The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-01-29
THE XVI CONGRESS.

asking constitutional amendment, civ:
ing the right of suffrage to women, were
presented. Sen. Allison, from the com
mlttee on finance, announced that he
was directed by that committee to report
back the joint resolution, regarding the
withdrawal of the compulsory legal
tender power of the United States treas
ury notes. The committee made a
verbal amendment to the resolution,
unanimously agreeing to it. Sen. Bay.
ard, from the same committee presented
the views of the minority, signed by
himself and Sen. Herman, accom- panied
by resolution, as follows: "The
undersigned, believing the fnan.
cial prosperity of the country in order
to be enduring and secure, must be based
upon money Of actual and intrinsic val.
ue, and that our government has no
power, and is incom potent to endow its
paper obligations with such value, and
the United States treasury notes in ex-
istence and circulation being now re-
deemable in gold and silver coin at the
option of the holder, do recommend the
withdrawal Of the compulsory legal
tender power of such notes, and the pas.
sage Of the subjoined resolution" Here
followed the Bayard resolution hereto
fore published, that the treasury notes
shall be received for all duties on i'm
ports. and shall not otherwise be legal
tender, submitting the principle of the
resolution as to the power of the govern
ment to make paper legal tender. Luke
Pryor, the new senator from Allah anna,
took his seat. Adjourned till Monday.
THURSDAY, Jan. 15.-House.-The bill
relating to bank reserves elected a long
discussion, but no action was reached.
The report OF the committee on rules oc.
cupied the remainder of the session.
MONDAY, Jan. 19.-Senate- Several
bills were introduced, among them:
granting increase of pension to the widow
Of Major Thornburg, late of the United
States army. On motion of Senator
Cameron, the senate took up and passed
the bill appropriating $4,000 for the
relief Of sufferers by explosion at the
United States arsenal at Bridgeport, Pa.
Two joint resolutions were adopted pro-
posing an amendment to the constitution.
that suffrage shall not be restricted on
account of sex or any other reason that
does not apply to all citizens; requesting
the president to invite the CO operation
of foreign maritime governments. in con.
structing a canal across the Isthmus of
Darien. A number of private bills
passed, and the special order-the bill
to prevent cruelty to animals in trans.
portation-was called up but the senate
adjourned before any action was taken.
MONDAY, Jan. 19.-H0use.-Immedi-
ately after the reading of the journal the
speaker called upon the states for bills,
and the following were introduced and
REFERRED: Relating to the inter-oceanic
canal; it requests the president to invite
the cooperation of the government of
the principal maritime nations of Eu.
rope in the selection of route for the
lsthmus ship transit, which will be
found to serve most largely the general
interests of all maritime nations, and to
communicate to such governments the
desire of this government to come to an
understanding relative to the neutrality
OF such inter-oceanic transit; to repeal
the duty on salt; for the distribution
of unappropriated moneys of the
Geneva Award; proposing con.
stitutional amendment in regard to the
election Of president and vice president,
and providing for their election by ma.
jority of the votes Of the people, and for
the abolition of the electoral college:
creating J. B. Eads and his associates a
body corporate under the name of "The
Inter Oceanic Transit Co., "and autboriz-
ing it to acquire Oh right of way as it
may need. that the work of construction
shall be commenced within two years
and completed within seven years from
the passage of this act, and that if said
work be so commenced and completed
no grants shall be granted by the United
States to any other company or corpora
ton within so years. 1t au' horizes the
president to detail two ships OF war to as
sist Eads in making such full and COM
plete surveys as may appear necessary,
and appropriates 100000 to be imme.
diately available to defray the costs in.
cident to such surveys; a resolution ten .
dering the hall of the house to Parnell
for an address, met some opposition but
was finally agreed to by a vote OF SO to
40. After consideration of some District
of Columbia business, the house ad-
journed.
TUESDAY, Jan. Decentralization the
passage of several unimportant bills the
senate took up the bill to prevent cruelty
to animals, and a long debate followed,
the bill was again laid over. The house
bill to admit, free Of duty, articles in.
tended for exhibition at the millcrs' con.
vention at Cincinnati, passed. .
TUESDAY, Jan. 20; -House.-A bill was
introduced appropriating $5OO,OOO to the
suffering people in Ireland; also bill
to discontinue the national banking sys
tenn. Mr.. Loring, proposing the follow.
ing constitutional amendment: "That
the right of suffrage shall be based on
citizenship, and the right of citizens to
vote shall not be denied or abrid ged .by
the United States on any account Of sex
or for any reason not equally applicable
to all citizens of the United States -
The sergeant-atarms brought to the bar
of the senate Jacob N. Ademeyer and
Geo. F. Anthony, who were arrested for
contempt in refusing to appear before the
committee investigating charges Of bril-