The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-03-13
CONG RE $50 NAL
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, March 13.-Merriman
introduced bill to provide for and regu-
late the counting of votes for president and
vice president. and decision of questions
arising thereon. Referred to a special
committee
Merriman expressed the hope q report
would soon be made, as four months of
session had passed and action should be
had upon the matter.
Kellogg introduced bill to aid the New
Orleans q Pacific Railroad Company; re-
ferred. Also to establish mint at New
Orleans authorizing the coinage of gold
and silver thereat, and making an appro-
priation therefor; referred,
Window from the committee on ap-
preparations reported without amendment
the fortihcation bill; placed on the calen-
dar.
Matthews called up his motion to re-
fer the communication of the secretary of
the interior in regard to timber depreda-
tons to the committee on public laws and
and have it printed in record Matthews
said he asked to have the document print-
| ed in the record as matter Of justice, as the
| department from which it emanated had
been attacked yesterday in the senate.
Blaine said he thought it fair the secre-
tary of the interior should be heard, but
at the same time the senator from Ohio
must be aware of the fact he was asking an
extraordinary privilege to have this docu-
ment SO printed; he reserved to himself
the right to reply to it, because the docu-
ment was 10 reply to what he said in
the. senate upon a recent occasion
Sargent opposed printing the document
in the record as setting bad prece0ent,
and not because the contents of it were SO
very creditable to its author that he feared
them, he argued tho document was made
up from statements Of spies who followed
men into their places Of business and re-
ported their con versations; he referred to
the action of congress in abolishing spies
in the custom service, and said congress
then put the stamp of condemnation upon
using Touches method of spies. After
some further debate, Matthews read the
reply of the Secretary of the Interior re-
marks. The communication having been
read, Blaine spoke at length of the action
of the Secretary of the Interior he
said the secretary did not happen
to be a native of this
country,-he could not help at,-and he,
Blaine did not mention it as reproach to
him,-he was born in the Kingdom of
Prussia, which was fifteen thousand square
miles less in extent than Montana, and
the secretary perhaps with the instructions
OF his boyhood applied the land laws q
Prussia to Montana and not the land laws
which have been used in settling the
United States. The secretary of the in.
terror, forgot the magnitude of our country,
although he was charged with the admin.
lstratlon of that department which should
cause him to study it carefully. and the
one dollar per acre stumpage exacted by
him from the people of Montana was ex
cessive; the woodland within sight of the
spire of Trinity church, New York City
would not bring the stumpage which
the secretary Of the interior deman-
ded of the people of Montana; it was
thing conceded by the government tha
the hardy pioneer who went forward t
settle the country should have tht
water, air anu wood free Referring to thC
abolition of the informer system in custom
. service abolished few years ago. he spok,
of the course of the secretary of the Inter
: ior, then member of the senate, and sait
he waxed wro;h because rich mporte
! was intepfered with by detectives, but nov
! the lonely settler in Montana could b
visited by spies and pimpes. Pending tn
discussion the subject was laid aside AM
A the West Point appropriation bill wa
taken up.
WASHINGTON, March Is. - Hale