Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1886 — CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

CONGRESS.

What Is Being Done by the National Legislature. The Blair educational bill was again the subject of debate in the Senate on the 2d inst. Senators Cali of Florida. Itiddleberger of Virginia, Berry of Arkansas, and Hiuneton of South Carolina opnosed the Allison amendment relat- , ing to colored schools, and Senator Saulsbury of Delaware opposed-the bill'-with or without the amendment. Senator Ingalls of Kansas asked who was to administer the fund of $77,000,000 provided by the bill, and, answering his own question by saying that the Secretary of the Interior was to do it, launched into an attack of Assistant Secretary Montgomery, reading many extracts from a book entitled : “Drops from the Poisoned Fountain; Facts That Are Stranges than Fiction ; by Zach Montgomery, of the California bar." President Cleveland sent to the Senate a message urging measures to protect Chinameu in the Weßtem States and Territories, and insisting upon the punishment of Citizens who commit outrages upon them. In the House the pensions appropriation bill eame up for debate, and Mr. Cannon, of Illinois, supported it. Mr. Wilson, of West Virginia, vigorously defended Pensions Commissioner Black from the attack mode in the House recently. He then said that he saw in the war the stately stepping of that Providence which used the wrath of men to work out its beneficial purposes. It had secured the preservation of the Union, but it had secured a greater result than the preservation of the Union in the extinction of slavery; and greater than the extinction of slavery was the utter annihilation of any ground, cause, or excuse for further sectional prejudice or Bectional hate. Mr. Matson (Ind.) supported Mr. Black in his charges against exCommissioner Dudley. Mr. Butterworth (Ohio) criticised Commissioner Black’s report os an insult to every man and woman in the employ of the Commissioner of Pensions. He spoke bitterly of the witnesses before the Warner Committed, especially Maj. Clark, who were so swift, said, to assault their chief that they -might become the pampered and favored menials of a coming incumbent. Mr. Butterworth declared that every one knew that wherever Democracy reigned an honest ballot and a fair count was a lost art. Secretary Manning sent to the House, in reply to the Bland resolution calling for information in regara to the past and future policy of toe Treasury Department on toe silver question, a document of forty pages, containing a vast amount of correspondence and statistical information. The Secretary declares that he has used his utmoat efforts to get silver into circulation, and says that he has already given his opinion as to the propriety of expressing his views concerning the past and future policy of the department upon toe subject. Senator Harrison, of Indiana, supported the Blair education bill in the debate in toe Senate on toe 3d inst., and opposed the Allison amendment. He would leave the fund to be administered as all education funds of all the States were administered—in the hands of the people of toe States. An amendment of the Allison amendment, offered by Senator Hoar, was adopted, after which Senator Edmunds offered a substitute for the Allison amendment. Senator Blair accepted it, and it was agreed to. It provides that wherever, separate schools for whites and negroes are maintained the money* appropriated by the bill shall be paid out for the support of such white and colored schools respectively in toe proportion which the white and colored children between the ages of 10 and 21 boar to each other. Prior to the adoption of toe substitute, Senator Logan made a speech in which he attacked the South for suppressing the negro vote, and charged that the present bill was intended to raise money on toe strength of the black population of the South for the benefit of the Southern whites. Mr. Frye presented a petition from citizens of New Jersey fer the legal protection of young girlß in all localities under the jurisdiction of Congress. Mr. Evarts introduced a bill to permit the sole of goods by sample in any State or Territory by non residents,. In the House the pension appropriation bill was debated. Mr. Weaver (Iowa) reported back to toe House the resolution directing the House Committee on Expenditures in the Interior Department to investigate the pastahd present administration of the Pension Bureau. The army appropriation bill was reported to the House by Mr. Bragg. It sets aside $23,887,388. The debate of the Blair education bill was continued in the Senate ou toe 5tU, The FiraJohn Porter belief bill was reported to the Senate. Secretary Manning reported to the Senate, that $6,385,550 of the bonds maturing April 1 are held by national banks. The Senate passed a fiill accepting for the United States toe Grant memorial collection priipented to the Government by Mrs. Grant send W. H. Vanderbilt. The President nominated James C. Matthews, of New York, to be Recorder of Deeds for toe District of Columbia, vice Frederick Douglass, whose resignation sent to the President ou Jan. 5, is made public to-de,v. On motion of Senator Platt (tiffin.9 the Senate adjourned, in expression of i tjbeir sympathy with Senator Hawly (Conn.) in his bereavement. A minority report on the Eads’ ship-railway bill wfti submitted to the House of Representatives. It says that the bill will take from the plfblic treasury $37,000,000 for the benefit of n private corporation, located and to be operated exclusively in 4 foreign country, without, any corresponding benefit to our country or people. The pensions appropriation bill was passed after a lively partisan "debate, during which the House was Often in excitement and confusion; also a bill extending the limit of the cost of toe Peoria public building from $225,000 to $275,000. The Blair educational bill passed the Senate

on the sth. The sum appropriated is $79,000,000. It provides for years after its passage there shall be annually appropriated from the ■ Treasury the following stuns in aid of common school education in the St it js and Teiritories, and District of Columbia and Alaska: The first, $7,000,1X10; the second, $10,000,000; the third year, £15,000,010; the fourth year, $13,0 0,000; the fifth year, $11,000,OX); the sixth year, $9,010,00); the seventh yt ar, $7,000,000 ; and the eighth year, $5,000,000; in all, 577,000,0i)0. Besides this there is a- spicial appropriation of $2,001,000 to aid in the erection of schoolhousos in spiraoly settled district!, making the total $79,ouo,ooo. The money is given to tho several States and Territories in that proportion which the whole number of persons in each of the ago of ten years and over who cannot writs bears to the whole number of such personsln the United States, according to tho cons ns. of 1810, until the census figures of 18Q0 shall be obtained, and then aoeording to the latter figure. In States having separate schools for white and colored children the money is to be paid out in support of such whito "and colored schools respectively in the proportion 5 th it the white and colored children between ten tmd twenty-one years old bear to each other. No State is to receive the benefit of the act until its Go ,-emor shall file with the Secretary of tho Interior a statement giving full statistics oi the school system, attendance of white and colored children, amount of money expended number of schools in operati .n, number- and compensation of teachers, etc. No State or Territory is to receive in any ono year from this lund’ more money than it has paid out tho previous year from its own revenues for common schools. If any State or Territory declines tq take its share of the national, fund such sharo is to be distributed among the States acce; ting the benefiits of the fund. If any State or Territory misapplies the fund, or fails tp comply with the conditions, it loses all subsequent appoitionment. Any State or Territory accepting the provisions of the act at tho first session of its Legislature after the passage of the act shall receive its pro rata share of all previous annual appropriations. The right to alter or repeal tho act is reserved by the Senate bill. The Senate adopted a resolution offered, by ' Senator Halo (Me.) calling on Secretary Whitney for all the papers and information in his possession relating to the Dolphin affair. The House pnssed the urgent deficiency bill, appropriating $034,452 to meet the emergencies in various departments where the appropriations hayo proved inadequate. Dr. Joseph Leidy lately liad submitted to him a spongwotyjjrom the Vicinity of Morristown, N. J., which contained great quantities of living worms, some an inch in length. They proved to be a new species of lnmbriens, to which the common earth worm belongs. No living organisms have ever been found within clear dense ice, such as is usually served for drinking pnrpose3. A mixture nf zinc-white with zino chloride is found to furnish a, paint of great value both for wood and metals, as it becomes very hard, and can be washed or brushed without injury, which qualities are, of course, of prime importance. An essential precaution, however, To be observed in regard to this paint, is not to apply it in rainy or frosty weatheff as it then becomes mealy and scales o!f. V Mr 3 Dolly MadisON was. the Only lady who has ever been, by resolution, invited to a seat on the Senate floor. * ' * V ' ~■ r-