The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-03-08
CONGRESS-.

CONGRESS.
The 18th congress expired by constitutional
Limitation al II O'Clock last Tuesday, its last
days being marked by all the intense excite.
mcut and hard work of the closing days Of its
predecessors but by fewer diSgraceful scenes
and less tunult and drunkenness. Indeed both
houses were in session ~ good is continuously
,day and night, not even accepting Sunday
from Thursday o.: last week to Tuesday noon
only to give the briclcst outline Of the cnOr-
nous amount Of business and the tcemIng in.
iCidcnts of such Il legislative siege The great
aim, Of course, was to iorCc through the appro
IpriatiOn bills, Of which there are some sixteen,
and Whatever other legislation 1t was deemed
important to have done, had to rely mainly on
being tackled as a rider to one or the other Of
these appropriation bills. The following is Il
general summary Of the legislation accom-
plishcd in the appropriation bills that passed:
The only variation in the fertilization bill
from last year is that it provides for the pur
chase of Ilotchkiss's revolving cannon and
Calling gun.
The river and harbor bill appropratcs about
| $6,500,O00 and gives Capt Eads about 81 ,jOO,-
600 towards continuing his jetties at the out
lets OF the Mississippi.
| The post office blll to which the senate had
tackled the Roach Brazilian mail subsidy of
| S3000000 was amended in the house by cut
ting out that grab and the senate had TO sue
cumb The bill contains some important new
features IN regard to postage on periodicals and
other printed matter, and has some new strin.
gent regulations in regard to the railroad mail
service.
The sundry civil service bill includes APP
preparations for the coast survey, Smithsonian
Institute, the Powell, Hayden and Wheeler
surveys IN Colorado, Arizona, &c, and though
liberal in its sums contains no new features of
importance.
The deficiency bill contains $4,000 for the
payment of |. :. marshals at the last election
in lieu of 100000 asked by the administration.
The senate voted the whole amount but the
house struck out 100000 and stubbornly stack
to it amendment.
The two important appropriation bills upon
which the two houses were unable to agree
were the army bill and the legislative, cXccu-
tive and judicial bill. To the army bill the
house attached an amendment torbdding the
use of the army al elect iOns-in other words,
Iplaclng it out of the power of the president and
attorney general rs they were wont to do i'll
Grants time, to compel republican victories in
democratic states or districts by the use OF the
bayonet; and to the other bill the house at
;achcd an amendmcntrcpeaiingth the law passed
in 1872 to help reject Grant, placing the elcc-
ton, in the states under the control of [. ).
supervisors and marshals. The stubbornncss
OF The senate in refusing to allow these amend
ments to be attached to the bills named, is what
forced the calling OF an extra session of the
new congress, as without money to pay the
army, congress and most OF the public officers,
the wheels OF government must necessarily
! stop.
The arrears of pensions bills, to which Gen.
Shields had got an amendment adopted on Fri
day granting pensions to soldiers of the McXi-
can war was rcconsidcrcd in the senate on Sat
urdav, and motion being made and carried to
except JEFF Davis, the south united with the
opponents OF the Shields amendment, and it
was voted down.
The President on Saturday sent to the house
his veto Of the Chinese immigration bill, and
the house sustained the veto, that is but 1903
voted to pass the bill over the veto against %
the other way. The President places his OPP
position to the bill mainly on the ground that
it violates the Burlingame treaty with China
and therefore involves "A breach of national
good faith.
The Senate bill placing Gen. Shields on the
list of retired brigadiers passed the house on
Tuesday and is law.
The Potter committee made areport on Mon
lday. 1t traces the Louisiana and Florida
frauds from their inception to their disgraciul
triumph, terrifying every statement with the
fullest proof and really covering Hayes and
the leading spirits OF his administration with
the blacklist inttmy
| The republican minority of the committee
attempt 10 parry the damning facts disclosed
by the investigation, but utterly fail. Gen.
Butler makes a report OF his own paying more
particular attention to Louisiana. He says the
proof is conclusive that Tilden earned that
state by IN overwhelming majority, and that
he was robbed of its electoral vote by the most
shameful means; but his chief attention is
given to the McVeagh commission and the
swndlc through it of Packard out of the gov
crnorship OF Louisiana,-an instance ofpolit-
cal rascaity which even Butler considers hard
to beat
In regard to Judge Blodgett, Proctor Knots
committee submitted lengthy report, winding
up with resolution that no charges against
Blodgctt had been sustained and they be there
fore laid on the table.
! The yellow fever bill was defeated by the