The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-03-01
CONGRESS.

Ipriation bills passed the house and by Thurs.
day the senate had acted on all 1t is to be
borne IN mind however, that many important
points ofdisputc between the two houses arts,
! ing out of amendments 10 or clauses of the APP.
'propriatiOn billSarc in the hands Of conference
committees, and no such bills can finally pass
unless SAID committees agree and both houses
adopt their reports.
! The hardest fight Of that kind will occur 0v-
or the amendment tackled by the house on the
Legislative appropriation bill repeating the L.
;. election laws. i'he republicans of the house,
after many threats 10 obstruct its passage there
! by tilibustering, gave that up on Tuesday and
allowed the bill to pass, expecting, OF course,
that the senate would reject the amendment
and that then the dispute would 90 to con
ference committee which has proved to be the
case. And of course the conference committee
will not agree; and then, if neither house re
cedes, the bill fails TO pass and as the govern.
! ment must stop unless the President cabinet
officers, [. s. Judges and members of congress
are paid, there must be an extra session of con
greSs to pass the bill.
The Sundry civil service bill, which appro-
PIRATES $17000,000 to 800 different objects,
passed the house on Monday without word
Of debate or a single amendment.
The bill to amend the internal revenue law
as passed by the house, reduced the tax on To-
bacco to the uniform rate Of IL cts. per h..
abolished the tax on matches, and reduced the
whisky tax. The senate disagreed to most of
! these and the bill went to Il conference COM
mltteC who have agreed to restore the tax on
matches and retain the present tax on cigars,
and in this shape the bill will probably pass ;
though, as it will reduce the revenue some
! $lO,0OO00O, and Sherman violently opposes it.,
the President will probably veto it.
The senate agreed to Buffers amendment to
the army bill allowing railroads to do general
telegraph business over their own lines and
that important provision is probably by this
time a law.
The senate on saturday passed Senator Nc
Pherson's bill to regulate the transportation OF
cattle. 1t provides that stock shall not be kept
in cars over "a hours without food and water,
and shall be unshipped ut least once in every
:. 60 hours and allowed seven hours rest. The
bill also provides system of inspection by
which all cattle shall be inspected on arrival
at New York Boston, Baltimore or any port
for shipment abroad.
The effort of the stalwarts in the senate to
unscat Butler from South Carolina and admit
- ',rbi i'm, r,ln f,il cd IN hn 10 m
Saturday by vote of 80 against %, half a doz-
:. en- of republican senator's including Patterson,
Matthews, Conover and Chatice, voting to re-
tain Butler.
The bill to repeal the resumption law came
up in the regular order in the house on Satur-
day and excited a general discussion. 1t was,
however laid on the table by large majority.
/ The census bill passed the house finally on
Wednesday, denuded of the provision that the
governors appoint the supervisors, but their
confirmed by the senate, which by the time the
appointments are made will be democratic.
The house has agreed to the senate amend
ments to the antl.Chinese immigration bill;
but the President it is said, is determined to
veto it on the ground that it is an infraction OF
the Buringamc treaty with China.
The senate has passed deficiency bill ap-
propriatng $250,000 to pay extra marshals en-
ployed under the L. s. election law at the last
election in New York, st. Louis, South Caro-
lima, &c. The bill was stubborny fought by
the democrats and passed only by vote of
36 to 30. The house, of course, will knock the
bill "highcr'n a kite
Blaine has published "a vigorous letter to
VIM Lloyd Garrison IN defence of his vote in
favor of the Chinese immigration bill lie
contends that the Chinese are not immigrants
in the proper sense Of that term; that it Is II
diculous to compare their case to that of the
negroes; that the Chinese were the first to dis.
regard the Burlingamc treaty, and there is no
bad faith on our part IN doing the same, and
so on, and SO on The letter is very strong
one, and it will puzzle the sentlmcnalss of
the Garrison school to answer it.
RI The Teller committee, 10 investigate election
frauds last fall made report on Thursday,
alleging that there had been stupendous frauds
through tissue ballots in South Carolina and a
great deal of buldosing with some thirty muir
lders, in Louisiana. The committee failed to
look into the frauds and bulldosing in New
York, Massachusetts, &c. The minority, or
democratic end of the committee, have also
prepared report, the statements of which are
in many respects in sharp conflict with those
of the majority.
Mr.. Seward, consul at Shanghai, who while
undergoing an investigation by comnlttee
of the house refused to produce his books and
answer certain questions, was brought before
! the house Yesterday to answer for contempt.
The funeral of Bishop Foley in Chicago on
Friday Of last week was quite an event in lis
way Not only was it attended by the citizens
q ot Chicago by thousands, but from the cities