Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1886 — CONGESSIONAL [ARTICLE]

CONGESSIONAL

Th* Work at the Senate and Ffo—a at Representative*. , ... 1- • . ‘ 1 The Senate passed the De« Moines land bill over the President's veto, on the 29th nit, by a vote of 84 to 15. The Senate agreed to conference reports on the army appropriation bill and the bill to amend the Pacific Railroad acta. Mr. Camden (W. Va.) denied a newspaper state mentthat he had telegraphed from Washington that only six votes were necessary to carry the Senate for Payne, and the Standard Oil Company would pay $50,000 each for them. The Bentaor. said that at the time named he was not in Washington, anil that the story was without foundation and absurd. A resolution was adopted appointing Gen. William J. Sewell, Gen. M. T. McMahon, and Capt. John L. Mitchell as managers of the National Homes for Disabled Soldiers. The Senate took up the legislative, executive, and judicial bill, and some amendments reported by the Committee on Appropriations increasing the clerical force of the State Department gave rise to a sharp debate ia which Senators Edmunds of Vermont, Ingalls, of Kansas, and Hale of Maine criticised the administration. Senator Cockrell, of Missouri, brought the discussion to a close with the remark that the administration needed ho defender in the Senate. The people of the United States would live to bow their knees in everlasting thankfulness to Almighty God that Grover Cleveland had become President of the United States. He was-an honest man, a brave man, a true man. He was doing all that any mortal being could do to give the people of tlie United States an honest, fearless, economical, and constitutional administration. The discussion having closed, the amendments on which it was based were agreed to. The House, in committee of the whole, rejected the motion of Mr. Laird (Neb.) to strike out the clause In the sundry civil bill appropriating $30,000 for protecting the public lands from fraudulent entry. The general deficiency bill was reported to the House. * It appropriates $6,062,845. The House agreed to conference reports on the pension and agricultural appropriation bills. Senator Edmunds introduced in the Senate, on the 30th ult., a bill vesting in tfie President the sole power of appointing a large number of officers who are now appointed “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate." Among these are postmasters of all classes, collectors of internal revenue, certain collectors of customs, all territorial officers except judges of the Supreme Courts, all district attorneys, and United States marshals, Indian agents, and district land officers. Resolutions of the Portland (Oregon) board of trade were laid before the Senate to the effect that the previous resolutions of that body protesting against the forfeiture of the Northern Pacific land grant for tho uncompleted portion of tha Cascade branch were inconsiderate and illegal and should be expunged from the record of the board. The House In committee of the whole adopted an amendment presented by Mr. Randall (Pa.) appropriating $14,620 for the service of tho army and navy hospital at Hot Springs, Ark. Chairman Boyle of the Pan-Electric Telephone Committee presented a report signed by himself and Messrs. Oates, Eden, and Hall. The report ■was accompanied by the following resolution, which was concurred in by Mr. Hale, who also presented a report of his own: “Resolved, That a full, fair, and exhaustive investigation has failed to adduce any evidence which tends to show that Attorney-General Garland, Solicitor-General Goode, Secretary Larmar, Indian Commissioner Atkins, Railroad Commissioner Johnstone,or Senator Harris, they being the officers named in the Pan-Electric publications of the newspaper press which gave rise to this investigation, did any act, official or otherwise, connected with the matter investigated which was dishonest, dishonorable, or censurable. ”

The House bill for the relief of the survivors of the Jeannette and the widows and children of those who perished in the retreat from the wreck of that vessel in the arctic seas was reported favorably to the Senate on the Ist inst. fromthe Committee on Naval Affairs. Senator Riddleberger introduced a bill providing for a 25 per cent, reduction in the salaries of Cabinet officers, Senators and Representatives. Senator Miller, from the Committee on Agriculture, reported back, without amendments; the House bjll taxing oleomargarine, four members of the committee dissenting. The President nominated John C. Shields ot ' Michigan to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Arizona, and G. Chase Godwin to be United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan. The House passed the sundry civil appropriation bill, and refused to pass the Des Moines River land bill over the President’s [ veto. The legislative appropriation bill passed the ; Senate on the 2d inst. Senator Vance, in opposing an amendment to the bill providing for an additional clerk for the Civil-Service Commission, said that if the commission was unable to do any more business it would be so much the better. Senator Saulsbury thought the CivilService Commission, from beginning to end, a useless piece of machinery. If he nad his way he would repeal the law. Mr. Voorhees said that he had never been for the law, Bleeping or walking, but while it was a law he would treat it fairly and give it a fair chance. Senator Ingalls did not wonder that Senator Voorhees was in favor of the civil-service law as administered by the Democratic party, and he quoted from the statement of the Commissioner of Pensions, that out of seventy-seven men appointed by him under civil-service rule seventytwo,were Democrats and the ether five were of .unknown politics. The amendment was adopted,. Senator Cockrell, of Missouri, in discussingtne , paragraph of tha deficiency appropriation bill relating to the NaYy Department.said that in 1856 there were 320 serviceable vessels in the navy ; to-day there were but eighty seven vessels, and of these the Secretary of the Navy certified that only thirty-seven were serviceable. During these twenty years (419,000,000 had been expended lorthenavalestablishment.of whichs9J,I 000,060 hai been expended for construction and repairs. Ths House passed the Senate bill pro- ‘ viding for an uddit'onal Justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Montana. The Senate amendments to the bill repealing the pre- ■ emption, timber culture, and desert land laws were nonconcurred in by the House, and a com- : mittee of conference was Appointed. An amendment to the general deficiency bill providing for the payment of the claims of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company for the transportation of troops to Panama in June, 1885, was agreed to by the House. The President vetoed the act granting a pension to William Boone. It appears that Boone enlisted in August, 1862, was in action in November of the same year, and was taken prisoner and at once paroled. During his parole he took part in the Fourth of July celebration at Aurora, 111., in 1863, and was terribly injured by the discharge of a cannon, which he was assisting to manage. In reviewing the case the President says ho is unable to discover any relation between the accident and the military service. He says further • ”A disabled man and wife and family in need are objects which appeal to the sympathy and charitable feelings of any decent man ; but it seems to me tfiat it by no means follows that those intrusted With the people’s businessuand the expenditure of the people’s money are justified in so executing the pension laws as that they shall furnish a means of relief in every case of distress or hardship." -