River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-01-20
46fh Congress.

/ seat Mr. Morry, of Mississippi from the COM
mittee on post Offices and postroads reported
/ back the bill regulating the rates OF postage on
second class mail matter. Mr.. Poehler from the
| committee on Indian affairs, reported back the
bill authorizing the secretary OF the interior to
! fulfill certain treaty stipulation with the Chip
! pewa Indians of Lake Superior and Mississippi.
| On motion of Fernando Wood; the house went
| into committee of the whole with Mr.. Covert in
/ the chair on the funding bill, The bill was read
! by sections for amendment, and Mr.. Wood offer
! ed under instruction Of the committee on ways
! and me ans an amendment fixing the rate of in
| terest on the bonds and notes authorized by this
| act at 3 per cent, il being ~ per cent in the
printed bill. The amendment was discussed pro
and con through the entire day without coming
/ to a conclusion when the house adjourned.
| MONDAY Jan. 10. -.SeHafe.-Sen. voorhees,
| asked TO have printed and recommtted the bill
authorizing the construction of building for the
congressional library. So ordered. Sen Logan in
troduccd a bill to authorize the appointment Of
Gen. Grant on the retired list of the army. The
bill was read at length, ut the request of Sen.
Conklng. Ii is as follows:
See. /. BE Il enacted, ETC., that in recognition of
the eminent public services Of Ulysses 5. Grant,
late general of the army and ex president of the
United States the president be and he is hereby
authorized to appoint him, by and with the adj
vice and consent of the senate to the retired list
! with rank and full pay of general Of the army.
Sec. 2. And be Il further enacted, That ut an
time when the president shall consider than an
emergency has arisen requiring the services of
Gen Z. S. Grant on the active duty he is here
| by.authorized to assign him any command COM
| mensurate with the rank of general. Referred to
| the committee military affairs. Sen. Bayard,
to amend the revised statutes so as to require sig
natures on national banks, TO be written not on
| national banks to be written, not engraved; also
| IA bill to provide for the distribution Of unclaimed
dividends among the creditors OF national banks
Sen. Logan, to extend the ranking privileges to
| all official business sent through the mails by
senator's representatives and deleaaes in congress.
Sen. Pendleton by request, to regulate and i'm
| prove the civil service of the United States; also
to require the bill to prevent eXtortiOns from per-
| sons in the public service, and to punish bribery
and corruption by such persons. The morning
hour having expired discussion was resumed of the
| bill for the relief of B. Halliday. Mcdonald adj
| dressed the senate The motion of Senator
Carpenter to postpone indefinitely, was negatved;
| years l nays 3S. The bill went over without
| action. Adjourned.
| MONDAY Jan 10--fio,pse.- Bills introduced
| and referred Mr. Price-Declaring silver Ger
tifcates to possess the same legal tender quality
as coin, for which they were issued Mr.. Car
penter-TO increase five per cent. the duty on fax
| seed and lnseed, and the manufacturers thereof.
| Also proposing a constitutional amendment pro-
vdng that all civil officers of the United States
except judges of the supreme and inferior courts,
head of departments and officers whose duties are
| temporary-shall hold Office for term of four
years and that congress may provide for the cleo
| ton by the people of postmasterS and other oi-
| GERS whose duties are to be performed within the
| limit of any state such officers to be subject to
removal by the president on other than by politi-
cal or religious grounds Mr.. Willis, of Kentucky,
to prevent extorton from persons in the public
service, and bribery and coercion by such persons
| Mr.. Buckner, requesting the president to open ne
gotiations with Mexico or tho Central American
States for the purchase and cesslOn to the United
States Of territory for the voluntary colonization
of the c0lored population of the United States
After transacting some country business the house
adjourned
TUESDAY,. Jan. -Seaate-Senator Window
reported with trifing amendment, the mill
tary academy appropriation bill. Placed on cal
| endar. Senator Maxey, reported with amendment
the bill for the relief Of Brgadier-General o. c.
Ord. Senator Bayard reported tavorbly the
house bill to amend section of revised statutes
so to authorize charge for melting or refining
bullion when al or above the standard. Senator
Cameron of Pennsylvania, from the military
committee, reported adversely on the bill to reor-
ganize and dicipline the militia of the United
States and its further consideration was indefin-
itely postponed. The District of Columbia tramp
bill for punishment of vagrancy, was then taken
up and discussed. The bill was finally laid aside
without action and the senate took up the bill for
the relief of Ben Holiday. Pending debate the
senate adjourned.
TUESDAY Jan. Rouse.-Mr. Blackburn Of
fered the following resolution:
WHEREAS, Charges have been made that the
laws of the United States have been violated by
sending through the mails under franks of mem
bers Of the house and senate, matter not author
lied to be sent without payment of postage there
fore
Resolced, That select committee of five HEM
bers be appointed by the speaker TO examine into
said charges and all other abuses that may be
brought to its attention. connected with the trans
mission of documents letters, etc, through the
mails.
The resolution was adopted, and the house
went into committee of the whole the Indian
appropriation bill. The pending amendment
that offered by Hi tchcock, appropriating $4,000
TO defray the expenses of commission of ten citl
zens provided for in the act of 1869, and striking
out the clause repeating all laws creating or au-
thOr9ing such commission, which was finally
adopte by standing vote-S7 to IS.
Mess Carlisle, Geddes Wilson and Blount
Were the only democrats who noticed as vot-
ing in the affirmative and Valentine the only
publican voting in the negative The committee
then and reported the bill to the house. The
amendment adopted in the committee relative to
the Indian commission was rejected, yeas 1906;
nays lI9. The bill then passed. The speaker
announced the appointment of Messrs. Converse,
House, Phillips, Browne and Robinson, of Massa-
chusetts as a select committee to investigate the
alleged abuseof the franking privilege The speaker
laid before the house message from the president
transmitting the copies Of correspondence relating
to the invitation extended by the French republic
TO this government, to send one or more delegates
to represent it in the international congress of
electricians to be held in Paris, Sept. 10th, 1881.
The president recommends an appropriation be
made for that purpose. The message was referred
to the committee on foreign affairs. Adjourned
WEDxRsDAY Jan. 12-Setate-Senator Davis,
of West Virginia submitted resolution instruct
ing the committee on finance to inquire into the
adyisability of a change in the organization Of
the treaury and other departments, to di
vide the accounts etc, for collecting receipts and
safe keeping of revenues; to transfer from the
treasury to the war navy department. steam
boat inspection life serving and other services,
and to place under the state department matters
connected with our foreign and domestic com
meree. Tabled and ordered printed. Senator Logan
called up the joint resolution extending the frank
! ing privilege 10 all official business sent through
! the mails by senators, representatives and dele
gates in congress and in all other respects to be
under the limitations of existing laws. Mr.. Lo-
gan explained that the resolution was designed TO
| cover only letters, ETC., sent from the depart
| ments through the hands of congressman, to the
| people at large. He said that under the present
| law, while the department clerks could frank of
fetal business, this privilege was denied to the
members congress. Adjourned.
WEDNESDAY,, Jan. 12.-Hou8e The house
went into the committee of the whole Covert in the
chair, on the funding bill, and adjourned immedi-
| ately after reporting.
THURspAY Jan. BIS endte.-At the expra-
ton of the morning hour the funding resolution
was referred to the committee post Offices. The
vote was % to %. Adjourned
| THURSDAY, Jan. House.-The house went
| into committee of the whole, Converse, of New
| Y ork in the chair, on the funding bill. The
| pending amendment that offered by Mr..
Randall authorizing the issue of bonds in amount
not exceeding $500 600 900, which shall bear in
terest at the rate of per cent. redeemable after
| blank years After all day discussion of no
! Importance the house adjourned.
FRIDAY, Jan. .-Senate.-Senator Hoar pre-
sented with petition in its favor, bill to pro-
vide for retired and retiring presidents of the
| United States Senator johnson, from the
mttee on agriculture reported different bills be-
fore the committee the subject of pleuro-pneu-
monia among cattle. The senate passed the
| tramp bill and then proceeded with the calendar
under the Anthony rule, and after executive
session adjourned.
| FRIDAY Jan. IA Holse-The house went into
| committee Of the whole on the private calendar.
| NJ attempt was made to proceed with the consid-
Grafton of the funding bill The committee
and reported several private bills to the house but
! upon the first bill acted upon no quorum voted,
| and the house adjourned.