The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-12-20
CONGRESSIONAL.
HOUSE.

amen0ment, q lively discussion, IA
Iaklng OF political character ensue,
Reed, of Maine, being especial
!, prominent. In the course of the d
bate Henley said the amendment /.
the gentleman from North CaroIiu
has been brought In for the purpos
"f defeating q measure intended
relieve thr people from the aggressio
and exactions Of railroad ooulpapie
He appealed to the friends Of th
people, not to be led aside by such
; proposition Brumm asked Henley
what was his objec ion to having til
amendment on the bill. Henle
said, because 1t creates enmity I
the BILL" Brumm said, "enmit
:, comes from yonr color line" Henle
said. have you or your side favore
the bill" Brumm. ~ have q grea
many on my side and if you ar
honest, you will not kill every bill
simply because there may b
color line in it," Breckenridge
amendment was then adopted a
q substitute for Crisp's amend
ment. Yeas, 1888; nays, 127; ant
Crisps amendment as SO amended
agreed to. yeas. 1877; nays, l3l. Mill
| offered an amendment prohibiting
any railroad company from charging
to, or receiving from any person wh(
is to be conveyed from one State o.
Territory TO another any sum ex
ceeding three cents per mile for dis
tapce to be travelled. The amend
ment was adopted. yeas, l39; nays
l21.
Gof moved to amend by an addi
tion to provision adopted on motion
of breckenridge, the words "provided
that no discrimination is made Oh
account of race or color" Agreed to;
yeas l4l, nays lO3. Goff moved to
reconsider and lay on table, pend-
ing which, Regan moved to ad'
journ, pending which the speaker
laid before the house a cOmmunica-
ton from the Attorney General in
reply to resolution asking his opin-
ion whether the eight hour law ap-
plies to letter carriers. Referred.
The Attorney General says: Il
cannot furnish the legal opinion re :
quired. The authority of the At
torney General to give his official
opinion is limited IL. laws, which
create and define his office and will
not permit him to give advice at the
call of either house of congress or
congress itself, but only to the Presi-
dent and heads of the executive
department. At an early period
In the government this was
established and suggested to
the house by Attorney General
Writ, when the department of JUS
tice was created. The law In this
respect was not changed, of course 1t
will be my wish to conform to any
request the house of representatives
may make, but tD such a wish L can
not reply, without reversing the law
and precedent heretofore establish
ed.' Adjourned.
SENATE.
The chair laid before the senate a
communication frora the Secretary
of the Navy, in response to q
recent resolution from Vest.
which inquired whether any
surveying party had been or
was about to be sent to Nicaragua
to survey a route for the proposed
canal, and if it had been sent. by
what authority? The secretary's re-
DIV is as follows: "Sir: Responding
to q resolution of the Senate. 1 have
the houtr to state, that orders have
been issued by civil engineer A. Il.
Monocal, civ. engineer R E. Perry,
and ensign J. Chambers, to hoist the
Nicaraguan order and make survey
of the ro' te for the proposed Nlcsra-
guau canal. The orders have been
issued in exercise of the general
mower of such orders, to all officers of
The navy as may be deemed for the
public interest. The arrangements
which have been made contemplate
a revision of the survey made on
tor,uer occasion by civil engineer
Menocal, and an investigation OF
armv changes in the route
wn, n has been suggested as
nossihlv avsilabie for shorten
ing the canal, and diminishing
its cost. The cost of the arrange
,nent made and contemplated, In ad-
tlition to the pay and milage of naval
nfficers. 10 expected to De 81 ,GCO as
omfit and about $1,000 per month
during the stay of the party 10 NC
arugua. Signed, Wm: +. Chandier,
Secretary Of the Navy. VA YES
motion ihe letter Was laid upon the
table. He said he would Call it up
At the first opportunity, with view
of discussing the proposition ad-
vanced by the Secretary of the Navy,
tnat no tight was vested in any de-
nartment of the government to order
snch an expedition without action by
WASHINGTON, Dec.17.-Dawes pre-
sented y pe et,tion, which was referred
nraving that steps be taken to pro-
hibit the carrying into a lease; for
..sz,no purposes. Of the Crow Indian
sesarx stion. made with the Indians
by q syndicate OF capitalists an9
csttlemen. Dawes says 1t was rumore9
that q lease of 3.OO0,O0O acres had
heen made for one cent an acre.
Te hasbeen surprised to hnd 10
;nformation of such Lease exist
~" in the Interior Department
% tn order to quiet the apprehension
af the people of Montana he would
.tata that no such lease could exist
s. w;thout the sanction of the secretary
" The interior, and it did n It seem to
n dawes poss,ble that the secretary
aonId n sanction such lease. 1t was
u Ut possible the interior department.
w",,id n consider its duty performed
= II kent itself ignorant OF the ex-
.istance IL of such a lease, whatever
ro;oht be wrong in the adm,nlstra-
ton Dawes thought # could De ex,
o"sed o by saying that + .e lease dld
not actually have the approval or
,os;tive nos sanction OF that department.
I'D Ee did not mean to reflect on the IN
tar;or a department, but to emphasize
tha fact that the responsibility resteo
nit with that department Vest said ne e
W.. w. offered . resolution which the
senate S had agreed calling on the IN,
te terior department for information as
~ ~ snch lease, but no reply has oeen
W uoade' IL was extraordinary, ne
tnomoht. that lease involving 5,WV,-
c oao acres of Indian lands should ne
wy vuv"h1ished in the press without at
p!racting the attention Of the interior
department..