Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-12-23
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.

| CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.
| On the 18th several memorials were presented
in the Senate. Among the bills introduced and
referred were the following: To attach the Terri
| tory Of Alaska to, and make it part Of the Ter
| ritory of Washington; to extend the time for
! filing claims for additional bounty under the act
| OF July % 1866; declaring the true intent and
| meaning of the Union Pacific Railroad act
| House not in session.
| OK the 18th the Attorney Generals annual re-
| port was laid before the Senate. A bill was
passed extending the duration Of the court of the
| Commissioners of Alabama Claims six months
| A resolution was passed-35 to 25-calling upon
| the Secretary Of the Treasury for list of unset
! tied accounts of Government officers and defal-
| catlol4s. After considerable debate the motion
| to allow Mr.. Mcmillan to withdraw his papers
! claiming seat as Senator from Louisiana was
| agreed to-yeas 80, nays % Among the bills
| introduced in the House was one by Mr.. Blaine
| proposing an amendment to the Constitution
| providing that no State shall make any law re-
| specting the establishment of religion or pro-
| hiblting the free exercise thereof: and that no
/ money raised by taxation in any State for the
| support of the public schools or derived from
any public fund thereof, or any public lands
| devoted thereto, shall be under the
| control of any religious sect; and that no
| money lands donated shall be divided
| among religious sects or denominations A bill
| was also introduced by Mr.. Davis, of forth Caro-
| lima, to repeal the act forbidding the payment
| of the accounts, claims and demands of South
citizens for Quartermasters' stores, etc., and
| appropriating S5000O0 to pay for the same 9th
er bills were introduo ed-to repeal the act for
! the resumption of specie payments; against sub
sides and grants of lands to railroads; TO reduce
postage; to establish a mint in st. Louis for the
coinage of gold and silver; to remove political
disabilities from all citizens of the United states
| to provide for the admission of Utah as State
| to fund United States legal-tender notes ana to
| prepare the way for the resumption of specie
payments soon practicable; to amend the
Constitution relative to the Presidential term of
| office. The Senate bill extending the dura-
! ton Of the court of the Alabama Com
mission was passed. Resolutions were of
| fered and laid over under the rule--re-
| questing the President to transmit to the House
| all the correspondence in reference to the dis
/ missal of ex-senator John B. Henderson as one
of the special counsel of the United States in the
prosecution of the whisky fraud cases before the
| United States Court at st. Louis directing the
| Secretary Of the Treasury TO transmit copies of
all letters, kilograms, orders and instructions
latng to the organization and prosecution of the
| Louis. Chicago and Milwaukee; directing the Sec
| rotary of War to transmit copies, orders and in
| structions under which Quartermaster-Gen.
| Meiggs is acting for the Government during his
absence from the United States.
On the 18th large number of memorials were
| presented in the Senate asking for the appoint
ment of commission to inquire into the MAJ u
| facture and sale of Intoxicating liquors. Mr..
Morton submitted a resolution for the appoint
ment Of a committee of five to inquire INTO the
frauds, violence and intimidation alleged to
have been practiced at the late election in Mis-
sissippl. Mr.. Morton also submitted concurrent
resolutions declaring that the people of the
United States are one people in the sense of ma
tional unity; that the National Governments not
a compact between the States in their municipal
and corporate characters, but was formed by the
people of the United States in their primary
pacity; that the rights Of the States are defined
and guaranteed by the Constitution, and not by
an outside theory of State sovereignty, and that
the rights of the States cannot be enlarged or
diminished except by amendment to the Con-
stitution; that local domestic government by the
States within the limits of the Constitution is an
essential of free republican system; that the
doctrine that State has the right to secede from
the Union is inco nsistent with the idea of nation
atty is in conflict with the spirit and structure of
the Constitution, and should be regarded as hav-
ing been forever extinguished by the suppression
of the rebellion. Considerable debate was had on
a resolution offered by Mr.. Stevenson calling for
information relative to the prosecution of the
parties accused of whisky frauds, and the resolu-
tion was withdrawn. !. Several bills were intro
duced in the House, among which were To
amend the Postage law relating to postage on
thrd-cass mailable matter; for the removal of
all political disabilities imposed by the Four
teenth Amendment to the Constitution;
reducing the salary of the President after March
4, 1877. resolution was offered and referred de-
claring in favor of prompt legislation to render
effective the act of Jan. H. 1878, providing for
the return TO specie payment on the list If Janu-
airy, 1879. 4 resolution declaring against the
granting by Congress of subsidies to public or
private associations or corporations was adopted
yeas 223 nays 80. A resolution was also adopt
ed-232 to 18-declarlng that any departure from
the time honored custom adopted by Washing
ton and other Presidents in retiring from Office
after their second terms would be unwise, I'M
patriotic and fraught with peril to our free insti
tutions. House adjourned to the 18th.
On the 10Th, in the Senate, bills were introduced
to provide for the appointment of committee
on the subject of the alcoholic liquor traffic: to
authorize the appointment of special agents to
investigate frauds under the Pension laws.
resolution adopted by the House TO adjourn on
the 10Th to Jan. was amended by inserting j an
5, and adopted. Mr.. Spencer, of Alabama, offered
s resolution, which was adopted, instructing the
Committee on Privileges and Elections to inquire
into the manner of his election to the Senate, as
to whether corrupt means had been used to secure
his election. as had been alleged. Mr. MorTon's
resolution providing fer special committee of
five to inquire into the circumstances attending
the recent election in Mississippi was debated at
considerable length. House not in session.