Connecticut western news., 1872-04-19
UNITED STATES CONGRESS-.
SENATE.

yzs &f ? tSENAIGs
 In the Senate, after the general busi- ness of the morning hour, the bill giving assent of Congress for the District of Columbia to subscribe to the stock of the Piedmont and Potomac Railroad Company was taken up and discussed.
 A bill to promote the ship-building and commissariat interests of the United States was reported from the Committee on Commerce. The House bill for the appointment of @ labor commission was taken up. The Railroad bill was discuss ed, amended and passed.
 Bills were passed for the relief of set tiers on the public lands in Iowa under the Homestead act, and granting the right of way through the public lands for railway from Salt Lake to, Portland, Oregon. e'.,.'f
 A large number of bills appropriating money to compensate parties for loss or damage to property during the recent war, were passed. While the Indian Appropriation bill was being discussed, MT. Windom, of Minn., said that the Teton Sioux Indians were led by chief called "Sitting Bull," who admitted that he had instigated the massacre in Minnesota in 1862, and if they could be got at with powder and lead he Win dom) would infinitely prefer to deal with them in that way, but as the case stood he preferred feeding them as the cheapest way of keeping them quiet, and he would add that if the peace policy succeeded with them it would succeed anywhere, for they were the very worst Indians in the country. He read statement from the War Depart ment showing that the expeditions against the Indians in 1864 and 1865 cost more than $6,O00,00O, and said that if the appropriation of $500, ,O00 would keep them at peace it would plainly be much cheaper than fighting them.
 A resolution was adopted in the House of Representatives declaring the Senate amendment to the House bill repeating the duties on tea and coffee unconstltu- tional by @ vote 153 to 9. The fact was announced in the Senate, when Mir. Merrill characterizing the resolution as an extraordinary one, moved that it lie over and be printed, which was agreed to. ....
 In the House several bills were passed giving certain railroads in Uaah and Oregon the right of way through the public lands. A bill was reported from the Committee on Public Lands secur- ing the public domain to actual set tiers.
 The House of Representative passed the Steamboat bill substantially as it Jeff the committee. The bill reported from the Commit ttee on Public Lands, reserv' ing the public lands for actual settlers only, went over. The House took IF the report on the Alabama contested election case, declaring Hadley, the sit
 ting member, entitled to his seat and al
 lowing the contestant his expenses.
 long debate ensued on the bill for the
 appointment of Shipping Commissioner
 in the interest of sailors and of commerce
 The Committee on Post.ofices ant Post-roads submit ted to the House thei
 report on "straw bids in mail contracts The committee admit that the Post-mas General might in most cases hav' ! made contracts at lower rates, and thu have reduced the expenditure of the gov ernment, but conclude that he was justi fled by circumstances and by law.
 In the House the bills passed appoint 1oS OOAA1AAooAO0C1O, cRhSA pAAO MI reported by the Naval Committee payin, the officers and crew of the Kearsarge Also bill awarding to MT. R. M. Greer $l0,0OO for the governments use of hi patent machine for bending chain-cabl : links, Sc. The House then went int
 committee of the whole on the Army Ar
 propriation bill, which eicited a stron
 debate. The bill passed without a diyis
 ion. Sf8E k2sszs z w In the House resolution declarin
 Dr. Howard an American citizen an instructing the President to demand (
 Spain his immediate release and restors !, tion of his confscated estate was refe
 red to the Foreign Committee, and al r other adopted instructing the Rankin l. and Currency Committee to investigat
 the recent conspiracy in Wall stree New York, to lock up currency. Thirt. three of the Senate's amendments to tE Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Al g propriation bill were disposed of. MT
 Cox has introduced bill into the Hous n providing for the expenses of laying cable to point three hundred mile
 from Nantucket to relief ship, whene B timely warning of the approach of di T astrous easterly gales might be tel
 graphed.