The Portland daily press., 1874-06-19
THE PRESS.
History of Seven Days.
The news for the week ending Thursday
ff June 18th.
CONGRESS-.

1t has been very busy week for Congress, as
weeks at the end of session are likely to be-
Nearly all of the appropriation bills ore COM
pleted, and several other important measures
are likely to become laws. During the week
the Conference Committees currency bill has
been considered One of the purposes of the
new bill was to make banking free by the
means of per cent. interest bond which
could be converted into bank currency at the
option of the holder, and further that for eyy
cry dollar of new bank currency issued, 81
cents in legal tenders or United States notes
should be withdrawn from circulation. This
measure, which is clearly in the inter-
est Of initiation was discussed in the
Senate Thursday and passed by a vote of 81
yeas to % nays. Saturday the bill went before
the House and without debate was defeated by
a vote of 10S yeas to 143 nays. On motion OF
Mr.. Lawes the House asked for new confer
ence committee and Messrs Dawes, McCrary
of Iowa and Marshall of ILL.,, were appointed
and the Senate concurred and appointed Messrs
Wright of Iowa, Ferry of Michigan and Steven
son of Kentucky. They are incubating Pros
poets light In the House, Thursday, Gen. But
Ter distinguished himself by opposing the item
of an appropriation bill setting apart $4,000 for
the Civil Service Commission. He ridculed the
idea of the commission and such Democratic
leaders as Cox and Beck We'd with him in the
disreputabe business. Such Republicans as
Messrs Garfield, Woodford, Willard and Haw-
ley reminded the majority of its party pledges
Int the iian WAC etr;oLan o,,t hu q vota of two
to one. Subsequently resolution was passed,
providing the heads Of departments appoint,
making selections for qualifications and not
for political services and given preference ,other
things being equal, tolsoldiers or tn cir heirs
which practically amounts to nothing. Satur-
day Mr.. Morton from the Election Committee
reported that Senator Mitchell of Oregon, is all
right SO to speak, having no more wives than
is proper, and all such. Senator Window has
been buzzing about the past week trying to get
an appropriation to survey several transporta-
ton routes from the Mississippi to the Atlantic.
He has not yet succeeded 1t is said that the
bill abOlishing moeties and and the bill to dis
burse the Geneva award are in peril though
both have gone to conference committee. The
bankruptcy bill has passed the House substan-
TALLY as il was adopted by the Senate. In the
consideration of the Sunday appropriation bill
in the House, attempt was made to secure an APP
preparation of 100000 to settle the accounts of
government employees who had labored over
eight hours day. 1t got but % votes.
In connection with the same bill Mr.. Hale of
Maine moved to strike out the section appro-
priating $2,0O0,O00 to the Chocktaw and Chick
asaw nations of Indians in conformity with an
award made in 1869 as the price Of ten million
acres of land in Mississippi, coded to the U. S.
in 1880. Mr.. Hale ntimated that the thing was
a job and that it was proposed to pay the mon
ey over to two men who had not seen their
tribes for two years. He said if the money
went into the hands of these two men a great
national scandal would grow out of it and it
will be found that the Indians will not get
100000 of it. He urged that the claim was
pushed before Congress by a set of ravenous
wolves. Mr.. Hale and other gentlemen didn't
talk at all pretty" about the lobby, calling
them the most Infamous men known to the his
tory of legislative jobbery. The section was
stricken out and provision instructing the
Secretary of the Interior to inquire into the
claims and report to Congress, was adopted in
stead by vote of 11S to 1O3. Mr.. Garfield in
formed the House that the sundry civil appro-
priation bill amounts to $23,O0O,OOO this year
against 1872, 200, 900 last. oss
Tuesday the Judiciary Committee of the Sem
ate reported a bill providing that any suit may
be begun in any United States Court, provided
only that proper process be served on the
agent of the defendant, if he can be found
within tho iofi as ba ,hov
the suit is brought. 1t was attempted to amend
this by excepting all libel and SANDER suits,
but the amendment failed. Finally an amend
ment was adopted providing that the process 50
served on defendants agent must be commune
Gated to his principal. The New York papers
claim that this action is an attempt to muzzle
the press and was passed simply to check
newspaper correspondents in the District of
Columbia. Mr.. Conover of Florida, wants a
ship canal across his state, and wants 1925, 600
for a survey of a route. The House Pacific
Railroad bill was passed just as it came from
the House. This bill provides that any officer
operating either of the roads who shall refuse
to operate or use the road or telegraph under
his control for the public or government &C.
commodation, or shall discriminate in favor or
against any other road, shall be punished by
fine and imprisonment, and the aggrieved party
shall have an action for triple his actual dam
age. The Post Office appropriation as explain
ed by Mr.. West, appropriates $36,34 900, an
increase over last years appropriation Of ST.,
$4,000. The Senate did not agree to the rec
ommendaton that hereafter all postage on
maiable matter be prepaid. Amendments linn
iting the free delivery system to cities of over
$4,000 inhabitants, and striking out the House
provision for the free circulation, monthly, of
agricultural reports was agreed to. An amend
ment was agreed to that on all newspaper and
periodical publications mailed from known
office of publication or news agency, and adj
dressed to regular subscribers or news agents,
shall be charged the following rates: On news
papersaDd periodical publications, four cents
for each pound or fraction thereof, provided the
rate of postage on newspapers or periodicals
not exceeding two ounces in weight, and Cir
culars, when the same are deposited in letter
carrier Office, for delivery by the office or its
carriers shall be uniform at one cent each but
periodicals weighing more than two ounces
shall be subject to postage of two cents each.
and these rates shall be prepaid paid by stamps;
shaO newspapers oHdil ~ Tree through Tile mans
to actual subscribers in the county where pub.
lished, but not be delivered at the letter-carri er
offices or distributed by the carriers unless the
postage be paid thereon. Mail matter of the
third class shall be charged at the rate of one
cent for each two ounces. The amendment
also authorizes the Postmaster General to re-
quire of publishers or news agents an affidavit
that they will not send through mail matter
except to regular subscribers without prepay
ment of postage, and any refusal to make such
affidavit shall be punished by fine not ex-
ceeding $1,000 for each refusal Mormons are
not likely to get into the House again as the
House has passed bill providing that no one
guilty of bigamy or polygamy shall be eligible
to be a member of that body. This act cannot
be applied to Elder Cannon's case An attempt
was made to compel the Committee on Elec-
tions to report the Cannon's case next Satur-
day but it failed The House has passed bill
approprilting $4O4, 22s for the purpose of Sc
curing REIMBURSEMENT of the title to lands in
Iowa now held by the Des Moines Navigation
and Railroad Company. Those everlasting
ChOrpennipg claims have started up again and
IL