Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1886 — THE NEWS CONDENSED. FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

THE NEWS CONDENSED. FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS.

Mr. Riddklbergkr, of Virginia, offered a resolution in the Senate, on the 2d inst., that the President is not restricted by law in removing officials, and that the Senate has no right to require a statement of his reasons for suspensions. Mr. Pugh submitted a substitute, declaring the President responsible to the people for removals or suspensions from office. The matter went over. The electoral-count bill, with all the amendments proposed, was recommitted. Mr. Chace introduced a bill to prevent Congressmen from recommending appointments to office, and Mr. Harris a measure appropriating $75,000 to establish a bureau of public health. The Secretary of the Treasury answered a resolution of inquiry by stating that no assistant treasurer has been instructed to refuse to issue certificates on deposits of silver dollars. The House of Representative devoted the day to eulogies of Vice President Hendricks by leading members. Mr. Bynum, of Indiana, was the first speaker to bear testimony to the true worth of the dead statesman. He traced the life of Mr. Hendricks through childhood, youth, and manhood, showing that in every stage he had manifested that ability and talent which had made his nsme familiar to every household in the land. Mr. Hewitt said that the nomination of Mr. Hendricks in 1881 secured the success of the Democratic ticket. It prevented an issue addressed to the conscience of the people, and in New York especially was so acceptable to a portion of the party otherwise dissatisfied that personal grievances wore to a large extent swallowed up and postponed to the large duty of justice to the man in whose person the will of the .people had once been defeated. But for the existenoe of this feeling the accession of independent voters would not have materially changed the strong current of feeling among a portion of the democratic voters for the candidates of the other party. Mr. Hendricks, he said, was a partisan, out this partisanship was never exerted at tho expense of his patriotism. There was no reason for apology or explanation so far as Mr. Hendricks' views on the matter of appointment to public office were concerned. These views were given in his letter of acceptance of the nomination for Vice President in 1676, and coincided with the views of Washington and Jefferson. Mr. Randall expressed admiration for tho dead statesman, whose life had been the embodiment of that old Latin saying, “mild in manner and resolute in conviction." His ways were gentle and kind, but in a matter of right or wrong he was fixed and immovable. As ho was greater than others, he was also stronger than any political organization to which he was attached. He believed that our liberties were sacred only when all tendencies toward contraliz&tion were to be resisted and destroyed. He died as he lived, calmly and serenely. Like a shadow thrown softly and sweetly frpm a passing clouddeath feU upon him The Chair placed before the Senate, on the 3d last., the resolution as submitted by Mr. Riddleberger and tho substitute tor it submitted by Mr. Pugh, relating to the relations between the President and the Senate in regard to information and papers affecting Government officers suspended or appointed. Mr. Edmunds said that practically but four mouths of the session were left for business. 'I ho resolution offered l embodied no praetioal ques tion—only mooted—questions—and it would bo time enough to debate the question when it should become a practical question. Ho moved to lay the resolutions on the table. The motion to lay on the table was then agreed to, only one voice being heard in the negative. At a subsequent stage of the Senate proceedings, Mr. Riddleberger again oallod up his resolution and criticised the course of the “Senator (Edmunds) whose'“ voice is too repressed to be heard except bv himself, who first makes a speech and then moves an undebatable motion. “I don’t mind being run over by a railroad train," continued Mr. Riddleberger, “but I don’t like being mashed by a wheelbarrow.* [Great laughter.l On motion of Mr. HarriU the resolution was then, without debate, referred to the Committee on Privileges and Elections. The Dakota bill was Saced before the Senate, and Mr. Logan ok the floor in favor of the admission of that Territory as a State. Mr. Morgan opposed the admission of Dakota under the present conditions. He thought the Senate was asked to admit the new State merely for the purpose of admitting the officeholders that had been sent here. The patriotism that had been so much referred to had in it a strong flavor of self-interest The Honse of Representatives adopted a resolution, offered by Mr. Bland, requesting information from the Secretary of the Treasury whether an arrangement was made with the New York Clearing-House to prevent the circulation of silver, and asking for a statement of ■liver dollars and certificates on baud and afloat A letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, stating that since 1827 the conscience fund has developed to $220,747, was read in the Senate on the 4th inst A memorial from the Legislature of New Jersey protested against the granting to the Baltimore and Ohio Road the right to bnild a bridge from the Jersev shore to Staten Island. Mr. Plumb introduced a bill to appropriate 8150.Q00 more for a public building at Fort Scott, and Mr. Doiph a measure to extend the limits of Portland, Ore., to include tho east bank of the Willamette. Mr. Cameron called up the bill providing for an assistant Secretary of the Navy in the Senate, and a debate of the merits of the bill was entered upon which soon took the character of a political discussion and ended in a fight over the action taken by Secretary Whitney in the Dolphin "matter. Mr. Cockreß defended the actions of Secretary Whitney. In the Houso the day was devoted to the discussion of the Dakota bill. Mr. Harrison declared that the real animus of the objections to the bill was that another Presidential election should pass before the people of Dakota were to be permitted to participate in such elections. Mr. Morgan said that Mr. Harrison, who was evidently a candidate for the Presidency, might not have a chance at the votes of Dakota, for he iMr. Morgan) did.... not think that he would ripen in four years. Mr. Harrison replied that if he ever shouid be a candidate. although he would not be sure but that he might justly claim the electoral vote of Alabama. he never would expect to have it counted for him. Upon the reading of Mr. Harrison of papers in contradition of those read by Democratic Senators to show the feeling prevalent in Dakota with regard to the question of admission, one Senator brought down the House and Senate by quoting FalstafTs exclamation: “Oh. Lord, how this world is given to lying 1* When, at another time, Mr. Harrison asked amid laughter whether Mr. Butler wonld have entitled the constitution of Dakota “The Constitution of the State of Dakota, by the grace of God and the Senator from South Carolina," Mr. Butler turned the laugh against . his opponent by replying: No: I should have simply said: “By the grace of the Senator from Indiana.

The Senate closed its long and wrangling debate over the admission of South Dakota Into the Union as a State oh the sth inst., by passing the bill of the Committeo ph Vote was first taken on the Uutler substitute, which was an act to enable the people of Dakota to frame a State constitution, etc., and It was rejected by a vote of—yeas' 22, nays 33. A vote was then taken’ <n the bill itself, which resulted in—yeas 82, nays 22. The negative vote was wholly Democratic. The affirmative vote was made up of thirty-one Republic an-i and one Democrat— Mr. Vocrheea The bill as it was passed divides the Territory of Dakota on the line of the -Kith parallel of latitude ; piovides for the admission of the southern portion as a State under the title of Dakota, and the organization of the northern portion into a separate Territory under the name of Lincoln. The, Frye bill for the appointment of a commission" to investigate the alcoholic-liquor traffic was rejxirted favorably to the Senate. It provides for the appointment by the President of fivo persons to investigate the alcoholic-liquor traffic, its relations to revenue and taxation, and its general economic, criminal, moral, and scientific aspects in connection with pauperism, crime, social evil, the public health, and genfeiUfS .. and prohibitory legislation for the prevention of intemperance in the several States, and to report the result of tbeir investigations to the President, to be by him transmitted to Congress. It appropriates 810,000 for the expenses of the investigation. The Senate passed Mr. Sewell’s Dill providing for air annual appropriation of 8800,000 to bny arms and ordnance stores, quartermasters’ stores,, and •amp equipage for the militia of the several Btati s and Territories. Mo State is to rsceiTe a share of the appropriation unless its militia force numbers at least one hundred men for each Senator and Representative to which it is entitlsd in Congress. The Senate also passed a bill providing for the sale of the old site of Fort Brady, in Michigan, and for the purchase of a new ito and the ereotioa of a suitable building thereon. TW Mouse of Representatives pasted the SenO^VimJSSS!S&&,'i£SSSI

In IMS. Mr. Randall reported to the House the pension bill from the Appropriation Committee, and it was referred to the committee of the whole. The bill as reported appropriates $75,754,200, an increase of about $15,000,000 over last year. It is made up as follows: For army and navy pensions, $75,000,000; for fees and expenses of examining surgeons, $500,000: for salaries of eighteen pension agents. $72,000; for miscellaneous expenses, including clerk hire, rents, etc., $182,ao °- m l