Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-12-21
I'M CONGRESS-.
Yesterdays Proceedings In Both Houses
Adjourned uutil Monday.
sFNATI,.


Washington, December 20.--Cullon
introduced q bill 10 establish boar'
OF railroad commissioners and regulate
Interstate commerce.. :,
Vanwvci's resolution in regard U
land granted to railroads was calle'
up.
ingalls, had no objection to the reso
luton proper, but objected to The pre-
amble as tending to commit the senate
TO an Interpretation of the decision o
the supreme court. -
Bills introduced: BY Miller of New
York-To authorize the secretary o
war to erect monument to the lat
Gen. Warren Brown. :.
TO authorize the distillation of fruit
without tax 10y the federal govern
ment, leaving the question OF taxation
10 the state.
A message was received from thu
house concurriug In the senate amend
nlent, making the date OF Ie-assem'
bling after the holidays Monday. Jan
uary eth.
Van WyclS insisted that his pream'
BILE was correct. In the course of de-
bate he referred to the opinions of At.
| torney- General Devens and Justice
! HARLEM on the same subject, and crit
icised the opinions as well as the prac-
tic. of the general land Office in fol-
| lowing the law us laid down 10y those
opinions rather than by the supreme
court of the United States. Replying
| 90 a question of Allison in regard To
| the Justice OF Harlan's opinion, Van
| WyclI said that il was strange Indeed;
marvellous things had taken place in
| the supreme court ~ well rs in the land
! department of the government In
reference to public lands, he Wan
WYck) thought the senator from Iowa
! iAllison) would cOncede the
fact that at least there was
abundant evidence in his tAlliison's)
state of the suflerings of its people by
deprivation of their property in mil.
lions Of acres of the public domain,
which had been given to railroads,
Van Wycll said, before the supreme
court decision referred to, which they
were not entitled founder the decision,
and although for II time the general
land Office followed the decision, it
finally followed the opinion of Attor-
ney-G General Devens aud Justice Har-
Ian. This course Van Wyck censured
The discussion closed by the insertion
in the preamble of the words, at is
alleged" so as not to conf
init the senate to any special
interpretations of the supreme court
decision. As amended, Van Wyck's
resolution was agreed to.
The senate went into executive ses-
sion, and on re-opening resumed con-
sideratiun of the new rules, but after II
short debate. the matter WAS post
poned until after the holiday recess.
The chair laid before the senate Il
comm ;nication from the secretary OF
the interior. transmitting copies of
papers relating to the attempted
company's land grant to the Southern
Pacific company in Arizona, New
Mexico and California. The secretary
concludes his communication with the
statement that nOaciion was taken by
the department on the subject.
The senate conCurred in the Joint
resolution of the house, relating TO the
celebration of the centenary of the
surrender 10y Washington OF his COM
mission as commander in-chief of the
Patriot forces of 4 nerica.
Adjourned till O'Clock Monday.
HOUSE.
Washington, December 20.-A long
discussion sprang uu over resolution
offered by GeAdes 10 grant months
extra pay to discharged employees, be-
ing advocated by Geddes and Meirer
and opposed by Reagan on the ground
that the house had no right to be
charitable with other peoples money,
and hy Cobb ON the ground that it
would include in its provisions persons
put on rolls at the CLOSE Of last session.
Reagan moved to commit the resolu-
ton TO the committee On accounts,
with instructions To inquire ana re-
port whether there were persons
turned out from positions at the close
of last session and others put in their
places, who performed no duties.
Agreed to.
Blackburn, from the committee on
rules, reported II resolution that here
afLer the committee on pOstollices and
post roads should consist of fifteen
members, and the committees on cur
rency, banking, foreign affairs, mill
tary affairs, territories, public buildings
and District Of Columbia. of thirteen
members each. He stated that the in
crease of membership fully met the
views OF the speaker. The resolution
was adopted.
uoar opposed The reso ution. Why
was the committee ON commerce sin
glcd out for division? Why had not
the oVerworlJed committee on WAYS
ana means been divided into two conf
mittees, one on ways and one on
means2 There could be given 10 one
committee all bills to build up home
industry, and t. the other all bills 20
tear it down and thereby both wings
Of the Democratic party would have a
committee. (Laughler
blackburn called up his report, sub
mitted yesterday, for the appointment
OF committee on rivers and hurbors,
TO consist OF fifteen members.
The committee on foreign affairs
might be divided, aud to the new COM
mittee could he ref FRED the whole
Irish question. This also relieves the
speak or Of the trouble which, accord
ing TO the press, he experiences in APP
pointing the head OF that committee.
Robinson OF New York said that
what he complained OF YVES not that
congress did not pay attention to its
Irish citizens butshamefully neglected
American citizens, aud there had not
been patriotism enough to condemn
that which should have been done.
lloar replied no doubt that was so,
and II is owing to the fact that the
committee on foreign affairs had no
time TO devote TO the consideration of
the great question.
Springer offered an amendment re-
lerring TO the committee on the Missis-
sippi levees tn bill making an appro-
prlation for the Improvement of the
Mississippi. He considered the inn
provement of this great high