Litchfield enquirer., 1867-02-28
Congress.

In the Senate, Feb. 20 after some discussion the House arnendmends to the Military Reconstruc- ton bill were agreed to by vote of 8 to q. In tho House this bill had been previously amended on motion of Mir. Wilson by vote of 125 to 46, and sent to the Senate for their concurrence. The substance of the bill as finally passed appears in another column. The Army Appropriation Bill was then taken up in the House, and, after some debate, was passed. The second section, provides that the headquarters of the General of the army shall be located at Washington and that all orders of military character issued by the President or Secretary of War shall pass through the hands of the General also that the General shall not be re- moved suspended assigned to other duty rrelieved from command without tho previous sanction of the Senate. Any officer carrying orders in contra venton of this bill, subject to fine and imprison- ment.
 In tho Senate, Feb 21, the bill providing for the transfer of the Indian Bureau to tho War Depart ment was debated at length. In the House after much discussion concerning the expediency of ex- pension or contraction of tho currency bill was passed authorizing tho Secretary of the Treasury to redeem compound-interest notes with accrued interest," and to issue therefor logal-tender notes without interest, to the extont of s1OO oOo It was measure of the expensionists favored by most of the Western and opposed by most of the Eastern Representatives.
 In the Senate Feb. 22, the Indian Bureau bill was under discussion. The original Senate bill provided for mixed military and civil commission; this the House amended transferring the whole au- thority to army officers The Senate disagrees to this amendment and the bill with tho .Appropria- tion Bills goes to Conference committees In tho House bill for the relief of contractors for build ! ing ironclads was after much debate referred to the Committee on Claims. The Tax bill was then debated.
 In the Senate, Feb. 8, bill was passed prohibi ting payment of arrearages to U. s. officers who had joined the rebellion. The Indian appropria- ton bill was then debated at length and passed. In the House tho Civil Appropriation bill was de- bated and passed. A bill legalizing acts done un- der orders from the President by courts martial &c was also passed.
 In tho Senate Feb. 9 the bill in relation to the government of Montana, after having boon various y amended, was passed, and now goes to the House., Tho Conference Committee on tho Diplo- matic Appropriation Bi1l reported that the Com mittee had agreed upon an appropriation for the Portugal mission, but stipulated that no money whatever is to bo paid to the present Minister. Mr. Harvey. The report was agreed to. At the eyen- | ing session the River and Harbor Appropriation Bill was passed The Niagara Ship Canal Bill gave rise to considerable discussion but no definite ac- | tion was reached. .r ... -: ...
 In tho House MT. Darling, from the Select Com mittee on Revenue Frauds, presented long re- port, which was read. Tho House went into Con- mittoe of the Whole, and resumed the discussion
 or tho Amendatory Tax Bill During the debate
 Mr. Rollins presented a table showing the amount of tax collected in the rebel States for 1S66 From
 this it appears that tho tax on cotton amounted te
 S15 900 0J0 and from all other sources only $4 0OO
 00O Several additional amendments were adopt
 cd, and tho bill was passed without division.
 In the Senate Feb. 26 the Army appropriation
 Bill was taken up. The total amount appropriated for the support of the Freednlan's Bureau is s..
 935, ,890. A bill relative to Courts martial defining
 their powers, &c., was taken up, and, after some
 discussion, was passed. It goes to the House fo,
 concurrence.
 l In the House, Mir. Wenworth submitted the re-
 port of the special committee appointed to inves
 tigate the rumors as to corrupt bargains between
 members and the President. Tho Committee was
 unable to discover any foundation for such rumors
 and was therefore discharged from the furthe,
 consideration of the subject.