Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1887 — CONGRESSIONAL. [ARTICLE]

CONGRESSIONAL.

Work of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both houses of Congress assembled, after the,holiday recess, on the 4th lost., but immediately adjourned in memory of the late Senator Logan. In the Senate, ds soon as the. reading of the journal was concluded. Mr. Cullom took the floor and said: “Mr. president, the angel of death stalks through the land, and his visitation has been most unexpected during the brief recess of the Senate, imposing on me a duty which I have scarcely the heart to perform—the duty of announcing the death of my distinguished colleague. At bis home, which overlooks this capital city, at 2:57 o’clock on Sunday, the 26th day of December, the spirit of John A. Logan took its flight to the unknown realms of eternity ; and on Friday last his funeral ceremonies were conducted by the Senators apd Representatives present in this Senate chamber, and his mortal remains were conveyed to the silent tomb. We - are called upon to mourn the loss of one of the bravest and noblest of men—a man loved by the patriotic people of bis State and of the nation 7 , a man known to his country and to the civilized world, aud for nearly fourteen years a distinguished member of this Senate. I shall not at this time, Mr. President, attempt to pronounce the words which are -due to the memory of one who for so many years performed so important nnd conspicuous a part in the affairs of this republic. At an early day I shall seek to introduce appropriate resolutions and shall speak, as I may be best able, of the character and public services of our associate ; when an opportunity will be given to the Senators to pay fitting tribute to his memory. Mr. President, out of resjlSct for the memory of the deceased Senator Logan, I move that the Senate do now adjourn.' 7 The motion was agreed to, and the Senate adjourned. In the House of Representatives Mr. Thomas of Illinois offered the following resolution. which was unanimously adopted: Resolved, That the House has heard with great sorrow the announcement of the death of the Hon. John A. Logan, late Senator of the United States from the State of Illinois. “As a further evidence of the respect felt for the deceased statesman,” said Mr. Thomas, I move that the House do now adjourn, giving notice that at a later day I will ask that the proceedings of the House be suspended in order that his colleagues and friends may bear testimony to his worth." The motion was agreed to. aud the House adjourned

An appropriation bill for 8600,000 to promote the Colored People’s World’s Exposition, to be held in Birmingham, Ala., from September 22, 1887, to January 31, 1888, was introduced in the Senate on the sth inst. Senator Sherman introduced a bill to provide that all persons on the pension rolls for loss of limb or limbs shall be entitled to receive arrears of pension from the date of discharge or disability. A bill was introduced for the establishment of not less than one agricultural experiment station and farm in each of the several States. A bill granting a pension of 82,000 a year to the -widow of Gen. Logan was introduced. Senator Plumb introduced a bill to fix the amount of United States bonds to be required of national banks. Senator Cullom presented a memorial of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce favoring the passage of the interstate commerce bill; also of the proceedings of a railroad convention on the same subject Petitions protesting against its passage were also presented. Senator Platt made a long speech on the interstate commerce bill, the Senate having taken up the conference report. The House passed the Indian appropriation bill, covering 85,115,(KX), as also the military academy appropriation bill. Apetition from James A. Garfield Grand Army Post of California, favoring the Edmunds and Tucker anti-polygamy bill, was presented in the House. James W. Heed, Representative for the Fifth District of North Carolina, sr>nt iu his resignation. Mr. McPherson’s resolution, calling ofi the Secretary of the Treasury for a statement of the indebtedness of the Pacific Railroad Companies to the-government, and as to the effect of the funding bill thereon, was adopted by the Senate on the 6th inst. The Senate passed bills granting pensions of $2,000 per annum ; to the widows of Gen. John A. Logan and Frank P. Blair, and to carry into effect a treaty with China for the suppression of the opium traffic. A resolution was adopted, calling on the Secretary of War for the report of the Board of Engineers on the bridging of the Mississippi River near St. Louie. Senator Edmunds presented a memorial from a committee of the General National Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, praying Congress to provide for obtaining statistics of marriage and divorce. Senator Spooner presented a memorial from the State Grange of Wisconsin, praying for the passage of the interstate commerce bill. The Senate passed the bill to carry into effect the treaty with China for the suppression of the opiutn traffic, and also the bill granting to the Kansas, Texas and Southwestern Railroad Company aud right of way across Fort Hayes military reservation. The bill to incorporate the Maritime Canal Company of Nicaragua was reported to the Senate Foreign Committee and placed on the calendar. A bill to protect the morals of minora in the District of Columbia was introduced by Senator Vance. Presideht Cleveland nominated Thdmas C. Manning, of Louisiana, its Minister to Mexico, and Hugh A. Densmore, of Arkansas, as Minister Resident in Corea. The House of Representatives passed the pension bill, which appropriates $76,217,510. Mr. Henderson introduced a bill authorizing the bridging of the Mississippi at Dubuque. In the election contest of Page vs. Pirpe, a Rhode Island case, a majority report from the Elections Committee of the House hekl.that neither is entitled to a seat in Con•gress, while the minority recommended the seating of Pirce, the Republican sitting member. In the case of Kidd vs. Steele of Indiana a unanimous report was made iu of Steele, Republican. Senator Call introduced aresolution in the Senate, on the 7th inst, declaring that certain lands granted for railroad purposes in Florida shall be forfeited, and instructing the Attorney General to bring suit against all corporations attenipting to sell or advertise public lands embraced in railroad grants where bills for forfeit ure are pending before Congress. Senator McPherson submitted ,an amendment to the interstate commerce bill, proposing the addition of a clause to section 5, which prohibits pooling, in effect suspending that section until Jun. 1, 1888, whenever a ma jority of the commission believe the interests of, both shippers and carriers would be best promoted bv permitting pooling. A remonstrance was presented from Dayton (O.) business meh against, and a petition from the Kenosha, (Wis 1 Business Men’s Club in favor of, the interstate bommeree bill. Petitions favoring the experimental agricultural stations bill were also presented. Bills were passed to adjust the claims of any State for expenses incurred in the national defense ; for a school of instruction for cavalry and artillery at Fort Riley, and appropriating $30,000 for the widow and daughter of Erskine S. Allin, the inventor of the Springfield breech-loading rifle. The House passed forty-two pension bills, including one granting SSO a month to the widow of General Durbin Ward. The House also passed the Senate bill amending the act providing for the sale of the Sac and Fox lowa Indian reservation in Nebraska and Kansas. The amendment provides for the allotment of lands in severalty to minors and orphans. A bill was introduced in the House by Mr. Hiscock on the Sth inst. to reduce the taxation and duties on raw sugar, also on tobacco, snuff and cigars. Mr, Springer presented an amendment which he proposes to offer to the Pacific Railroad funding bill when it comes up for consideration. It proposes to strike out all that nortion of the bill which prescribes the mode in which the companies shall pay their indebtedness to the Government, and to insert in place thereof a series of provisions, the principal of which is that the companies shall, the first dav of October ami 7 semi-annually pay into the United States Treasury a sum equal to the amount which the United States is required to pav semiannually as interest on the subsidy bonds advanced to the said companies until the maturity of said bonds, less the amount of any payments made bv the said companies during the six months previous to any such payment of their indebtedness Under any act of Congress heretofore passed.

A Wisconsin farmer, going down a hill with a load of hay, locked one of the wheels of the wagon. The friction of the wheel upon the ground struck a spark which ignited the hay and started a fire that required eleven men to extinguish. There is a veteran Georgian in Americus who lias fifteen children, fifty-one grandchildren,and twenty-four great-grandchildren. Japan has a population of 37,000,000, but has less than 10,009 paupers.