The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-12-04
HUB OF THE NATION.
AROUND WHICH MANY FELLOWS
NOW GYRATE.
The House Goes at Business With Rush
"A Bill in the Senate to Stop
Silver COinage-Capital
Gossip,


senate, and some delay in getting to business
l he resolution introduced Tuesday by Sena
tor Vest, directing The committee on Indian
affairs to investigate all alleged i'll gal leases
OF grazing lands in the Indian territory, and
to report 10y bill or otherwise, was amended |
SO as to include Indian re- ervationS.
Plumb cCntendel that many Of these lands |
were not needed by the lniians; some of |
them were suitable for agriculture, and he /!
thought congress could open them for settle |
ment without breaking faith with the |
Indians or impsriling their interests. He
especially advocated the opening of the
Oklahoma territory to settlement. The
resolution amended was agreed to.
At Il cir own request Manderson was ex-
cused from further service on the committee
on claims: Slater from further service on
the judiciary committee; Morgan from fur
ther service on Indian affairs, and Dawes
from service on the committee to examine
the several branches of the civil service.
On motion of Sherman the select commit
tees of last session were continued for the
present session and the presiding officer was
authorized to fill vacancies
At Ills p, m. a MESA ge..was received from
ecutlve nominations
Mcpherson introduced bill directing the
secretary of the treasury to discontinue the
issuance of treasury notes of denominations
less than S., and to cease the regular monthly
coinage of the standard silver dollar and
issue in lieu thereof silver certificates for
bullion deposited in the United States mints.
Slater gave notice that on Monday next he
should press to final action the bill reported
by the committee on public lands forfeting
railroad grants in Oregon
At III, the senate went into executive
session, and when the doors reopened, ad-
journed.
All the nominations submitted in executive
session were referred to appropriate commit
tees. The nomination of ex-senator Hanlan
as presiding judge of the court of Alabama
claims, it was stated by several senators,
was referred by inadvertence the intention
| being to confirm without reference.
| In the house Tuesday, the resolution of
| Follett, providing for an investigation of
the conduct Of deputy marshals at Cincin-
natl at the October election, was adopted
| without amendment Reagan, of Texas,
| called up his inter state commerce bill as a
| substitute for that of the committee, and ad-
dressed the house on its provisions, after
| which the house ad journed.
When the house assembled on Wednesday
on motion of Cobb, of Indiana, the house by
unanimous consent non-concurred in the
senate amendments to the bill to forfeit the
unearned lands granted to the Atlantic &
Pacific railroad company to aid in the con
struction of a railroad from Missouri ana
Arkansas to the Pacific coast and a com
mittee Of conference was ordered.
After the transaction of some unimportant
business, by unanimous consent the morning
hour was, on motion Of Randall, set aside
and the house went into committee of tht
whole on the bill making provision for tn
support of the navy for the last six month
OF the fiscal year ending June, 30, 1885, Cox
of New York. in the chair. General debat
was dispensed with, and the bill was con
sidered by paragraphs under the five minu
rule.
There was no debate on the bill, which
was agreed to as it came from the az
preparation committee, and reported to th'
house and passed
The interstate commerce bill then cam
up as unfinished business. Seymour, of Con
necticut, addressed the house favoring tn
general features of the bill, but thought SOM
of the minor details of it might with safety
bo omitted.
Long, of Mass, followed. He said the +,
suit of the agitation of the question for tn
past ten years had shown that public opinio
was more effective than any legislation woul
be He presented statistics
show that the evils complained of gradual
cured themselves, and that freight rate
were being reduced, through other cause
than legislation. There had been, he said
q unjust unreasonable and impolitic discrin
nation, which it was the duty Of congres
to prevent. Congress had, he held, powe
to regulate all inter state commerce in tn
respect, but the waterways and highway
carried their own remedy by competition, an
the bill wisely :nfined itself to the railroad
He did not believe the Reagan bill tixir
penalties to be enforced by la
could be made effective, ar
therefore favored the proposition for boai
of railroad commissioners. In Massach
setts where the commissioners had no pow
beyond that to investigate and recommen'
no railroad company had dared to resist tI
recommendation of the commissioners.