Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 March 1888 — THE FIFTIETH CONGRESS. [ARTICLE]

THE FIFTIETH CONGRESS.

Neither the House or Senate transacted busineaa on the 22d, Washington's blrthdaj. Thu Senate on the 23d passed bills as follows. To eurry into effect the international convention for the protection of submarine cables; to enable California to take lands in lieu of the 16th and 96th sections, found to be mineral lands ;to provide for an international marine conference for securing greater safety for life and property at sea; to extend the laws of the United States over certain unorganlzid territory known as No-Man’i-Land. (it establishes the Cimmaron land district); authorizing the removal of the quarantine station from Ship Island, Miss., and appropriating 945.003 for the purpose; to amend the act for the allotment of lands in severalty to the Indians residing upon the Umatilla reservation in Oregon; incorporating the Washington cable electric street railway. A resolution was entroduoed in the House requesting the President to send to the House, if not incompatible with the public interests, all documents and correpondeaee between thia government and the governments of Great Britain and Venezuela, or either of them, relating to ths question of the disputed boundaries between said British colonies and Venezuela. The floor was theu accorded to the committee on public buildings and grounds, and bills were reported from that eommittee and placed upon the calendar for the erection buildings at the following points: Kalamazoo. Mich., Logansport, Ind.; Allegheny City, Pa.: Youngstown, O.; Atchison, Kan.; Hamilton, 0.; Akron, O.;Sioux City, la.; Madison, Ind,; Zanesville, O.; Helena, M-nt; Cheyenne, Wy. T.; Vicks-' burg, Miss ; Kansas City, Mo., and Evansville, Ind., (Marine Hospital). Also, to increase tne appropriations for the public building at Winona, Minn., to ;200,009. Bills were passed providing ior public buildings at Birmingham. Ala.; Duluth, Wls ; Newark, N. J.; Council luffs, Iowa; Allentown and Lancaster, Pa.; and. Charleston W. Va. Mr. Bland fought these measures at every point. There had been introduced into tbe.present Congress, he said, public building measures which involved the expenditure oi 925,000,000. The scheme was to take the surplus out of the treasury and squander it tipon these measures, which the people condemned. It was the policy of the Democratie party to have au econom'oal administration of. the government, and to pay the money in the treasury on the public debt, yet here, in a Democratic House, measure after measure was passed te squander that money. It was about time that the Democratic party should put Its foot on the whole scheme, If it wanted to reduce taxation. The Senate, on the 27th, passed the bill to incorporate the Maritime Canal Company, of Nicaragua (Nicaragua Canal) by ayes 38, nays 15. The nays were Bate, Berry, Blackburn, Coke. Faulkner, George, Gibson, Hampton, Kenna, Pasco, Reagan, Riddlebergjr, Vest, Walthall and Wilson, of Md. Tuc Senate then took up the bill granting pensions to ex-soldiers and sailors who are incapacitated for performance of manual labor, and- providing tor pensions to dependent relatives of deceased soldiers and sailors. The second section was amended by addin? the u ords “and who are without adequate means of self-support.’’ The bill was considered at length but without Anal action. In the House, Matson reported, adversely, a resolution reciting the “One Hundred Day Circuit r” Issued by General Black, Commissioner of Pensions, and directing the Committee to inquire whether such a circular was Issued, and if so, whether any pension claims have been rejected through non-compliance with the requests contained therein. Mr. Matson stated that such a circular had been i<sued, and that its effect had been salutary. Many claims had been vigorously prosecuted, and allowed, which otherwise would have remained unacted upon an account of a want of evidence. After discussion the resolution was tabled, ayes 119, nays 99. Bills were introduced.