South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-04-21
Forty-Fourth Congress.

In the Senate. on the 18th, the bill
| fixing the rate on third class mail mat
ter was taken up and passed. 1t limits
the weight OF packages Oft the third class
to four pounds. and fixes the rate foI
all distances at one cent for each ounce
or fractional part thereof. Transfer,
newspapers and magazines are to he
transmitted at one cent for every three
ounces or fraction thereof. and one cent
for each two additional ounces.
In the House, resolution was offered
instructiDg the committee on foreign
affairs to consider what action should
he taken to receive and entertain the
Emperor OF Brazil and the President o,
Peru. At the evening session the leyis.
lativc appropriation bill was considered.
without much progress.
In the Senate, on the 18th, several
bills Of an unimportant character were
passed. after which the Senate adjourn.
ed until Monday next.
In tho lIouse MIR. Thomas. OF Md.
introduced n joint resolution i'm regard
to the sarpln, revenue. The bill TO
transfer the Indian bureau to the War
Department was advocated by Messrs.
Scales, OF North Carolina, and Hooker.
of Miss, and opposed by Mr.. Seelyc.
OF Massachusetts. At the evening SEES
sion the legislative appropriation bill
was taken up and adopted restoring the
independent treasury ut Baltimore.
which la hecn omitted from the bill.
The House then Adjourned until Satnr.
day, today being a public holilay i'm
the District of Columbia.
In the House. on the 18th. n rcport
was presented from the judiciary com.
mittee directing the sergeant. alarm,
of the House to retain i'm hi, custody.
the BODY OF iIallet Kilbpurn, the rccus.
ant witness, and to refuse to produce il
IN court in answer to writ OF habeas
corpus issued by Judge Carter. The
matter was postponed until Monday. 1t
Is understood that the desire is TO tes.
the question OF ths power of Congress
in such cases, which can be done by the
court ordering the sergeant.at-a in
custody for refusing to obey its order
to produca Kilbourn. Then an appeal
will be male to the United States Su.
preme Court
The Senate. Oh the 18th, proceeded
to the consideration of the articles of
impeachment recently presented agains:
w. w. Bellnap, late Secretary OF War.
Present Ex-Secretary Belknap, with his
counsel, Messrs. Carpenter, Black and
Biair-and the managers ofthe impeacll.
mcnt on the part Of the House of Re.
presentatives-Mess Lord. Knott.
Lynde, McMaion, Jenkcs, Lapham and'
iioar-anl the members of the House.
The minutes OF the session OF the Sen.
ate as Court of Impeachment held on
the 9th inst. were then read The re-
turn on the writ served upon the cx.
Secretary having been read and the Ser
Scat-At-Arms having allied upon him TO
answer. Mr.. Carpenter read and had filed
a plea denying the Jurisdiction of the
Senate to try Belknap on the articles of
impeachment, rs he was not an officer of
the United States NJ the time such ar
ticles were found and presented > the
Senate that he has not since been, nor
is not now, an officer CT the United
States, but was, and is, private citi.
zen of the United States and OF the
State Of Iowa.
Mr.. Lord, on the part OF the managers.
asked that time be allowed them until
the 18th inst, to consider what replica.
tioa shall be male to the plea OF Iielk.
nap, onl /. was So ordered.
The managers and the counsel for
the accused having, in reply to n ones
ton Of the President pro tenn. said they
had nothing further TO propose, the
Senate. sitting as n court OF impeach- !
ment. adjourned until the 10Th inst. las. |
Wednesday.