The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-04-19
CONGRESS-.

CONGRESS.
Speaker Randall finally, on Saturday last.
reported to the house his appointment of stand.
! ing committees, who are to shape the legisla
! ton of the present congress. Fernando Wood
remains at the head Of the Ways and Means
COMMITTEE, place he won by his earnest sup
port of Randall for speaker, otherwise Nor
rson, who opposed Randall, ought to have had
the place as altogether the better man. Atkins
is at the head of the committee on Appropria-
tons; Buckncr (greenback dcmocraD of Bank
ing and Currency; Knott, Judiciary Springer,
Elections; Whitthorne, Naval Affairs; Bragg,
CLAIMS, &c. Illinois and New York have each
| five chalrmanships, no other State having a.
many.
| The House was mainly engaged up to We'd
ncsday in preliminary action on the Legislative
and Judicial appropriation bill, reaching the
political clauses on the latter day. The only
notable incident of this preliminary talk was,
the motion of Bragg, democrat, from Wis, to
abolish the southern claims commission.
Strangely enough the chief opposition came
from Garfield and the republican side, who,
with the help of southern members, defeated
it. The debate on the clauses abolishing the
jurors test oath and the supervisors of elections
and assistant marshals opened on Wednesday
Lewis speaking in favor OF the repeal and San
ford against it, On Thursday Kelly spoke on
the republican side.
The democrats of the house having decided
to give the greenbackers an opportunity to in
troduce their finance bills, adjourned from
Saturday to Monday, by a vote of III to 81;
and accordingly on Monday, under the rule,
the States during the morning hour were called
for the introduction of bills. Maine was first
called, and while the speaker might have re
cognizcd any other member and thus defeated
the greenbackers, he recognized Ladd, a ma
,ional, who introduced Il bill ''to cqualizc silver
with gold" Conger at once raised point of
order, which he admitted amounted to nothing
but by It's discussion and call of yeas and nays,
&C. used up The morning hour and the green
hackers got in no more bills. Stephens how
ever. suggested that the bills could be thrown
into the shape of petitions and put into the pc
tition box at any time, and in this way half a
dozen OF other bills were got in that of Mr.
Ladd among them; upon which, on Wednes
day, Stephens, from the currency committee,
reported a bill to make subsidiary silver com
a legal tender to the amount of 500 and re
dcemablc in grecnbacks The republicans,
however, managed by tilibustcring, to stavc of
action On it.
The debate in the senate on the rider to
the army bill torbidding the presence Of L. ;.
soldiers at the polls, was opened on Monday
by Blaine His speech was disappointing
rather tame and commonplace showing noHH
Of the energy and fire with which he was wont
to eectrify the house. He was replied to by
Wallace of Pa; and then Logan got the floor
for Tuesday Logan's speech was more fiery,
and of the genuine bloody SHIRT kind. all of 1t
being read from manuscript of which some
accommodating reporter had probably correct
ed the grammar. Beck came next, ridiculng
the bloody shirt and accounting for Logans
excitement by his disappointment because
"the scepter has departed from Judah" Fur
ther along Beck got into Il somewhat angry
sauabble with Hoar of Mass, who insulted
him by INVITING him of plantation manners
As Beck is a broad -shouldered Scotchman, not
even rid of the broguc and has hardly seen II
plantation, this excited considerable laughter
at Hoars expense. Bcck's talk was continued
during most of Wednesday, and on Thursday
Senator Voorhees, got the floor, who made one
of the most effective speeches ever heard III
the senate.
Vice President Wheeler having been called
home by sickness on Tuesday, Senator Thur
man was elected president Of the senate pro
tenn, the first democratic president 1t has had
in sixteen years.