The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-12-09
Last Nights Dispatches.
WASHINGTON .

w WASHiNGION, Dcc. o.-DdlIcy piil IOT
the education of the colored people recites
that $5l0,090 has been covered back into
the treasury recently. being the bounty of
coored soldiers unclaimed, after seven
wears, and directs the Secretary of the
Treasury to invest that amount IN govern
ment four per cents, the interest to be ap-
portioned, where colored people receive
education 10 higher branches.
Senator Hoar introduced bill in the
Senate, to day, 10 establish labor COM
mission. 1t provides that the President,
with the consent of the Senate, shall ap-
point a commission of FIVE persons to
inquire and report as to the extent to
which machinery and labor saving pro-
cesses have entered into the production
and distribution of products in general and
of the consumption among the people to
the displacement of manual labor. Also,
whether any causes are in operation to
bring about ownership and cultivation OF
lands iu large tracts, instead OF small
| farms and homesteads, Also, as to the
condition of persons employed in agricul-
ture mechanical, manufacturing, and
mining labor, in this country, and especi-
| ally whether any causes are at work to
| change for the better or worse the con-
dition of such persons. their hours of labor,
| the education of their children and pro-
portion received by them OF profits of
occupations in which they are engaged.
! The commissioners are to hold office for
| two years, receive an annual salary OF
| 81 900 each. and be allowed expenses of
travel, have authority to employ Secres
tary and three clerks and report to Con-
gress annually through the Secretary OF
| the Interior.
The Houstf Electoral Law Conn
! will report a bill for early action this ses-
| sion.
| The Senate Committee will report for
passage resolution to amend the Consti''
tuition and abolish the Electoral College,
! making direct popular vote.
Representative Pound will Introduce at
| the earliest opportunity a unity joint reso-
luton proposing Constitutional amend
ment making the presidential term SIX
years, with no second term and Congress
sional term three years.
I Joseph kimmo, Jr, chief Of the Bureau
OF Statistics, has just sent the printer
report on international commerce of the
| u United States, in the preparation OF which
| he has been engaged for more than year.
| This report embodies results of extensive
| investigation OF commercial and transpor
tation affairs in various parts of the coun-
try. The following is a synopsis of the
report:
The growth Of traffic on railroads is in-
dicated by the fact that the total freight
movements of three of the most Important
trunk lines connecting the West with the
seaboard, increased from 10, 698, 9S9 tons
in 1868 to 25,272.755 tons in 1873. The
average cost of transportation on ten OF
the principal lines of the country fell from
% 10 cents per ton per mile ID 1868, to
I n fnE IN
Seven -eighths of the surplus productions
of trans Mississippi States north Of the
State of Arkansas now cross the Mississippi
| on railroads at and between St Louis and
st. Paul, and are transported directly east
| to markets in the country and In foreign
countries: The report concludes as tol>
| lows: During the last ten years the sub
| iect of governmental regulation of rail-
roads has been agitated in various parts
of the country. ard IL several OF the states
railroad commissions have beer formed III
view Of the fact hat the railroad system
| OF c1uI biuatiius has become essentially
unity in ali that relates u conImerce
among states and that hy FAR the laTgv5:
part Of eur internal c0mmerce IS inter ~ a e
commerce 1t has been urged that the
government of the United States should
exercise its authority tor the correction Of
IpOwers Of congress to regulate commerce
among states. \ bill having this object
in view has twice passed the house Of rep
resentatives The practical question
which presents itself il, whether the enor-
nous interests involved in Interstate
commerce shall be determined solely by
those who are engaged in the work OF
TRANSFORMATION or UhHther public will shaii
also be asserted by some intelligent and
authoritative agen,y. The constitution oi
such an agency within the scope of its
/ powers and manner in which such power:
, shall be exercised 10 harmony with the
, spirit Of our institutions, constitute 6
difficult and complex question, and Ole
; which can be determined only in the light
I | of such information as may be obtained
s through intelligent and careful investiga
, ton of the whole.subject, under authority
G of congress