The Osceola times., 1876-04-15
CONGRESSIONAL.
SENATE.


referred several petitions in regard to sus
tanning, etc, the signal service. While the
senate was In executive session, Mr.. Adams
clerk of the house of representative an
peared and announced that the house had
adopted articles Of impeachment against w
W. Belknap, late secretary OF war, aud had
appointed manager TO conduct the prose.
cution ON the part Of the house of represcn.
tatives.
In the senate, on the ~, the chair
announced as the special corsmittee TO in.
quire into the recent election b Mississippi
under the resolution adopted last week, Sen.
ators Boutwell,, Cameron, Wise, Oglesby,
Beysrd and M'D3nnld. The hapeackmcnt
managers Ga the part Of the hoasc appeared
IN the senate. senator fsTryA--- = suuced thai
tie senate would take proper order on the
| subject of the impeachment, Of which due
notice would be given. The house managers
then retired The chairman laid before the
senate message from the president Of the
United States returning to the senate with.
out his approval, bill for the relief of g. d.
| Tyler and f. III. Luckett, assignees Of w. 7.
| Chatham. The bill was for the purpose of
refunding TO Tyler and Luckett, assignees as
aforesaid, the money paid for the salary OF a
storekccper in n distillery in Kentucky,
during the month Of December, 1869, and
January, 1870. The senate went into execu'
tive session. After three hours session
the doors were reopened, and it was ordered
that the articles of impeachment against w.
| W. Belknap, late secretary OF war, be printed.
| Adjourned.
In the senate, on the 9th, Senator
Sherman called up The house bill to enable
the secretary Of the treasury to pay the
judgments rendered by the court of Alabama
claims. In explanation of the bill, he said
the money received from Great Britain under
| the Geneva award had been invested in one
bond for the whole amount, which bond was
subject TO an order Of congress. II was for
| fifteen million dollars, and it was necessary
| to change il, or issue smaller bonds for il,
| to pay the judgment. The bill passed. Sen.
ator Clayton reported favorably on the house
bill to provide for the sale Of the Kansas
Indian lands, in Kansas, to actual settlers,
and for the disposition Of the proceeds Of
sale. Senator Window reported favorably
on house bill authorizing the sale OF the
| Pawnee Indian reservation. Passed. AT one
o'clock Chief Justice Waite, of the supreme
court, appeared in the senate chamber, ac-
companied by Senators Edmundssand Thur.
man, and was escorted to seat at the right
of the president pro tenn. The following oath
was then administered: "You do solemnly
swear that, in all things appertaining to the
| impeachment trial of w. W. Belknap, late
secretary Of war, now pending, you will be
impartial, and render justice according to
| the constitution and the law" Senator Ed.
munds submitted the following, which was
agreed to: "Ordered, that summons be is
/ hxyt tba rt.la of In
and practice in the senate, when sitting on
the trial OF the impeachment of W. w. Bel.
knap, returnable Monday, the seventeenth
| DAY Of the present month, at one o'clock in
| the afternoon" The managers then retired.
The senate then resumed the consideration
of legislative business, and took up the bill
fixing the rate of postage on third-class mail
matter and for other purposes. Senator Ham,
lin stated briefly the considerations which
controlled the committee and the facts upon
which they had acted. II the old law allow
ing two ounces TO go through the mail for
one cent should be restored, the deficiency
would exceed ten million dollars, and Ia a
few years the deficiency would aggregate
hundreds of millions of dollars. Senator
Thurman inquired II the department should
be made selfsus,aining would not the effect
be to make letters pay more than they should'
Senator Hamlin said that letters now pro-
duced a surplus OF between four and five
million dollars per annum. There had been
q great deal said about the present law in
regard to third class mail matter. Two
amendments were prepared by the commit
tee, the first reducing the weight of third
class matter, and the second increasing the
rate Of postage. The postmastergenerals says
IL costs eighteen cents pound TO carry
newspapers through the mails as second-class
matter, composed of newspapers aud peri
Odicals sent from the office Of publication TO
the subscribers. There were one hundred
and fifty-ive million pieces transported last
year, weighing ffty.fve million pounds, and
being fifty per cent OF the whole weight oi
the mail. They yielded revenue of only
nine hundred and seventy-six thousand dol.
lars, while it cost the government seven mil.
lion nine hundred and sixty-nlne thousand
| dollars TO transport them. The committee
proposed TO follow this bill with other rem
edial measures to make the department self.
sustaining. Adjourned.
| In the senate, on the 9th, Mr.. Thur
man reported, with amendments, house bill
TO correct an error in the revised statutes in
regard to warrants of arrest in extradition
cases. The amendments were agreed TO and
the bill passed. Mr.. Wright reported adj
versely on senate bill TO abolish capital pun
ishment, and il was indefinitely postponed
Bills were introduced and referred as fol
lows: Making an appropriation to defra,
the expenses of the committee appointed b,
the senate TO investigate the recent elections
, in Mississippi; TO amend the act OF congress
creating the court of commissioners OF tn,
Alabama claims, approved June %, 1874
After the expiration Of the morning hour thu
consideration Of the bill fixing the rate o
postage on third class mail matter was re
sumed, and Mr.. Harvey offered a substitute
for the bill allowing four.pound packages Il
mails at rate of postage of one cent 70
q each two ounces. After executive session
the senate adjourned till Monday.
HOUSE.
h. In the house, April Sd, a bill amenda
). tory of the pension law for the war Of ISL
was passed II directs the restoration to tn
: pension rolls Of pensioners stricken of O.
=, account of the rebellion, this restoration +
! date from May I, 1866. The Impeachment
managers nominated in congress Saturda
/, were elected, except that Laphain was sui
l stituted for Wheeler. Mr.. Lynde offered
resolution which was adopted, calling on tn
: secretary OF the treasury for information il
regard TO payments OF money to newspape
: editors or correspondents, aside from th
, publication Of legal notices, by United State
I attorneys, revenue agents, supervisors, etc
connected with the whisky prosecution i
st. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee; to wha
: party, for what newspaper and for what pal
e ticular purpose.
e In the house, on the 4th, the senat
b bill giving the consent OF the United State
to the county Of Dubuque, Iowa, TO construt