Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 February 1891 — THE SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

THE SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAWMAKERS. Proceedings of the Senate and House-of , Representatives Discussed and Acted Upon—Gist of theBusiness. The Senate, on the 18th, passed the copy-’ right bill, by 36 to 14, after accepting theSherman amendment to admit copyrighted foreign books after payment of duty. Asi the bill now stands, only newspapers and! periodicals are exempted from import duties. The Custer pension bill is a bone of! contention, many Congreesmen con-! lending that the $250 per month! now paid the family is sufficient. Th©i appropriation of SIO,OOO for seven Congress- I men to visit Alaska to assist in settling, boundary lines, and Yellowstone Park toj iecide upon necessary improvements, exJites general merriment, as it is known to* be only a junketing trip. In the .House) Mr. Payson, of Illinois, was elected Speaker” pro tem. The Indian appropriation bill was 1 " passe! and the House went into committeeaf the wliole'on the postoffice appropriation, bill. Speaker Reed was again in the chair in the House the 19th, having recovered from, bis illness. The House passed the Senate’ bill for the relief of settlers on certain! lands in Southern lowa. In the Senate the credentials of Mr. Vance, of North Caro!ia, for his new senatorial term were filed. Several bills were passed, after which the Senate resumed consideration of the Indian lepredations bill. There seems to be a veryzeneral belief that ex-Gov. Foster of Ohio* will be called to succeed the late Secretary Windom. The President is said to have a very high opinion of Mr. Foster’s financial ability, and close friends of the latter claim that the appointment has been offered, him. The executive branch <sf the government has ai out abandoned Washington, i’he President and his cabinet, with most of the department heads, are in New York attending the obsequies of Geneeal Sherman. The Senate after transaction of routine aiorning business on the 20th proceeded to the consideration of pension bills unob< Jected to. There were 130 pension bills passed in forty-five minutes. Among them, was onfe increasing tho pension of Brigadier General Landrem, of Kentucky, to SSO. The' Senate then proceeded to the consideration of the Nicaragua Canal bill (giving the guarantee of the United States Government to the company’s 4 per cent, bonds to the 1 amount of $100,090,000). The house commit-; tee on coinage, weights and measures decided by a vote of 8 to 4 to report adversely! the senate free coinage bill. ’ Messrs. Wickham, Walker, Comstock, Knapp, Taylor, Tracy, Wilcox and Vaux voted against the bill and Carter, Bartine, Bland and Williams for it. Both branches of Congress got down towork on the 21st. The sundry civil appropriation was completed by the Senate Committee on Appropriations and reported to the Senate, to be considered the 23d. A House bill correcting an error in the act for the construction of a bridge at South St| Paul, Minn., was parsed. The Nicaragua Canal bill received considerable attention,! and a corijaction was made giving the estimated cost at $1,900,900, Instead ,of SIOO,000,000. The bill went over without action. Senate bill authorizing the building of a! railroad and wagon bridare across the Arkansas River at Little Rock was passed.; The conference report on the navy appro-! prlatlon bill was presented and agreed to., In the House, the Senate bill, fixing the salaries of the United States District Judges, was passed. It provides that the salaries of the several Judges of the District Courts of the United States shall be, at the rate of $5,000 per annum. The House then began consideration of the postofflee appiopriation bill.

On the 23d but little business was don©' by either house. The Senate held an even- 1 ing session, to discuss the sundry civil bill,; and the amendment making temporary ap-i pointment of architects, skilled draughtsmen, and civil engineers in the office of thei Supervising Architect, which had been under discussion, was agreed to.i In the House, Mr. Perkins presented.; and the House adopted, the conference report on the bill amending the act providing for the allotment of lands in severalty to Indians. The House then, went into committee of the v hole, notwith-' standing the antagonism of the members of the Committee on the District of Columbia,’ on the deficiency appropriation bill (Mr.) Payson of Illinois in the chair). Au amendment was adopted directing the accountingofficers of the Treasury not to withhold the pay of any retired officer of the army retired prior to the act of March 39, 1869, notwithstanding his acceptance of a! diplomatic or consular position. [This, amendment has direct reference to General Sickles.] The postoffice appropriation bill was passed. At an evening session, th© House, in committee of the whole, considered the immigration bill, and was addressed in favor of the measure by Mr. Covert, of New York.