The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-11-17
From Washington.
THE SILVER BILL.


The senate finance committee have had sev
eral meetings in regard to the Silver bill that
passed the house last week and thus far are
SAID to have agreed upon two amendments
first, to strike out the free coinage clause and
second to limit the legal tender to $50 or 800
The President is said also to object to the free
coinage clause on the ground that it will ena
BILE any one to deposit silver bullion in the
mintand take coin certificate, payable in gold
and silver; and also to the legal tender part,
in so far as it makes silver legal tender in
payment of L. 5. bonds, which would be !,
breach of the pledges he and Sherman
made in selling the 4 per cent. bonds Unless
the bill is denuded of these objections, the
president will veto it.
RESUMPTION REPEAL
Ewing's bill to repeal the resumption act
still drags along slowly in the house, 1t was
debated all day Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, and Randall says there are still 40
members on his list charged with speeches on
the subject.
THE ARMY BILL"
The army bill which was reported to the
house last Thursday, and debated on Friday
and Saturday, finally passed on Monday. 1t
was so amended as to limit the army to 10000
enlisted men, authorizing enlistments only to
fill up four cavalry regiments to serve on the
Texas border At the same time 1t leaves the
army with % regiments, so that there VIII be
about as many commissioned and non-commlS-
stoned officers as privates The bill was sent
to the senate on Monday and referred, and on
Wednesday reported back with amendments,
cutting off several items of expense, and instead
of making the enlistment Of men tofill cavalry
regiments mandatory, says they mag be enlist
ed and may serve on the Texas border &c
These amendments were adopted by the senate
ON Thursday with another authorizing intan
try enlstments so as to raise the army to 20
600 men. In this shape the bill was passed
and sent back to the house
| TEXAS BORDER TROUBLES
Senator Maxcy, of Texas, offered resolu-
ton in the Senate on Monday looking TO the
erection of defensive works along the Rio
Grande to put Il stop to border troubles. Both
Maxev and Coke, his colleague, made long
and dreary speeches on the Texas question III
support of the resolution, completely using up
the davis session The President is said to
have laid before the committee an important
statement on the same subject which may lead
to definite action The President can't Sc"
how definite action by treaty can be had until
the government agrees to recognize the presi-
dency of Diaz
APPOINTMENTS.
There Is great deal of caucusing and I'M
der-current talk going on in regard to the Hayes
appointments The Republican caucus, after
several earnest sessions, has about agreed To
vote against all Hayes appointments OF south
ern democrats to Office, and only to confirm his
other objectionable appointments on condl-
ton that Hayes's five particular supporters III
the senate Matthews, ChriStiancy, Hoar,
Dawes and Burnside-vote with the straight
amt Hayes policy republicans for the admis
sion Of Kellogg, Of La, On the other hand, the
democrats tell Matthews, Chrlstiancy &c, that
if they vote for Kellogg they dhe Democrats
will vote with COnkling, Blaine, &c, to defeat
every important Hayes appointment. The al
mission of Kellogg would give the republicans
80 members, majority of of all the senators;
while his defeat with the admission of Spot
ford and Eusts, would give the democrats 3,
members, with an Independent or twoto count
, on in certain cases, Both sides are warming
IN on the subject the democrats especially
showing signs OF being on the war path
wEisH's NOMINATION.
| The nomination of John Welsh, ST Phla
delphia, AS minister to England, was reported
back to the senate by The foreign affairs com
nittee on Saturday with a favorable recon-.
m.ndation, whereupon it was unanimously
confirmed. Nothing was said about his own
ing niggers in Cuba.
! HARLAN.
The appointment Of Harlan, Of Ky, to the
vacancy on the supreme bench still hangs fire
in the senate. The objections made against
him arcthat he doesn't believe in the constitu
tonalily of the civil rights bill, doesn't ap.
prove OF the constitutional amendments, and
that as a member of the Louisiana commits
sion, he aided 10 "lc; loose the wolf" on the re
pubicans of that state. 1t is believed, how
ever, that if the republicans succeed in their
present effort 10 restore The old authority ofthr
caucus, Harlan will be confirmed
MISCELLANEOUS
! Voorhees,, the newly appdiuitd senator from
Indiana in Morton, hlace appeared in the
senate on MONDAY and took the oath of Office
and his seat
\ resolution Was reported to the house or
! Wednesday 70 end the extra session on tho 20
Inst
/ Seventeen hundred new bulls have tarS iH' .
/ been presented in the house. ~ II hong Sc
sion seldom passes more than 80 hills thcf'
will Dc u fortune at the end Of the session ''I