New-York tribune., 1879-03-01
CONGRESS GOES TO WORK
UOUR ACTIVITY.

,,,s OF THE SESSION LIFT AND sEVrN
OCCUPATION BILLS To PAsS-BoTH HOUSES
u.opK OK THlsE BIIIs-GENERAL NEWs.
po.h branches of Congress devoted them
..iros Yesterday to the appropriation bills, OF
,:h tberr were seven yet to be passed Inc
- disacreed to all the Senate amendmentSto
post Office hill. The Senate passed the
~, N hill but failed to provide the means to
'.', ,ho arrears of pensions. \ night session
P"' heId on the Sundry Civil bill Mr. Seward
ra. presented at the bar ot the Ho"'e
'.o.tcrdav for contempt. He offered 10 sno"
H. hooks 10 the Department authorizes Inc
naso was referred 10 the Judiciary Committee
'rho majority report of the Potter COMMITTEE
,r,II he purely campaign document.
THE prvs1oy BILL IN TIL SENATE.
lr>.rr GRANTS A PINsIoN TO JEFTrEsoN
r,v1s. LEAVES SECRETARY suERMAN TO PAY
,ppr,ps As BYsT HE CAN. PERPEIUNES TIE
,,, sysrFN. AND FINALLY PASSES IHIs RI
MARKARIE BILL
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRBUNEl
yv,surxcTox. Feb 2s.-Thc Senate has Deen 40
-, nopancc today in considering the Dill
rrovidlpr for the payment OF arrears ~
repsions. The unfortunate position III WHY"
oil thc Senators who voted lor '"V
Dricral arrears bill were placed, has optf''e"
1,,,,or nron q free discussion Of the
demcrits Of that remarkable act. and the us
rosition 10 shirk the responsibility I'i
the serious results which are now seen ~ uo
inevitable has made the final disposition ol "lS
,,,ttor one Of extreme difficulty. As II ls' 'no
conutrv is saddled with a new debt OF uh'oid
millions for which there has been no popular ue-
uaud from any quarter; and no provision mas o'eH
made for the payment OF the debt
The first question which came up after the
morning hour in the Senate was the plan
for taking testimony in pension cases by
commissions of surgeons and experts VINO
were to examine all applicants in person. Senator
INGALLS,. chairman of the Pensions Committee caused
toboroad a circular which he said had been iHd
rpor fine desks Of Democratic Senators this morn
inc setting forth that this plan was a scheme
far whipping in Democratic pensioners 10
voting the Republican ticket at coming
elections. 1t was of pieco with sHN
circular, which the pension claim-aeents nave p''n
circulating through the country Of late, several oi
which have been described in dispatches TO HE
TpIBrxr. Senator ingalls, Ioundlv denounced The
pension claim-accnts and bountyj1mpcrs who he
6gld had oriCiu1ted this piece of folly.
Several Democratic Senators briefly alluded 10
tbe matter in similar strain The plan Itself was
summarized vigorously, and lis provisions were IN
,lolned at length Is they have been set forth IN
dispatches to TIE TRIBUNE.
Nearly all who opposed tho plan admitted that
enormous frauds are committed under the present
system. and that there pressing need that some
thng he done to prevent them. Nevertheless the
measure was lost by vote OF . 20 80. his result
in view 1f the circumstances which wore brought
cut in debate is q remarkable one.
The plan under discussion had been recommended
by the Commissioner of Pensions in his last three
annual reports. 1t had been most urgently
rrqss.d upon the attention of Congress by
the Secretary Of the Interior within week
L had the unanimous approval Of the
Pensions and Appropriations Committees, with the
eyccption Of Senator Voorhees, who was absent
when il was voted upon aud it had been opposed
bv 10 one except the claim agents, whose
ctorts To manipulate legislation for their
own interests had been shown SO point
edly bv the circular just alluded 10. Ii
had been asserted by two members OF the Pensions
Committee that if this plan of relief or one equally
effective. wcreuct adopted, the whole system must
he crushed under the flood Of applications and cor
ye,rord,nco. which would p. inevitable. The vote
upon 1T wa, a~ follows Republicans IN Roman,
Democrats in icir>, Independents IN SNAIL cAPI-
TAI~.