Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1859-02-09

OF the Treasury had the President recommen
ded the sale OF territory TO pay our debts,
instead OF asking millions 10 buy more.
Fen. lin the Senate, the bin TO give
lands to Agricultural Colleges was taken mp
and discussed By Messrs. Wade, Gwin and
Stuart. Mr.. Pugh moved TO rccommit the
bin, but before the question was taken the
Senate adjourned. In the House, Mr. Grow
moved reconsideration of the vote by which
the Homestead bill was referred to the Com
mittee of the Whole. and, after some discus
sion, the bill Has passed, 100 against 40. 1t
provides that any head of a family, over twen-
ty-one years OF age and citizen, shall be en-
titled 10 quarteT-section OF unsppropriated
land, and hold If Oh condition of actual set
tlement and cultivation. The French Spolia-
tion bill was taken up and discussed by Mr.
Burlingame, who moved the previous ques-
tiOn. Alter tilt between Messrs. BurliR-
game and Letcher, the Speaker decided that
the bill must be referred TO the Committee OF
the Whole before its passage.
FEB. 2.-ln the Senate, bill was i8troduc-
ed to establish steamship line from San
Francisco 10 Sbanghae, China. The bill TO
punish counterfeitcrs of military land wat
rants was passed. The Agricultural College
bill was recommitted, 2S to % ; after which
the Indian Appropriation bill was taken up
and debated. but without coming TO vote the
Senate went into Executive Session. In the
| House an interesting question arose upon the
bii TO issue land patents to the Shawnee Indi-
ans. and TO n5turaliZe them as citizens OF the
United States. After considerable debate the
naturalizjng clause was stricken ont ard tie
bill was rejected In Committee Of the whole
on the Executive Appropriation bill, there
was brisk debate upon the pay and mileage
of Members of Congress, and finally the item
of S200, 600 for mileage was stricken out by
nine majority. After the recess q long raTnb-
ling debate was had, but no vote was taken.
~ =
| a memorial OF the Legislature of New York for
the improvement of lakes and harbors, and
| made strong speech in favor thereof. Mr..
Houston brought in p bill to unite the two
Judicial Districts of Texas for the purpose OF
removing Judge Watrous- Mr.. II. said there
was conspiracy, got up by the Judge, in
which some NewTUrkeTs were complicated
TO obtain large proportion of the public do
main of Texas. The Minority Report in ref
| erence TO the Indiana Senators was presented.
| On motion of Mr. Gwin, the vote of the pre-
vious day on the Agricultural College bin was
reconSidered, the bill rediscussed and amend
| ed, but finally postponed until Monday. The
Indian Appropriation bill was passed. In the
! House, the Judiciary Committee was instruc-
ted TO inquire into the expediency of report
/ ing bill to define and punish poly gamy. The
! House passed the Senate'S bill relative to the
| New York Indian Reservation in Kansas.
| Ire Military Committee reported against a
bEiuCH Ol Tue HllsLdEE AcdlSUlN al the =l1eE-
mtage. Mr. Faulkner complained thaf al
| though Congress had been in session two
months, the Presidents Message and docu-
ments were not yet printed. In Committee,
the Civil Appropriation bill was taken mp, and
| a rather unimportant discussion ensucd, when
! the Committee rose without reporting the bill,
and the House adjourned.
FEB.4.-ln the Senate, "a bill was reported to
organize the Territories of Dakota and ! ri
zona. The Homestead bill, which passed the
House, was reported from the Public Lands
Committee, without amendment. The private
calendar was then taken up, and several bills
were passed, among them the bill for the re-
lief of the captain and crew of the brig Gen.
Armstrong, appropriating 100000 therefor
In the House, the Committee on Elections re-
ported, declaring B. b. Chapman the rightful
member for Nebraska, in place of Mr.. Fergu-
son. The remainder was spent in the exami-
nation OF private bills.