Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1887 — CONGRESSIONAL. [ARTICLE]

CONGRESSIONAL.

Work of the Senate and the Home of Representatives. A House bill forfeiting cortaln lands prantod to the State of Michigan for a railroad from Ontonagon to tlio Wisconsin State line passed the Senate on the Ist inst. Tho Senate passed fifty-a*veil private, pension bills In twenty-five reunites, as also bills to eonvej tothoeitjlpf Aurora, 111., a small island in Fix River: to authorize tho bridging of! the Missouri at Yankton; to annex a portion of Idaho to Washington Territory; ami to give right of way through Indian Territory to the Chicago, Kaunas and Nebraska Hoad. TVi So■:ate ordered tlio preparation of an index to its secret journal for tho fifty years from 1829 to 18,9. Tho Injunction of secrecy will probably lie removed next autumn. The conference report on the river and harbor hill was adopted bv both houses It appropriate) nearly *10,000,000. The U >use of Representatives passed tho Mex-. lean pension appropriation of *2,800.(100 for the remainder of the fiscal year, and *4,000,000 for next year. Tho legislative and deficiency appropriat on bills were passed under suspension of tho rules. At the evening session hills were . passed for brid .ing the Missouri at Omaha and Kansas City, ami the Mississippi at Ko.ikuk. , The Ssnato passed the naval appr>priation . hill on tho 2d inst., with an amendment providing for Btx protected stool cruisers asd for the purchase of Ericsson’s Destroyer. In executive se-sion Public Printer Benedict was confirmed by the Henate by a vote ot 3/to 19. The report of tlio Committee on Printing recommended his rejection because ho did not answoi' to the requirements of the law, which stipulates that the incumbent of this offico shall he a practical printer, which, technically speaking, Mr. Benedict is not. having never learned tho trade. He gained what knowledge ho has of the printer's art while editor of a newspaper and proprietor of a job olllco. Mr. Gorman and Mr. Miller, of New York, defended Benodict, and argued that having proved himsolf a competent man during six montns of trial he should not bo rejected upon a technicality, which appeared to be the opinion of tho Senate, for twofity Kepublicans voted in, his favor. The Senate Committee on tho District of Columbia reported adversely upon tho nomination of James M. Trotter to bo Hecordor of Deeds for tho District of Columbia. The nomination of Lieut. Greoly to be Brigadier General and Chief Signal Officer was reported* 1 favorably. The House of Representatives receded from its amendments to the Senate retaliatory fisheries bill and the Pacific railroad investigation resolu tious. The Committee on Ways and Means, uittdo an adverse report on the bill for the reliof of sutforefs by fire at Eastport, Me. Senator Hoar made a bitter attack os Speaker Carlisle, in the Senate on tho 3d inst. He stated that by holding back the appropriation bills both the Senate and House were compelled in the closing hours of the session to submit to the dictation of three or four members of the House Committee ou Appropriations. He also complained that the Speaker haa recently refused to recognize a member desiring to make a motion of which the Chair disapproved. The Kentucky Senators rose and defended- Speaker Carlisle from tho Charge of usurpation of power. The Senate passed bills for public buildings at Dayton, Sioux City, Lafayette, and Lynn over vetoes by the President, and the House hill appropriating 50,000,003 to pay pensions to Mexican veterans. The President sent to the Senate the nomination of Chauucey It. Schultz, of Missouri, to be Assistant Treasurer of tho United States at St. Louis, Mo.; also tho following Registers of Land Offices: At Concordia, Kan., Samuel Demcreß; Deadwood, D. T., John It. Whiteside; Blackfoot, Idaho, Frank W. Bean. The President approved the act authorizing the President to dofend the rights of American fishing vessels. American fishermen, Ame rican trading and other vessels in the British Dominions of North America; also the Indian ap propriation bill; the act to establish an agricultural experiment station in connection with the collegos established under tho act of July 2,1862; and the act relating to tho division of the State of Illinois into judicial districts and to provide for holding terms of court of the Northern District at Tooria. Tho House of Representatives passed Senate bills to repeal the tonure of office act; to accept the Highwood. tract from the Commercial Club of Chicago; to appropriate *355,003 for the purchase of a postolrice sito at San Francisco; an attempt to pass the Senate bill pensioning Mrs. Logan was defeated. The bill admitting freo of duty articles intended for the Minneapolis exposition, and the Seriato bill authorizing tho construction of a bridgo across tho Mississippi at Grand Tower, 111., were passed. Chairman Curtin, of the select committee created by the House of Representatives to inquire into the cause, and extent of Western railroad strikes, submitted the report of that commtitoe. By far the larger part of the report is devoted to a history of the origin aud pnigivss of tho Missouri Pacific strike, nnd a recapitulation of tho testimony taken by the committee.

Congress adjourned sine die at noon on Friday, March 4, Among the appropriations of national inipoitouco that failod during the closing hours were the following: The deficiency, tho District of Columbia, and the fortification bills. Tho rivor and harbor appropriation bill, including the Hennepin Canal, failed because of tho failure cf tho President to sigu it bofore tho adjournment. Tho anti-polygamy bill boeame a law without the President’s signature, ten days having elapsed after its passage before tho final adjournment of Congress. The failure of the deficiency bill is likely to embarrass the postal service, as it contained provisions for supplying pressing demands for postal-cards, stamps, and other Items. Tho legal machinery of the Government will also be materially disarranged during thoTemamder of the fiscal year, as no money will be available for jurors’, witnesses’,' or marshals’ ieos, and many prisoners cannot bo triod-wr months to come A number of soldiers’ claims, aggregating 570J,000, which had been certified by the Treasury, will fail also of settlement. Navy -department officials say tho failure ot tho bill will causo a stoppage of all w’ork on the new cruisers Boston and Chico-' go. It is expected, tliat tho Atlanta cau be completed, as.but little'remaius-to bejione on her. The Sen;,to in executive session confirmed James W. Trotter to be Kecorder of Deeds for the Districtt>f Columbia, and Captain Greeiy .to bo. Chief {Signal,Officer, with rank of Brigadier General. A Washington special thus describes the closing scenes in the House : “All night long tho conference-committees were wrestling • over tlio contested portions of the appropriations, and the two houses were necessarily kept in session to await reports thereon and take final action. It was the most tedious and uninteresting all-night session, and after mid-, night,' when the galleries had been emptied ..of., the crowd, at least one-half of tlio members went to their lodgings or to eommittee-hjpms and convenient resting-places to slet'p. A quorum was not present at any time after that hour, but the forms of legislation were kept up, and a number of bills were passed. Tlio shouting and' rushing for a chance to ge’P’bills before the House for action was kept up at intervals, but did hot disturb members sleeping in various parts of tho hall. Wide-awake nnd tireless fel-' lows unbent their dignity, played pranks upon each other, and resorted to other boyish means of whiling away the time. During the night thi announcement of an agreement upon tuo legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation bill brightened the prospeot so that the diversion of a brief debate on a proposition to givo clerks to Representatives as well os (Senators ' was indulged in. Meanwhile tho portions of tlio bill that had been in dispute were being enrolled, and the bill was ready for the President in good time. The .House remained firm against tho mail subsidy, and so tho Senat .i receded and the postoffioe appropriation was saved. Tho conferrees on the fortifications bill did not agree, but had so far reconciled differences that it is believed a few uio e hours would have brought them together. Tlio Sioux City - public building bill, vetoed by the President, was again passed By the Senate, but in the Hotise William 1,. Scott, of Pennsylvania, fought it and beat it because Mr. Struble, of Io wa, had defeated the Sioux City bridge bill, in which Scott w as interested.” Learnt from the earliest days to insure your principles against the perils of ridicule; you nan no more exercise your reason if you live in the constant dread of laughter than you can eujoy your life if you are in the“renstant terror of death.— Sydney Smith. Honor—to the trite man ever who takes his life in his hands, and at all hazards speaks the word which is given him to utter, whether men will hear or forbear, whether the end thereof is to be pfaise or censure, gratitude or hatred.— TVh ittier. Shf.rby wine is always taken with mock- turtle soup, because wine is a mocker. - ' ■'. 7 . x ?jr “This beats me,” as the egg remarked when it saw the spoon.— Boston Commercial Bulletin.