The Portland daily press., 1875-03-05
WASHINGTON.
Last Hours of Congress.
hustle and Confusion-The President
Refuses to Sign the Bounty Bill No
Subsidy Bill-The Force Bill Dead.

WASHINGTON, March 4-The President ac-
companied by members of his cabinet and pri-
vate secretaries, came to his room at tne SEN
ate at nine o'clock this morning and renamed
until the adjournment They were all pussy
occupied in examining as far as the time per-
mitted, the large mass of bills before them,
awaiting the approval of the President All
bills then examined were signed, including
several of the general appropriation bills, none
of which failed Three or four private bills
were lost for want of time to examine them.
The bill TO legalize the bounties of soldiers who
served in the late war, failed to become law,
the President withholding his signature IL
time had allowed he would have sent IN veto
message The President, seconded by the
Cabinet did not think this was proper time
in view of the condition of the Treasury, to
make so large an approximation On account. OF
bounties, some calculations placing the amount
from $3.50, 600, 900 to $500, 100000, but in fact
there is no ready means of calculating the sum
that would be required TO comply Win tne pro-
visions of the bill.
The closing of Congress was witnessed by
thousands of persons wfo crowded the galleries
and lobbes and even to floors OF the Houses.
Members of Congress were flying IN all dlrec
tious with bills in their hands hurrylng to nave
them signed by the respective officers OF the
Houses and then sent into the Presidents
room for his approval, claimants IN tne lopoies
showed much nnXiety and excitement CONCERN
ing bills in which they were personally inter-
ested but as no time remained their congress
s!onal friends in the hurry could not afford
them much if any comfort. There were hun
dreds of mournful faces when Congress ad-
journed, for some of the disappointed claimants
had been here at previous sessions.
During the late Congress abont 5000 bills and
Joint resolutions were introduced in the House
and about 1900 in the Senate, only about one
sixth of which passed.
The force bill was read the first and second
time in the Seoate. Beyond this the Senate
- = t,rthor aot,on Tt thpr efOra failed
No subsidy bill affecting either land or water
were passed by Congress- The bill granting to
railroads the right of way through the puolic
lands of the States being OF general char-
acter This received the Presidents signature,
also bill providing for the admission OF Col
orado as state into the Union. The New
Mexico bill for a similar purpose failed to re-
celve the action of the House on Senate amend
meats and therefore did not become law.
Among the measures which were pending 10
Congress the steamboat bill; bill proposing
an amendment to the constitution changing the
manner of electing the President and Vice
President of the United States; Tom SCOTS
Texas Pacific railroad bill and several other
railroad bills. The committee of conference on
the sundry civil bill recommended the that the
House agree to the amendments OF the Sen ate
in relation to printing
Among the bills which remained on the Sen
ate calendar at the close of the session to-day,
aud which therefore failed, are the following:
IL
ed the Senate in Dec 1873; the caucus force
bill; all the various postal telegraph bills; the
Senate bills for the payment OF the French
spoliation claims; to protect the navlgaDle
waters of the United States from injury and
obstruction; declaring the true intent and
meaning of the Union Pacific Railroad acts; to
nav the two per cent claims of the states OF
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois; to establish
bureau of internal commerce; to make general
provisions in regard to cable telegraphc com
for arxyIna in
war with Mexico; to amend act granting pen
sions to the survivors of the war OF 1917; to
regulate the counting of ELECTORAL votes tor
President and Vice-President; the bill OF the
joint committee appointed to form better gov
ernment for the District of Columbia and many
other Senate bills of minor Importance Also
the Hous bill known as the McCrary Dill to
regulate commerce by railroads among the
several states; House bill to repeal the preemp-
lion laws and secure homesteads to actual set
tiers on the pubic domain, and the House
steamboat bill. Among other prominent fail.
ures of the session are bills for equalization OF
bounties, for the admission of New Mexico and
Texas Pacific and Northern Pacific railroad
bills, and all other land grants subsidy bills ex-
cept very few, which proposed grants merely
to the right of way. ,,
Aside from the regular appropriation bills
comparatively few bills of general interest have
been enacted this session, but they include the
following measures of national Importance:
The nnance Dill 10 prOVlue IOr reSuuptiUu VI
specie payments, &c. the Little tariff bill tax
and tariff bill; the civil rights BILL the bill sup
Elemental to acts in relation 10 immigration,
and bill granting rights of way through public
lands on certain conditions for all railroads
that may be Incorporated under local laws of
the state or territories.
Treasury Balances.
The following are the Treasury balances for
TO-DAY Currency, 81, 000,983; special deposit
of Local tenders for redemption of certificates of
dsposit, $40 800 800; coin, S74, O32,3l7, Including
coin certificates, So, 969700; outstanding legal
tenders, $685., 100000
tn. proposed Reciprocity Treaty with
the sandwich Islands.
Tho Hawaiian treaty will probably be the
first business considered by the Senate IN the
EXTRA session convened for tomorrow. LIS
friends argue that it is in every way az e1cep-
ton to general reciprocity treaties and pears no
analogy to the Canadian, as it PROVIDES lfee
market to American manufactures III Which
manufacturers of other countries Will pay
duties, thus protecting the American manuIac-
turer in Hawaiian ports, and asks admlSsioh
for only those products that do not compete
with any similar products of America
Sugar of Louisiana can never reach the
market of San Francisco. Thus the only
sugar interest affected will be that of tbs
Dutch British, or Spanish East Indies, which
send sugar to San Francisco. The STATISTICS OF
the trade shoW that these countries all together
do not bay as many American goods as the
Hawaiian TSlands aloua The Hawaiian STA