Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-06-29
FROM WASHINGTON.
THURSDAY, June 2l, 1850.
Closing up Business.

session to-day, or at the mrthest on Monday
nest, the chairman of the committee of ways
and means has claimed precedence for the APP
preparation bills. Snatchcs Of time only could
be given for private bills or other than appro-
D. pration bills and, consequently, every man
of the two hundred and forty members and
= delegates had IAN axe to grind. " and each was
s particularly anxious to get the first chance at
n the grindstone. The scenes have been sufi-
, GENTLY ludicrous, to say the least. just i'm
agne hundred members az once upon their
!. leet-thc front benches lined with platoons in
. full charge upon the chair, and the rear guard
d pressing down upon them eager for the fght.
Then hear the universal cll-"Mr. Speaker :
Mr.. Speaker How can the Speaker tell
the happy man who first addressed the chair
i That is his duty TO be sure; that is, accord
ing TO parliamentary law but then the Speak
or observes no such rule lie has promised
the floor TO q score or more some who had
his promise have been waiting moro than
month so the Speaker simply recognizes
somebody who has had his promise. and the
mnety-nino are compelled to yield as grace
, fully as possible, and watch the next chance.
Thus the rush Of platoons and roll Of "Nlr.
Speaker! Mr.. Speaker go on, one after an.
other like surges Of the sea rolling upon
beach. 1t is all but impossible to get even
the simplest matter-of-course action done. and
the many will fail and only the few be saved.
For instance it has taken me week. with
sharp watching at that, to get little thing
done, which was done ia less than halt a min
ute and by unanimous consent when the House
got at it. 1t was simply to give the concur
renee Of the House to an amendment of the
Sebate' changing a single word Ia House
. bill yet many bill which has passed both
Houses, will probably fail for want Of lust
such action as that. The many are necessa-
e rily rcbuffed yet as it is 50 palpabc that
they ca'Rot succeed, the most take their i'll
luck in good temper. Otherwise the House.
s during the last ten days of session, would
be as near purgatory as one can imagiue-iu
. the flesh
The PuJFc Bills
Arc also rushed through in great haste
e but fortunately all Of them have undergone
g the scrutiny of committees, including the com
, mitteo of the whole, and the points to be act
ed upon are the differences between the views
of the Senate and the House These arc set
/, tied in committees of conference, and each
House decides on their roports-thc report on
It each bill, however many disagrccmcnts there
. may he upor 10 - o.,o L.. m
lie bills are ordinarily all saved So far, no
appropriation bill has failed where the com
mittees Of conference had agreed.
The Homestead BIZ.
After a dozen Intellectual attempts TO agree
+ by committees Of conference, there has at las
} been an agreement on the Homestead bill.
and both Houses have passed the bill | do
not think the President will venture veto.
As passed, all land subject to entry is omen
h for homesteads at 25 cents per acre, that be-
ing the cost to the government also one-half
p of surveyed lands which have not vet been
offered for sale. Pre-emptors now on lands
are to have two years to pay for their lands,
r and are to pay half price-that is, 90 - cts.
2 per acre, The provision requiring the Pres
ident to sell lands within two years after sur
s yey, was stricken out. The homestead right
, Is limited to heads of families. The House
> committee insisted long upon extending this
privilege to the unmarried, and yielded it
imally with a notice that the friends of the
homestead policy will hereafter press this point
by another act. In fact, the bill is but par
tal success, and docs not settle the question.
The House concurrcd on the ground that
half loaf is better than no bread"
Loan b.
The great question Of the session is-Shall
we have loan with or without Tariff; The
House thus far has insisted upon Tariff to
accompany the loan, on the ground that it is
+ best to provide means to pay your debts when
you incur them. The Senate insists upon a
loan 'oithom a Tariff Twenty million is the
sum talked about-thirty million will be want
ed before the 30th Of June, 1861. The House
has rejected one proposition of the Senate for
loan without Tariff, on the ground that
the Senate has not the constitutional rigbt IN
"''a'""'D revenue measure. Yesterday the
committee of ways and means endeavored to
avoid this difficulty by originating loan bill
but the attompt failed for want OF two-thirds
vote, Upon that the Senate took up the
Tariff bill, and then, at an carly hour and
without an evening session, adjourned over
to this morning. Tho motion to adjourn was
pressed as test vote against considering the
Tariff; so it is taken simply as a hint that
the Senate is in no hurry to finish the bust.
ness Of the session. Tho Senate seems to say
to the House-Pass a loan bill, or YOU cannot
adjourn Or if you do adjourn. the President
will call You back again. If the senate ,oh
not isko up the Tariff and try to agree with
the House upon some reasonable measure