Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-02-06
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH.
THE FORTY-sIxTH CONGRESS.
Report of Proceedings in Senate
and House Of Representatives.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.

On motion of Mr.. JOhntsOn, the
regular orders were suspended, and
House Joint resolution, authorizing
and requesting the President to ex-
tend to the government and
people of France an invita-
ton to join the government
and the people of the United States
in the Yorktown centennial celebra-
ton in October next, was taken up.
Mr.. Dawes moved an amendment
making an appropriation of $20,OOO'
and Mr.. Hoar one extending an in
vitation to include the family OF
Lafayette.
The amendments were agreed to,
and the joint resolution, as amended,
was passed.
The resolution submitted by Mr..
Ransom was adopted for the print
ing of the reports of the Secretary
of War made at this session, com
municating the reports of the chief
engineers concerning the improve
ment of rivers and harbors.
Senator Eaton called up his Joint
resolution directing the secretary of
State to withhold the pending action
by Congress for further payments of
the Mexican awards upon the We'll
& La Abra claims, and for the in
vestment in United States securities
of the money withheld.
The matter occupied the remainder
of the morning hour without action.
The land in severalty bill came up,
but on motion of Mr.. Booth it was
laid aside informally, and the Senate
resumed consideration Of the pen
sion appropriation bill, the ques-
ton being upon Mr. Withers' amend
ment, namely, the bill for local pen
sion courts, known as the sixty sur
geons' bill.
Mr.Logan spoke against the amend
ment, after which Mr.. Wallace gave
notice of his intention to call up the
postoffice appropriation bill as soon
as the pending bill was disposed Of.
The pension appropriation bill was
then laid aside informally. -
Several bills of private nature
were passed, and the Senate at $40
adjourned till Monday.
HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-Immediately S.
after the reading of the journal, Mr..
Bicknell, of Indiana, as a privileged
question, called up from the Speak
ers table the Senate concurrent res>
olution for counting the electoral
votes. Mr.. Bicknell said that it was
alleged that the electors of one State
had cast their votes on day not pre-
scribed by law. The question would
be made whether or not the vote of
that State should be counted. That
was doubtful and difficult question,
and the Constitution had not ex-
pressly declared by whom such
question should be decided. A like
difficulty had arisen several times
heretofore-once in 1921, once in
1887, and once in 1857. In the lat
ter case the result had been an an
cry and dangerous debate, ending in
no practical good. The object Of
this resolution was to avoid such
difficulty. Whether the vote of the
State in question, Georgia, be count
ed or not counted would make no
difference IN the result. Everybody
admitted that General Garfield had
been duly elected President of the
United States, and would be so de
clared; but in order to avoid any diff
fcuIty this resolution was proposed,
and he hoped that it would be
adopted unanimously. It provided
for the same hypothetical counting
which had already tried the country
over difficulties on two occasions.
Mr.. Robson, of New Jersey, de-
manded division of the resolution.
He should make his objection to the
resolution as prescribed to-day. He
wasin favor of the first branch Of
the resolution, because it was the
identical resolution, if he mistook
not, which he had presented for
the acceptonce of the other side of
the House before the holidays.
With regard to the second branch, it
would not become him to make any
more opposition to its passage
than to record his vote according to
his opinion. He begged leave to
congratulate the gentlemen on the
other side of the chamber on their
return to the old principles OF De-
mocracy.
After an interesting debate of
two hours, during the course Of
which Messrs. FELTON, and Speer, of
Georgia, asserted the loyalty of the
people of Georgia and the subser-
Vlence of the State laws to the fed
eral laws, which assertions were re-
cel7ed with applause on the Repub-
llcan side, the resolutions were adj
opted, the first branch without di7is-
ion and the second branch bv a vote
of, yeas 160, nays II.
The Republicans, as a rule, voted
in the negative and the Democrats
in the affirmative. The following
Democrats, however, voted in the
negative: Acklen, Converse, Culber-
son, Hurd, Slemons and Young, of
Tennessee and the following Re-