The sun., 1884-07-03
CONGRESSIONAL suMmARY

CONGRESSIONAL sUMMARY
In the senate, an amendment was adopted
that reports IN the Congressional Record shall
De an accurate transcript of the 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 other person; and that when speeches
are r. 'tyed by their authors for Correction
they sila be returned to the reporter of the
| house IN which they were delivered within one
week, and ii not SO delivered, they shall be
printed in the Congressional Record from notes
reported.
The house, by large majority, defeated the
bill to forfeit the land grant of the New Orleans
Baton Rouge n Vicksburg, or what is known
as the backbone" railroad company. The
bill was discussed at length by Mr. Lewis of
Louisiana, who favored it. 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 The grant to the 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.
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 pre-emption and timber culture laws
and to amend the homestead law. With refer
ence to the presumption 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
of the surveyed public lands with the intention
of entering the same when surveyed shall have
the right to complete their entries and receive
a 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
under the law and complied with the require
ments thereof The second, third and fourth
sections of the bill provide for amendments
ts,ondent to the Homestead stead. law The first first
where person has entered upon land in good
faith, intending to homestead and perfect his
title thereto. but is prevented from doing so by
q grant previously made by the government, or
by the 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
States subject to homestead The third section
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
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.
the fling of the proof and the issuing of tine
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 anewspaper of
intention to make this proof Section 4 of the
substitute amends section 2,301, to require
thirty calendar months to expire after the
party files his pre-emption claim before he is
entitled to his patent 1t also requires the
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 the
senate bill fixing the day for the meeting of the
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 the
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 its consid-
GRAFTON of the Mexican pension bill, and it
passed by q vote of 81 to ~. The so-called
Mexican pension bill as originally introduced
early in the session, provided for the pension
ing of the surviving officers, soldiers and sail
ors Tor their surviving widows) who served
fourteen days in the various Indian wars be-
tween 1870 and 1912, IN the war of 1872 and in
the war with Mexico; and those who served
thirty days in the Greek war of 1S35-1S36; in
the Florida war of 1835-1S3S; or in the Black
Hawk war of 1S42. This measure passed
the house on the Sd of March last In the sem
ate an amendment was adopted comprising the
substance of Senator Cullom's bill, providing
pensions for invalid soldiers and sailors who
have been discharged from the army or navy
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.
The following nominations were sent to tho
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-
ceiver Of the public moneys, Redwood Falls,
MINI. James M. 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
for Indians at Tulle River Agency, Cal John
F. Kinney, Nebraska, agent for Indians at the
Postmasters~E. o. Brauns, Tracy, MINI.
Henry o. Basford, Austin, MINI. Jacob Ry
cord, Iowa City, Iowa; Charles G. Perkins,
Onawa, Iowa; VI. F. Scott, Mapleton, Iowa; F.
B. Southmaid, Alexandra, Oak; Samuel II.
Elrod, Clark, Oak. John R. James, Columbia,
Oak; John H. Carroll, Desmet, Oak; n. =.
Westoon, Blunt Oak. D. G. Grippen, Kimball,
Dak.; Henry F. Rising, Redfeld, Oak. David
R. Mead Glendive, Mont
Conference report in the house on Friday the
pension and army bills were agreed to. An
Northern Pacific land grant forfeiture bill The
bill to forfeit the Backbone railroad land grant
was finally killed by q vote of ia to 124 The
bills to relieve certain soldiers of the charge of
desertion and for the relief of Myra Clark
Gaines passed
In both houses Friday some campaign talk
was INDUCED in, friends of Logan in the SEN
ate and house, and Logan himself in the former
body, denying that the republican candidate
for vice president owned $4,000 acres of land,
Mr. Hawley called the attention to the senate
to statement in the Record that Senator Lo
gan owned $4,000 acres of land This state
ment, he said, was untrue. The gentleman re-
ferred to is only owner of the land On which
his father died and to which he had added a
little, in his own state of Illinois. Alluding to
the same matter, Mr.. Logan said: The state
ment is utterly false do not propose to give
schedule Of my property to anybody, but
property do own is in the state OF Illinois. LIDO
own some two or three tracts of land, but all put
together would not make one-hundredth part
Of what they charge.
The conference report on the Indian appro-
priation bill was on Monday taken up and dis
posed of by the house. The principal point Of
disagreement was the house provision to abol-
ish the Office of Indian inspector and detail
five army officers to act as Indian inspectors.
The senate struck out this provision, and the
point of difference was settled by the house
receding from it's disagreement to the senate
amendment. This action was taken in the in
terest of harmony, and the bill now only needs
the approval Of the president to become law
The rest of the day was occupied in consider
ing the fertilization bill, the last one to be
considered Two bills were reported from
the committee, the majority by the republicans