Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 May 1898 — CONGRESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CONGRESS

Fonr war measures were passed by th« Senate on Tuesday. One of them provided for carrying on the additional work in the adjutant general’s office; the second authorized the enlistment of a volunteer signal corps, two-thirds of the members of which must be expert electricians or telegraphers; the third was the so-call. ed “immune bill,” passed by the House of Representatives, and the fourth was a measure suspending existing law so additional hospital stewards can be appointed. The postoffice appropriation bill, carrying appropriations Which aggregate more than $99,000,000, was passed, after a debate which lasted several days. The resolution submitting to the Legislatures of the various States an amendment to the constitution of the United States changing the date of the beginning of the terms of the President, Vice-President and members of Congress from March 4 to May 4 was adopted. The House, in session less than an hour, passed a bill appointing three commissioners to propose necessary revision of the statutes relating to patents, trade and other marks ami trade and commercial names. The House, by 184 to 11, on Wednesday passed a resolution for the election of Senators by popular vote, and refused, 48 to 90, to consider the Senate bill restricting immigration. Mr. Loud called up the postofflee appropriation bill ns passed by the Senate and upon his motion the House refused to concur to the Senate amendments and asked a conference. The House then went into committee of the whole to consider the Senate bill amending the revenue law providing for the disposal of abandoned imports turned over by importers to the customs officials. The bill was passed. The Senate spent the afternoon in discussion of the so-called railway arbitration bill. A House joint resolution declaring the lands within the former Mille Lac Indian reservation in Minnesota to be subject to entry under the land laws of the United States was agreed to. After a prolonged discussion the Senate on Thursday evening passed the bill “concerning carriers engaged in interstate commerce, and their employes”—popularly known as the railway arbitration bill. The most important amendment to the measure was that offered by Mr. Hoar (Mass.), which provides that courts shall issue no injunction ngainst railway employes which shall compel them to give their personal service to a company, against their will. On the final vote only threer Senators were recorded against the bill. A bill was passed removing all disabilities imposed by the fourteenth amendment to the constitution on persons who were at one time engaged in rebellion against the United States. The debate on the war revenue measure was begun in the Senate on Monday. In the House the conference report upon the bill authorizing the sending of food and arms to Cubans was adopted. A bill was passed providing for an increase in the force of the adjutant general’s office. The House joint resolution appointing William J. Sewell of New Jersey, Martin T. McMahon of New York, John L. Mitchell of "Wisconsin and William H. Bonsall of California members of the board of managers of the national home for disabled volunteer soldiers wns f called up and passed. The President’s veto of a bill conferring upon the court of claims jurisdiction to retry the case of the representatives of Isaac P. Tice against the United States, brought in 1873 to recover $25,000, the alleged value of certain meters to measure the quality and strength of distilled spirits, was sustained. The Senate bill to establish an assay office at Seattle, Wash., was passed. The House also passed, with amendments, the House bill to ratify an agreement entered into in 1892 between United States Commissioners and the Comanche, Kiowa and Apache Indians to open for settlement the reservation of these Indians in Oklahoma.