Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-02-21
Correspondence of the Bulletin. |

VIII have dispersed among their
constituents, and yet there is a
gloomy uncertainty hanging over
the question which renders it i'm.
possible to foretell what will come
to pass. The fact is, the Senate has
got into trouble; the Senators seem
to have lost their character and arc
now hunting for it, and they dom,
seem to have good luck so far in
finding it. They appointed com
mittee and that committee examined
Mr.. Edwards to see if he had it.
but he hadn't it, and they have
called on Gov. Merrill and Mr.
Graves to ascertain if they have
seen anything of it.
OF course the House must dance
attendance upon the Senate until
the Honorable Senators are com.
pletely recovered SO that they can be
dismissed with clean bill OF
health.
A Senatorial correspondent OF
the Chicago Journal represents the
Speaker and Clerk of the House as
having had sharp talk about the
journal in certain case, and that
the Speaker had said that the tariff
bill could not be carried to the Sen.
ate unless his body was carried with
it, &C., &c. This is all silly fab.
rication. There was a caucus held,
but it miscarried so palpably that
another will not be soon called
The caucus agreed to an amend.
ment to the tariff, and it was offered
by Mr.. Leahy. 1t passed by an UNI
expectedly large vote, and tie
House being out of work, adjourned.
Immediately afterwards 1t was dis
covered that Mr.. Lcahy had by
mistake offered the amendment as a
substitute for portion of the
O'Donnell Bill, when it was intend
cd to take the place of the Kea-
blcs amendment, and when this
mistake became known there was
some excitement and the Clerk S
minutes were eagerly examined BY
the Speaker; but there was no hard
talk, only Il good deal of merriment,
principally at the expense of Mr..
Leahy, and all was over. The next
day al attempt was made to change
the journal SO us to make it con-
form to what Leahy meant to do,
but the House refused to change it,
because it was true record OF what
took place. Thcreupon Mr.. Kasson,
Irish, and others, stated that they
voted under misrepresentation, and
asked the House to reconsider the
vote, and the House having nothing
el.e to do and being in good humor,
the vote was reconsidered, and Mr..
Leahy offered his amendment as a
substitute for the Keables amend
ment. But this was horse Of an
other color, and the a nendment was
promptly voted down; and with the
Keables amendment flying at its
peak the bill sailed through the
House. Yet unless some Hon. SEN
ators have experienced change of
heart since last winter, no railroad
tariff can pass the Senate.
AS gave my opinion about what
would be done with the law abol-
ishing capital punishment, l will
now state what was really done. In
the Senate the attempt to restore
hanging originated and was discus
sed by about the same parties who
discussed it last winter. When it
came to a vote, there were Is in IA
vor Of restoration to "a against it,
with II absent, which shows on an
analysis that there has been q deci.
ded change in favor Of the present
law. In the House the result was
different, and, as some papers have
represented, great change of SEN
timent toward the old law in that
body, | will give some particulars.
Last year the highest vote in favor of
hanging was 26; this year it is 80,
with the abscntees averaging, so far
as | can Judge, about the same as
last year. The following changes
took place: Messrs. Close, Merrill,
and Caldwell, Of "keap cool' re-
nown; voted to abolish hanging last
winter, and to restore it this winter.
Messrs. Leally and Reed changed
just the other way; Messrs. Dutfee
and 1erger, new members, voted
for hanging, and they both succeed
ed men who believed the other way.
This accounts for the change, which
was smaller than was expected, for
there never was = really good law
enacted but some degree of reaction
followed.
The Hall of Representatives was
granted to President WEIGH, of the
Agricultural College, after adjourn
ment yesterday, and he proceeded
to denounce the report of the Ran
kin investigating committee so far
as it relates to the management of
his College, in language more forci-
bic than polite. He pronounced it
inaccurate, malicious and false, and