upon the class it was specially intended to benefit a grave and possibly an irreparable Injury. '1 he House passed the Senate bill amending the land forfeiture act of Sept 29, 1893. But little was done by Congress on the 7th, except to consider World’s Fair matters. After a long discussion concerning salaries of officials, Col. Davis, Director General, was awarded $7,500 per year, and his position was made a national one. The President will be paid $5,000, Vice President $4,000, the Secretary $3,000, and SB,OOO wiil be devoted to clerk hire. These figures are greatly reduced; but the action of the House in recognizing the Director General as ft national officer Is regarded by the Fair officials as a great victory, as it stamps tho enterprise as a national one and will give •assurance to foreign exhibitors that private interests do not control it. President Palmer regards the action of reducing salaries with disfavor, but says he should work as hard for nothing as he would for a big figure; and he says the exhibit Is to be the grandest the world ever saw.