The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-19
THE HOUSE.
A Number of Bills introduced and Referred
Mexican Pensions Bill.


| WASHINGTON. Feb. 18-Bills were introduced
and referred:
By Mr.. Peelle: Granting 800 acres of public
land to each of the survivors Of the Mountain
Meadow massacre.
By Mr.. Belford A resolution calling upon the
Secretary of State to inform the House whether
Prince Bismarck has sent his department any
letter touching the resolution recently passed by
| this House, concerning the death of Herr
Lasker and, if so, to transmit copy of the
same and inform the House of any advices he
may have on the subject.
By Mr.. Nichols; To regulate traffic on rail
roads aided by government bonds. 1t makes
freight pools and discrimination in freight rates
unlawful
By Mr.. Cobb; Providing for paying the cost
of surveying lands granted the Northern Pacific
railroad, and to subject the same 20 taxation.
By Mr. Holman: A resolution calling upon
the Secretary of the Interior for inform alton.
when the line of the Northern Pacific abroad
was finally located, ard whether the company
| claims the lands on which homestead or pre-
| emption entries have been made within the
| limit of the grant prior to definite location of
| the road, and if so, whether such claim is being
considered by the department.
by MI. Ming: AppfOpFlaIllS pJJUUOO lOF bue
| relief OF sufferers from the floods on the lower
Mississippi; also, the distribution of seeds among
| the sufferers
By Mr.. Dockery: Appropriating $500 for
| the purpose Of maintaining under the direction
of the Chief Signal Officer, such additional sta
tions necessary, in order to secure reports
| and disseminate the same from and in the vicin-
! ity of tributaries of our navigable rivers
! By Mr.. Storm: Amending the sinking fund
act. 1t provides that after the 1st of July next,
| coin paid for duties on imported goods, as pro-
vided for III title A. section 642, of the Re vised
Statutes of 1873 relating to the sinking fund shall
be applied follows: First, to the payment of in
| terest on bonds and notes of the United States.
Second. that the purchase and payment of one
per cent. of the entire debt of the United States
shall be made within each fiscal year, which is
| to be set apart as a sinking fund and the inter
| est of which shall, in like manner, be applied
| to the purchase or payment of the public debt,
as the Secretary of the Treasury shall from
time to time direct. Third that the residue be
! paid into the Treasury,
Mr. Eldridge said he had received petition
from gentleman containing statement which,
if true, would unseat Mr.. Hatch, of Michigan
| Referred.
BY Mr.. Holman Calling upon the Secretary
of the Treasury for information as to how much
money now in the Treasury can be applied at
this time in the liquidation of that part of the
public debt now payable without embarrassing
| his department.
| Mr. Dorsheimer from the committee on ju-
dietary, moved to suspend the rules and adopt
q resolution fixing the bill granting copyrights
| to citizens of foreign countries, as the special
| order for the 9th inst.
Messrs Guenther and Deuster demanded a
second which was ordered-l34 to 49,
In opposing the bill Mr.. Deuster read an arti-
Gle from the Chicago Tribune, which asserted
the result of Mr.. Dorsheimers bill would be to
make books dear.
The motion to suspend the rules was lost
| ayes 1876, nays 9S not the necessary two-thirds.
| Mr.. Dow, from the committee coinage,
| weights and measures, moved to suspend the
rules and adopt resolution making the bill for
the retirement of the trade dollar the special or
der for Tuesday, the 18th of March.
| The motion was agreed to-144 to g.
On motion of Mr. Steele the rules We're srls-
pended and the bill passed to relieve certain sol
| diers from the charge of desertion. 1t removes
the charge of desertion against any soldier who
| served in the late war in the volunteer service
| when it shall be made to appear that such sol
der served faithfully until the expiration of his
term of enlistment, until the LIST of May, 1860,
| or was prevented from completing his term of
| service by reason of wounds received. but who,
| by reason of absence from his command at the
| time ii was mustered out, failed to receive an
| honorable discharge.
On motion of Mr. Bingham, the rules were
| suspended and the bill was passed, fixing at one
cent for each four ounces the rate of postage on
second class mail matter, sent by persons other
than the publisher or newspaper agent. This is
substantially the bill introduced by Mr..
| Townshend.
A motion to adjourn was here interposed, but
| was voted down, on a yea and nay vote, by the
| Democratic side. which desired an opportunity
/ to set aside day for the consideration of the
bill for the pensioning of the survivors of the
| Mexican war.
Another motion to adjourn met with the same
result
The rules were suspended and resolution
adopted providing for night sessions on Friday
evenings for the consideration of pension bills.
! After another motion to adjourn was voted
| down, the pension committee was called, and Mr..
! Hewett of Alabama moved to suspend the rules
and adopt the resolution making the Mexican
pensions bill the special order for the 21st inst.
On this motion many Republicans refrainod
from voting leaving the House without quo
| rum
A call of the House was ordered, and the
Sergeant alarms ordered to take the absentees
into custody and bring them before the bar of
the House.
The opposition on the Republican side to the
resolution reported by Mr.. Hewitt was based
upon what they considered the broad provisions
of the bill Itprovides for placing on the pen
sion rolls the names of those who served thirty
days in the Greek war; or in the disturbance of
1885 and 1896 or in the Seminole
or Black Hawk, as well as those who
served sixty days in the war with Mexico.
Mr.. Hiscock suggested to Mr. Hewitt, if he
| would agree to amend the bill SO that it would
| merely apply to the survivors of the Mexican
war, there would be no objection to the resoiu-