Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 July 1886 — NATIONAL LAW MAKERS. [ARTICLE]

NATIONAL LAW MAKERS.

Brief Hammnry of the Proceed* Us« of CoiffreH. The Senate took up the bill repealing the preemption and timber culture laws at its session on June 22, and rejected the Ingalls amendment npplring tpall lands the Blair amomlrncnt prohibiting the acouisition Of more than 640 acres of-desert land under one ownership. The original amendment was then rejected by a vote of i 2 to 3, Senators Blair (N. H.), Dolph (Oregom, and Teller (Col.), voting yea The President has sent the following’nominations to the Senate.. David N. Burke, of New York. Consul of the United States.at Puerto Cabello; Edward T, Pittman, Receiver of Public Moneys, Durango, Colorado; Samuel L. Gilson, of Pennsylvania, Agent for the Indians at Fort Peck Agency, Montana; John M. Galloway, appraiser of the right, 'of way ,of the Southern Kansak Railroad Company through Indian Territory. Registers of Land Offices— Pierce H. Ryan, Humboldt, Cal.; W. E. Copeland, Carson City, Nev.; Richard McCloud, Durango, Col.; J. L. Camp, Pre'-cbtt. Arizona. Postmasters—Fannie D. Porter, El Paso, Tex.; Thomas H. Perrin, Alton, Ill.: James Able, Auburn, HI.; John J. Ankeny, Minneapolis, Minn.; 8. Curtis Symonds, Hudson, Wis.; James E. McDonald, Ligonier, Ind.; Frederick A. Edwards, Webster City, lowa r Joseph J. Toplitf, Longmont, Col. In the House of Representatives Mr, Morrison called up the proposed change of rule making it in order to amend! a general pension bill by adding a provision for the imposition of a tax to meet the expenditures required by the bill. A long and hot debate ensued. The debate took a wide range, and although in its opening stages it presented the rare spectacle of the rival leaders of the majority party, Mr. Randall and Mr. Morrison, in apparent accord, they soon fell to belaboring each other in good set terms. Mr. Morrison and General Bragg maintained that the Randall faction, in voting against consideration of the tariff bill, had violated the pledges contained in the “platform'’ of 1884.'' Mr. Randall, on the contrary claimed that his course iu the House upon the tariff question had been in entire accord with the “spirit” of the aforesaid platform, and resented the criticisms upon his conduct -with much warmth. A motion by Mr. Reed to lay. Mr. Morrison’s motion on the table was defeated, and the motion went over. Nine vetoes of private pension bills were laid before the ’House, and referred. Several of the President’s terse sentences and ironical suggestions were greeted with applause and laughter. Mr, Mor- ’ rison informed the House that ho had concluded lor the present not to renew his motion to go into committee of the whole on tho tariff bill. President Cleveland sent in seven vetoes of private pension bills to the Senate June 23. Tho Senate voted to reconsider the vote by which it had passed the bill prohibiting Congressmen from acting as attorneys for la»d-grant railroads, und the measure was then referred to the Judiciary Committee. In discussing the matter, Mr. Beck said he was himself a lawyer, and would not place any indignity on the profession of the law. When elected to Congress, however, he found that his public duties Yequired all bis time—not being possessed of the transcendent abilities thattho Senator from New York perhaps possessed. The country believed that the 55.000 a year received by Senators and Representatives in Congress entitled tho people to their whole services, and if Senators or Representatives could not live on that compensation they had no right to supplement it by taking fees from corporations whose interests wero adverse to those of the people. The entire legislative day in tho House was occupied by the Republicans in filibustering to prevent the Democrats from adopting a rule which would result in setting apart for the benefit of pensioners the revenues to be derived from a tax ou incomes. Messrs. Morrison and Randall have fought shoulder to shoulder in this fight, and only ten Democrats, including Messrs. Townshend and Worthington, of Illinois, aided the Republican opposition. Nothing occurred to break tho uninteresting round of roll-calls except an occasional pass between Morrison and members on the Republican side. Tkalatter frequently proposed to improve the time by going on with the appropriation bills or with the Blair pension bill. Randall replied that he would take care of the appropriation bills, and Morrison informed tbem that there would be no trouble about the pension bill if the Republicans would agree to amend it by providing for a tax to meet the expenditures that would result from its passage. The proceedings were conducted in good temper on both sides, and were ended by the arrival of the fixed, hour for adjournment. The Democrats did not have a quorum at any time, and the Sergeant-at-arms was unable to find any of the absentees in the city.

The bill repealing the pre-emption and tim-ber-culture laws passed the Senate, on June 24, by a vote of 34 yeas to 20 nays. The Senate passed the bill providing for the appointment and Compensation of a United States District Judge for'the Southern District of Alabama, with an amendment offered by Senator Logan (Hi.) which fixes the salaries of all United States District Judges at $5,000 a year, and prohibits nepotism on the part of Federal Judges. The Fitz John Porter bill was allowed to reach a vote in the Senate on the 25th of July, although the debato only began at a late hour the previous afternoon. General Logan limited himself to a speech of two or three hours. Senator Conger restrained himself entirely. Senator Teller spoke briefly, as did Senator Blair, and Senator Plumb only talked on hour. Senator Plump addressed himself whoUy to the Democratic Senators. He charged every ex-Confeder-ateopenly with voting for the bill on previous occasions because they wanted to reward a Union General who helped them to win the second battle of Bull Run. Mr. Plumb’s remarks brought Mr. Butler to his feet, and he resented in the moßt inipassionate manner the charge that ho and some of his colleagues had any friendly feeling for a General whothey believed betrayed the flag he was fighting undor, and he added with a little of tiie air of the South Carolina code, that if the Senator from Kansas had made his remarks a little more personal, and in another place, he (Butler) would have resented them in a different fashion. The bill was passed—yeas 30, nays 17. In the House of Representatives Mr. Bayne, of Pennsylvania, made a bitter attack upon the President for his vetoes of pension bills, twentfy ■ of which hud just been read. "Ho was astounded at tho vetoes,’’ says the report. “In the whole history of the Republic,” Ur said, “they were without a parallel. Austere and rigorous Andrew Jackson, desirous of asserting his power and making individuality conspicuous, had never monopolized power os the President had done with reference to these pension bills. This man had even had tiie temerity to sneer at the reports of a committee of this House. He had the temerity to put the seal of his sarcasm oil the reports of a committee granting a pension to tho widow of some man who had been slain in the service of bis country. Who had invested this man with such power that ho must assert himself and say to tho people of tho country: "I am larger than you all, and I know more about what should become law than the 325 members of the House of Representatives and the seventy-six members of the Senate.” It whb a fault of men endowed with brief authority to arrogate knowledge that they did not possess. “He is no better than any other American citizen,” said Mr. Bayne, “and he, by G—d, is not tho equal of any man who periled his life and went out to save the Union.” lApplause oil the Republican Bide.l Mr. Matson, of Indiana, defended the Presidont, who, he declared, was fair and just and prompted by his conscience. Two men might honestly differ upon a question, and that was all there was in ail this talk. All that hasLbeen said in the way of abuse of the President was uncalled for. The President was an honest man and the people of the country knew it. lApplause on the Democratic side and in the galleries.] Mr, Peters (Kau.)—We cannot honor the President for an ignorance of his prerogatives. Mr. Matson -He knows his prerogatives, and, knowing them, he has the courage to exercise them. (Applause on the Democratic side aud in the galleries. 1 Mr. Blanchard (La.) thought that thero was no need to answer the assault made upon the President. The President could staud the assault made upon him by the gentleman from Pennsylvania or any other man. The country was prepared to applaud the action of the Executive when he pointed out the mistakes which had been made by Congress. The sundry civil appropriation bill qecupied the exclusive attention of the House, at its sesBlon on Juna &G. The bill was completed in committee of Lhe whole, after which the House adjourned. The Senate was not in session. Thebe is no place in the wide world like home. It is the dwelling place of our heart’s treasure, and the first of our lives we owe to it and its inmates. To make it pleasant and attractive should be the aim of every man. The largest crystal of ahim ever produced, weighing over eight tons, has been sent to the Edinburgh International Exhibition from the Manchester and Goole Alum Works. The fortune of Peer Park is made. We christen it Frankieville-