Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-02-19
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LATER FRom ran As.i.iri. stos.
Senate.

D.
-
senate.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 The Senate 70.
sumed consideration OF !!l.. bill for an exten.
sion of time for the consi tttion and connie.
ton of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
Sergeant moved To amend the second sec
ton so as to read, THAT the extension il
granted upon the express condition and IN.
Outstanding that where pre-einption ,,,,,..
homestead claims were initiatory, or p,ivmie
entries and locations were allowed up,n larJs
embraced in the grant to said company, pri
to the receipt OF orders of withdrawal at line
respective district land offices. the lands EN-
braced in such entry shall not he hel as he
ing within the grant to said company. and
shall be patented to said parties lawfully en-,
tered under provision of section" &C.;
agreed to.
Edmunds submitted an amendment to the
fourth section SO rs to provide that the act
shall not be construed to affect existing pri.
vate rights otherwise than herein provided:
and further, that this act shall as well as the
charter OF the company, and other acts and
resolutions relating thereto, be subject to al.
teration, or amendment or repeal, at the
pleasure of Congress; agreed TO.
ingalls, moved to strike out the proviso in
the second section, that 1t should not apply
to lands heretofore patented to the company.
nor to entries already Cancelled and upon
which the purchase money or other consid.
Grafton had been returned to the respective
parties in interest; agreed to.
The bill having been considered as In com.
mittee of the whole, and the amendments
proposed by the committee on railroads
agreed to, without further amendments the
bill was reported to Senate and amendments
made in committee agreed to- After some
discussion the bill passed; yeas 35, nays 49,
House.
WASHINGTON, Feb 15.-Hale moved to
suspend the rules and adopt the following
resolution:
WHEREAS, The currency now used among
the people of the United States consists OF
national bank notes and greenbacks, the lat.
ter being the debt of the government, widely
distributed among people, and the former be.
ing redeemable in greenbacks and subject to
like fluctuation with il;
WHEREAS. The United States Treasury has
thus far failed to meet its obligation and to
redeem its notes, thereby depreciatlng the
value OF the peoples money and keeping it
at long discount, which depreciation varies
from day to day, causing risk and uncertain.
ty in business affairs to the great prejudice of
all legitimate industry and enterprise;
WHEREAS, Congress, by its enactments and
both political parties by resolutions adopted
in their several national conventions, stand
payment; therefore,
Resoiced That prompt measures should be
taken by such legislation as Is needed to rem.
der effective the policy of resumption of
specie payments, by placing in the hands of
the Secretary of the Treasury all necessary
powers to carry out the said object, to the
end that sound and stable currency may be
provided for
Morrison suggested that the resolution be
referred to the committee on banking and
currency.
Hale-I think it better to have an expires.
sion of opinion of the house now. want TO
see whether caucusing has done our friends
on the other side OF the house any good.
Amotion to suspend the rules ald adopt
the resolution was lost--yeas 80, nays 1877.
The vote was pretty near party one, al
though there were some deviation from that
rule Among the Democrats voting aye were
Tarbox and White. Among the Republicans
voting no, were Baker and Fort.
On motion Of Kelley, 1t was ordered that
Saturday next shall be set apart exclusively
for debate, the understanding being that
Kelley is 70 make speech In reply TO Slaine,
aud that Chittenden is TO precede him In
speech on finances. Adjourned.
Senate.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-In the debate on
the House bill for payment of pensions Mr..
Morrell, of Maine, said: Tho whole number
of pensioners now ON the roll was 234, 82l.
The amount appropriated was $29, 800, 600,
more than S., 600, 900 in excess of the sum
paid. This 81, O0O, 900 was expended in
some way, but did not go to the pensioners.
1t did not 60 to pay the expenses of the PEN
sion Office here, as that was provided for in
the legislative appropriation bill he Davis
called at the pension Office and had an inter-
view with the commissioner, though not sat
isfactory to himself Six or seven hundred
thousand dollars of the three million was
applied for SO pension agents throughout the
country: still there remained more than two
millions not accounted for. II had been
paid. That much of this money went to
pay the increase OF pensions authorized du-
ring the year. He thought the decrease re-
sulting tom death, remarriage and minors
becoming Of age should counterbalance the
increase and prove that the pension roll for
the past year showed decrease of between
1000 and 2,000 persons.
Morrell sent to the clerks desks and had
read, letter from the commissioner of PEN
sions explaining how three million dollars
spoken of by the Senator from West Virgil.
MIA had been expended. The commissioner
states at length the amounts paid to pen.
sion agents, fees for vouchers, postage, print.
ing, increase and arrears OF pensions, &c,
amounting 10 the aggregate to -SS, Sv3, o91.
Three millions are now required to have the
$50 000, 900 appropriated 10 pensions paid;
ia 1851 when the pension roll called for $685.
COG, 900, only about $3.50, 600 was required to
have the amount disbursed; then there were
but 175 persons employed In the pension
bureau, now 385 persons are employed there.
He thought these matters were worthy the
attention of Congress as retrenchment could
properly be made. The amendment pro-
posed In the committee on appropriations to
consider the amounts was agreed to; as well
as the other amendments OF minor impor-
lance.
ingalls, said early in the session he. intro
ouced a bill to appoint 40 agents to inyesli-
gate frauds upon the pension bureau. Hc
believed with Senator Davis that extensive
frauds were perpetrated and Of twenty mil.
lions appropriated at least five million dollars
were fraudulently or improperly paid In con.
sequence of deaths, re-marriagc OF widows
and minors becoming of age He hoped the