The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-07-03
CONGRESSIONAL MATTERS

CONGRESSIONAL MATTERS
In c the senate on Monday, the sd, the pond
dating the pensions Of Union soldiers from the
date of discharge or disability and extending
to October l, 1884, the limitation Of time to file
applications for arrears. Mr.. Sherman very
much regretted TO be obliged to oppose any
proposition favored by Union soldiers, but he
knew the soldiers themselves were divided
about this proposition His heart and his
feelings were all with the soldiers. He appre-
ciated the value of their services to the coun
try for generations yet unborn. Tho proposition
however, affected theintercsts of ali the people
of the United States, not only soldiers, but
citizens The committee on pensions had not
recommended it The house of representatives
had not recommended it. It was based on the
motion of single senator. The commissioners
of pensions had estimated that this proposition
would involve the payment Of s246;0O0; CO.
He asked senators whether this was : time to
sury When the act Of 1879 was passed it was
| . time of great plenty, after specie payment
had been resumed, and when the surplus in the
treasury was fast accumulating, and the trea-
Our revenues were now rapidly falling of.
Sherman put himself on the broad ground
that the doldier has for twenty years waived
his right to a pension, either because he did
| IL,
no legal or even moral or equitable right now
to embarass his government He believed the
adoption of this amendment would be an en-
barrassing thing for the people of the United
all sorts of claims. The amendment was ad-
vocated by Congor and Ingalls,, but was rejected
~ to 81. Aldrich Of r. l., Edmunds of Vt,
Hanley of Conn, Merrill of vt, Sewell of n J.,
Sherman of O., and Rlddleburger of Va, vot-
ing with democrats.
| Tn /:
House Oh Monday Mr.: Randall then offered an
amendment directing tho secretary of war to
sell at public auction the following arsenals:
Allegheny arsenal, Pa, Augusta arsenal, Ga
!ndianapolis arsenal, Ind; konnebec arsenal,
Maine, and Watertown arsenal, Mass. Adopt
ed. Also, granting months extra pay to
house employees Adopted. Also, to strike ont
the provision that no speech shall be printed in
the Record which has not been delivered upon
the floor Of congress- Adopted-162 to II.
The Senate has passed the house bill to au-
thorize the president to appoint two additional
justices of the supreme court of Dakota and
one additional justice of the supreme court Of
the Territory of Washington with the Cullom
bill pensioning invalid three months volunteers
in the war of the rebellion, with their widows
and dependent parents, as an amendment
The house on Tuesday passed the bill to re-
peal the presumption and timber culture laws
and to amend the homestead law With refer
ence to the emption law the bill provides
that:
All persons entitled to pre-empt any land
under existing laws, who before the law have
in good faith filed their claims, or, who having
the legal right to pre-empt, have located on any
| of the surveyed public lands with the intention
of entering the same when surveyed shall have
the right to complete their entries and receive
| patent as though the repeal had not passed.
1t also provides that the repeal of the timber
culture law shall not prejudice the rights of
those who have in good faith made entries
under the law and complied with the require
ments thereof. The second, third and fourth
sections of the bill provide for amendments
smcnd Tine HOMESTEAD snnes law to The first
whore a person has entered upon land in good
faith, intending to homestead and perfect his
title thereto, but is prevented from doing so by
a grant previously made by tho government, or
by tho shifting of the channel or bed of any
river whereby his lands may be lost, or from
any cause over which he has no control, with
out fault on his part, he may, by making salts
factory proof of the fact, enter another home
stead upon any of the public lands of the United
provides that every homesteader shall make
final proof by two credible witnesses that he
resided upon, cultivated and permanently i'm
proved his or her homestead for four consec-
utive years next succeeding such entry. The
proof is to be made in duplicate and one set is
required to be filed in the local land office and
one in the general land Office for one year, and
if no contest is filed or notice given charging
and specifying fraud in the entry or proof be-
fore the expiration of that time, then the patent
| shall issue.
This, it will be seen, gives the time between
the filing of the proof and the issuing of the
patent to detect fraud, if any on the part Of
applicant The law as it now stands only re-
quires notice to be published in a newspaper of
intention to make this proof Section 4 of the
substitute amends section 2,3Ol, to require
thirty calendar months to expire after the
party files his Exemption claim before he is
nYof1fI a. tn nc %n,,% all
| proof of settlement and cultivation to be filed
at least six months. This amendment, it is be-
ieved will tend largely to prevent fraud:
| The house on Tuesday, after protracted dis
cussion, passed the Eaton substitute for tho
electors of president and vice president, and to
provide for and regulate the counting of the
votes for president and vice president and the
decision Of questions arising thereon. The
senate bill provided that the electors of each
state shall meet and give their votes on the
second Monday in January next following their
| appointment, at such. place In each state as tho
legislature thereof shall direct The house
bill fixes the second Monday in December 1t
is not expected that it will pass the Senate
| On Tuesday the senate concluded it's consid-
Grafton OF the Mexican pension bill, and it
passed by vote of 81 to e. The so-called
MEXICAN nS Ps pension bill as originally introduced
ing OF the surviving officers, soldiers and sail
ors Tor their surviving widows) who served
fourteen days in the various Indian wars be-
tween 1880 and 1872, in the war of 1912, and in
thirty days in the Greek war of 1885 1886: in
the Florida war Of 1S35-1S3S; or in the Black
Hawk war of 1912. This measure passed
tho house on the Sd of March last In the sen
substance of Senator Cullom's bill, providing
pensions for invalid soldiers and sailors who
have been discharged from the army or nayy
OF the United States after three months services
IN the war OF the Rebellion, and for the widows
and dependent parents of deceased pensioners.
| Another amendment which was adopted pro-
vides that no person shall be entitled to more
than one pension at one time under the laws Of
the United States, unless that fact be specially
stated in the law.
that reports in the Congressional Record shall
be an accurate transcript of tho proceedings
and debates of congress, and that no speech
shall be published therein which was not spoken
in congress, and such speeches shall be printed
as they were actually delivered except verbal
corrections made by authors of the speeches,
and by no other person; and that when speeches
are reserved by their authors for correction,
they shall be returned to the reporter of the
house in which they were delivered, within one
week, and if not so delivered, they shall be
printed in the Congressional Record from notes
reported.
The house. by a large majority, defeated the
bill to forfeit the land grant of the New Orleans
Baton Rouge 4 vicksburg, or what is known
as the Backbone" railroad company. The
bill was discussed at length by Mr. Lewis of
Louisiana, who favored 1t, Mr. Payson of Iii
nois and Mr. Ellis of louisiana, who opposed,
and several other members. Substantially the
same principle involved in the land grant to
the Backbone" Railroad company, is also in
volved in the grant to tho Northern Pacific
company: The Northern Pacific bill is pend
ing, and Judging from the action of the house,
it is very likely that it will not pass.
Senate on Friday:
Gilbert A. Pierce of Illinois, governor of Da-
kota; John II. Kinkead of Nevada, governor
of Alaska; Andrew Robson of Minnesota, re-
Mimi; James NJ. Armstrong of Washington
Territory, register of the land office, Spokane
Falls, Wash; Charles A. Witherell, Nevada,
register of the land Office, Carson City, Ne
vada; Darlington G. ,Belknap, California, agent
F. Kinney Nebraska, agent for Indians at the