Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-20
WHAT CONGRESS Is DOING.
Senate Proceedings To-day.

tiOnS for national aid to common schools, many of
them signed, he said, exclusively by colored cti-
Zens.
FAvoR1Na THE TRANSFER OF THE SIGNAL SERVICE.
Mr.. voorhees, presented a resolution of the state
board OF agriculture OF Indiana expressing hearty
approval OF the transfer OF so much OF the signal
service as relates to climate and weather fore
casts to civil department Of the governme and
earnestly recommending that the transfer be
made to the department Of agriculture, "where
the subject OF climate naturally belongs"
THE REVENUE MARINE SERVICE.
Mr. Miller, of New York, presented the memorial
OF the chamber Of commerce of New York protest
Ing against the transfer OF the revenue marine
service to the navy department..
The president laid before the Senate letters
ment Of the work and expenditures at the Spring
field armCry during the last fiscal year, and also
the reports OF officers OF the engineer corps In rela
tfOn to the improvement Of the harbors of Savan-
nah, Brunswick, and Mobile, and of several south
ern rivers.
Mr.. Rollins introduced bill granting pension
Mr. Miller a. ~ by request, introduced bill
to give the Court OF Claims Jurisdiction to hear
and determine the claims of the Tice Manufac:ur-
iiLg company against the United States. Also a
DILL 10 amend the act to regulate immigration.
THE P. o. APPROPRIATION BILL.
AT the close OF the morning business Mr.. Plumb
moved to postpone the calendar to proceed with
the post office appropriation bill. Agreed to. The
ton was on the amendment changing the date
when the reduction OF letter postage from to 2
cents shall take effect from January 1st, 1884, to
the 1st OF July next
Mr. Sherman said he would vote against the
amendment, not so much because he disapproved
the proposed reduction Of postage as because he
was utterly opposed to this kind Of legislation
upon an appropriation bill Nearly all the diff
culttes encountered last session had arisen from
LEGISLATION Ie In appropriation bills, and he saw
statements In H. the newspapers that the navy ap-
encountered t talo IN the same way. In the present
case the Senate was compelled to vote upon an i'm
pnrtant pc po proposition, involving loss of about
$9OOGOOO or revenue, hurriedly, without the power
OF amendment and without the power to propose
other changes which might give the people more
tired OF this method OF legislating, ana he hoped
that from this time forward the Senate would re-
1uSe to agree to changes OF law in appropriation
blllS unless some special and strong reasons could
be given for them. AS to the reduction OF letter
postage he would be glad to see 1t made at the
proper time
REDUCTION OF POSTAGE.
The debate continued until o'clock, when the
tariff bill came up as unfinished business. At Mr.
Plumb's request Mr.. Morrill, consented to its tenn
porary postponement in order that vote might
be taken upon an amendment offered by
Mr.. Edmunds striking out as new legislation
the provision in the post office bin for the reduc-
tion of letter postage to two cents
The motion to strike out was lost-ayes, Is;
noes, 40
Mr.. Cockrell offered an amendment providing
for the free carriage OF periodical publications.
Mr. Miller {New York; offered two amendments,
one making the postage on seeds one-half cent
an ounce and the other reducing the postage on
drop letters to one cent per half ounce, including
delivery from letter carrier offices.
MT. Plumb made the point OF order against these
three amendments as new legislation, and they
were ruled out.
FAST NAIL SERVICE
The section OF the bill directing an investigation
by the Postmaster General into the railway mail
service was 40 amen led mot ion u1of Mr. Groouna
rs to extend the investigation to te questions Of
the advsaD11ty OF general fast mail service the
advantages ana the estimated cost OF the system,
ana the reasons for continuing the existing fast
mail service
THE TRUNK LINES AMENDMENT.
The bill was reported to the Senate and the
amendments made in committee were agreed to,
except the one appropriatng $1e5 900 ''for neces-
sary and special facilities on trunk lines," on
which Mr. Cockrell asked separate vote. He sent
up and had read an article from the Albany
train from New York to Albany was for the bene-
fit of the New York papers. The amendment was
agreed to-ayes, 3d. noes, Is.
THE P. Q. BILL PASSED AND THE TARIFF BILL TAKEN
UP.
The bill was then passed, and thafariff bill was
taken up.
Mr.. Morrill,. by direction OF the committee on
finance, moved to reduce the dutyo on unpublished
cyliider, crown and common window glass one
eighth OF cent per pound. Agreed to.
House of Representative.
On motion OF Mr.. Tucker, OF Virginia, bill was
passed removing the political disabilities of
Francis H. Smith, ST.. of Virginia.
The Speaker announced the regular order to be
the call of the roll the passage Of the bill for
the relief OF Morgan Rowls OF Georgia which was
under consideration when the House adjourned
yeSter day. The bill was paSsed-yeas &c. nays g.
MI: McLane, or Maryland. presented petition
md 10y D,p<y
Ing for damages on account OF the unlawful sez-
ure and detention OF cargoeS OF sugar by the Treas
ury department. Referred.
THE NAVY APPROPRIATION BILL
The House then, at II AS am, went into COM
mttee OF the whole Mr. Page OF California, In the
chair) on the navy appropriation bill
Mr.. Calkns, OF Indiana, said that he had OBJ
Jected to many Of the provisions OF the bill OF last
year, and upon examination he had come to the
conclusion that the present bill was worse than its
predecessor He had always objected to the COM
mittee on appropriations assuming to control all
% hs psd
tees. an, and the Iesponsioillty of legislation
began the reformation of the nasty at the wrong
END. The naval establishment Mas composed Of
eight bureaus, which acted in a disconnected and
dlsJolnted manner without any co-operation be-
tween them, and the result was that the dif-
lerent parts of the ship did not At. The
rala ordnance was too heavy for the vessel or the
The navy ought to be reconstructed on q basis
which would bring these bureaus together and
would compel them to wOr: in conjunction with
one another. That would bring the navy out of
the utter chaos into which 1t had fallen and build
up service which would compare favorably with
the service OF any nation OF the world.
MI. w WhlltthOrne said that he:reGarded this bill as
one OF tne most important ever submitted in re-
gard 70 the naval service of the country. He con-
CURED In the view expressed by Mr. Calkins, that
the legislation in the bill should not have been In.
serted Dy the committee on approprla rlations.
Capitol Notes.
SENATOR Edmunds was yesterday appointed re-
RenI oi tne Smithsonian Institution, vice Senator
SPRINGFIELD ARNORY.
The Secretary OF War to-day reported to Con-
gresS tnat the total expense Of the Springfield
armory for the year ended June S0th 1882 was
1859 9s,of which the principal items are for the
nanuiaCluto vi arms at national aru1OrleS, $228,-
1oo; armament OF fortihcations for 1881, $26 54a-
~; almlhg ana equ1ppfng militia, $50 828 IS; ord
nance mates1a ma sl2,556; Springfield arsenal ex-
CANDIDATE FOR D0ORKHEPKR
Mr.. j. G. Wintersmith, OF Texas. now the clerk
OF the House committee on commerce. is q candi.
Representatives -
PROSPECT OF TARIFF BIYJ PASSING.
Mr.. Kasson, member OF the ways and means
committee OF the House, stated to day that in his
opinion tariff bill OF some kind would be passed
of "a nrpSen6 session Of OopC =