Connecticut western news., 1878-05-30
OUR NEWS SUMMARY.
UNITED STATES CONGRESS
SENATE.

s SENATE. d. &1
 The bill authorizing the President to appoint James Shields, of Missouri, a Brigadier- General in the United States army on the retired list was taken up. MT. Sargent Rep., Gal. moved an amendment placing U. s. Grant on the retired list as & General, with full pay N and allowances, and it was adopted by yeas 30, nays 2S. Lamar Oem. voted yea, and Oglesby Rep.) voted nay, otherwise the vote was strictly 8 party one. .-. .... E.....
 The bill to place Gen. Shields and Gen. Grant on the retired list was de- feated and also bill to increase the pension of Gen. Shields. aaha&&
 The House bill to forbid the further retirement of legal tenders was reported favorably.
 The committees appointed are the fol- lowing named Democrats Clarkson N. .t Potter, of New York, William R. Morri- son, of Illinois, Eppa Hunton, of Vir- ginia, William s. Stenger, of Pennsyl vania, John A. McMahon, of Ohio, Thomas R. Cobb, of Indinna, J. c. s. Blackburn, of Kentucky Republicans Benjamin F. Butler, of Massachusetts, 4uOIldS Os Ie66u, LII Mhlu0a II Iduh 11lS- cock, of New York. J. R. Cox, of Ohio.
 The Army bill being under discussion, Mr. Butler of Massachusetts spoke on the condition of the workingmen of the country. He said there was no fact more patent and no omen more portentous than the great lack of employment by i, the laboring classes of the country, and this, too, in the face of the fact that for years past the harvests have been boun- tiful, and that the ships of Europe were laden with American produce, and as if this politico- economical paradox was not sufficiently puzzling, legislative bodies municipal, State, and national-were found engaged under the name of re- form in reducing the compensation of those living by wages in the public em- pioyment. He said two national vessels had been sent to France with articles of luxury for exhibition, and asked how many poor families might have been re- heved by the large sums thus expended. There was enough of natural wealth in this country for all if this natural wealth could be, as 1t ought to be, placed by law within reach of all. The evil was found to be twofold in it's character !
 Fsrst-The insufficient employment of labor. EEE 5&
 Second-The insufficient wages paid to those who have employment.
 There was 8 grevious and national wrong in this evil, and there were many causes contributing to it. These were :: f FTrst-The damages accruing to the country from loss of life and property, North and South, during the late rebel lion.
 Second 1.-The stoppage of ofdevelopment during the late war.
 .,s IRird-The crowding of laborers into large cities and manufacturing districts. FoUrth-The rehux in the tide of pros- perity. .s.s
 FTfth Under consumption, and, finally, that there never had been any Legislation in behalf of the industrial classes AZ .-- ls-5 sasH The country was approaching crisis ? which, if not guarded against and pro- vided for, would produce condition of affairs wherein constitutional considera- ions would be as powerless as they were i in 1861. There was little time or inter- ! est expended in Congress over the con- dition of labor. Even in the Federal Courts there was no protection for the laboring man. Thousands of laborers s might be slaughtered, as they had re- cently been in one portion of the coun- a try, and the courts could not punish the criminals, and it was unconstitution- al to use the army for that purpose but let few laborers impede for an hour ' the course of commerce or destroy or threaten the property of commercial cor porations and the Treasury opened wide its doors, swinging on golden hinges, and the whole military power of the nation was called forth to put down the riot q arrest the criminals and protect property E MT. Wilson Oem., w. Va offered ( s resolution authorizing the select com mittee to investigate electoral frauds il ls9 any State where it should have probable cause to believe that such frauds were 1, practiced.
 MT. Cox (Dem., N. Y.) moved to re y fer the resolution to the select commit Iai tee, and demanded the previous ques tion. The motion was defeated-yea! @ 89, nays 115-and the resolution wal adopted without division.
 ? MT. Harrison (Dem., Ill. introduced ,t the following resolution {: s'That th' I Senate and House of Representatives O the orty-fourth Congress having count F 9 ed the electoral votes for President anG Vice-P President, and it having been de clared that R. B. Hayes had received tn 5; highest number of votes for Presiden : Ii and Wm. A. Wheeler the highest mum 2 Der of votes for President, it is no rsvqn now in the power of Congress, nor is Ia the purpose of this House, through sail ,s investigation, to annul or attempt t ; annul the action of the Forty-fourtl Ha Congress in the premises"
 The point whether the resolution in ad yolved a question of privilege being sub
 mitted to the House, on standing vot both sides of the House manifested
 Naturalization to take ground on eithe 3 side. The result of yea and nay vot ls5 ia5 was-yeas, Il !; nays, 50 and the resc I Iution was withdrawn amid much e1
 ment.
 The House being in Committee of tn Whole on the Army bill, the questio
 recurred on MT. Throckmorton's Dem
 Tex.) amendment increasing the strengt
 of the army from 20, GOO, as provided i the bill, to 25, 900, and it was agreed | s,s --115 to 107. All the Republican
 voted yea, and with them the followin Democrats Cutler of New Jersey, Pa
 terBon of Colorado, Williams of Mich
 gan, Robertson of Louisiana, Wigginto
 of California, and all the Texas men
 bers except Reagan, who voted na.
 The item for the pay of the army, c a increased from $8, ,390, 900 to $9, ,O9O, ,OOC ! the item for subsistence was also il
 creased in the same proportion.
 Gov. Colquitt of Georgia, commute
 the death sentence of Mrs. Kate Soutl
 ern of Pickens county, to imprisonmel