Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 March 1896 — SENATE AND HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

SENATE AND HOUSE.

WORK OF OUR NATIONAL LAW« MAKERS. A Week’s Proceedings in the ball* of Congress—lmportant Measures Dis- : cussed and Acted Upon—An Impart tiat Hcsume of the Business. The Rational Solons. The House devoted Tuesday to the bill " to amend the administrative tariff act of 1890, and passed it without substantial amendment The purpose of the bill is to strengthen the act of 1890, some weak spots having been developed during the six years it has been in operation. The bill was drawn after extensive' hear-, ings, and the advice and assistance of the Treasury Department, the Board of General Appraisers, importers and others with practical experience on the subject. One of the most important changes makes increased duties and penalties for undervaluation commence at the point of undervaluation, and not at 10 per cent, above the undervaluation as provided by the present law. The House Committee on Immigration decided to favorably report two important restrictive measures introduced by Mr. McCall (Mass.) and Mr. W. A. Stone (Pa.) The Stone bill establishes as a requisite for admission to the United States that the immigrant shall be provided with a certificate from the Uni* ted States Consul or other authorized representative of the United States at the place nearest his last residence that he is eligible to admission to the United States under the existing la\Vs. The McCall bill, as amended by the committee, excludes all males between the ages of 16 and 60 who are not able to read and write English or some other language. The Cuban debate was continued in the Senate.. The House Wednesday began consideration of the resolution of censure of Ambassador Bayard for his Edinburgh speech. The remarks of Mr. Cousins, of lowa, in support of the resolution were the feature of the proceedings. The Senate had in hand the public opening of the Uncompahgre Indian reservation, but nothing of importance was done. Cuba had the entire attention of the Senate Thursday, speeches being made by Senators* Gray, Chilton and Cnfferty, the debate being enlivened by many spirited incidents. Mr. Gray’s plea lor Cuba brought on a running cross-fire of comment and inquiry from 'Mr. Hale. The Delaware Senator caused much amusement by referring- to Mr. Hale as “tlie Senator from Spain." Mi - . Davis (Rep.), of Minneapolis, chairman of the Cbmuiittee on Territories, reported favorably the bill to admit New Mexico to Statehood. In the House Mr. Grosvenor (Rep.), Of Ohio, in reply to the remarks made by Mr. McCreary about' Gen. Schenck, while minister to Great Britain, in connection with the Emma mines, and his authorship of a volume entitled—“ Rules of DruwPoker, ”...referred to Gen. Schenck’s distinguished services in times of war and peace. He could not understand the purpose of the attack. Mr. McCreary said that he had made no attack on Gen. ,Schenck. Mr. Grosvenor wanted to knowthen what the purpose was. If it was not intended to assail the memory of a dead man like a ghoul then the utterances of Mr. McCreary were idle words. In regard to the Emma mines the best proof of Gen. Schenck’s good intentions was that ho himself invested large sums of money in. those stocks and continued to pay the assessments to the day of his death. As to the bool on draw poker he had written out a few rules of the great American game by request of a friend and had been, of course, very much chagrined when public reference to it had been made. Ho abused no confidence when he said that Gen. Schenck told a friend he knew just enough about poker to always lose his money. As a poker player, however, ho desired to say that he died without leaving an unpaid poker debt. In conclusion,, Mr, Grosvenor rehearsed Gen. Schenck’s career and paid a glowing tribute to his services in the army, in Congress and in the diplomatic service. . In the Senate Friday the following bills were passed; Fixing Ogden and Snit Lake City as the places lor holding terms of the United States courts in Utah; granting a pension of SSO to the widow of the late Brigadier General Olendenin; authorizing the payment of highest grade of his rank to Rear Admiral Russell, retired; for the disposal of lands in the Fort Klamath Bay reservation, Oregon; fixing the rank and pay of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy; for a survey of the mouth of the Yukon river, Alaska. The Senate adjourned until Monday. In the House Mr. Boatner, was* unseated by a vote of 13l to 59 and the seat declared vacant. According to the face of the returns, Mr. Boatner had 15,520 votes and Mr. Benoit 5,994. The minority contended that purged returns would still elect Mr. Boatner by over 5,000. A vote of censure against Ambassador Bayard was carried.