Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1884-04-22
FOrty-Eighth COnsress.--Ffrst Session.

WAsHMeToN. April 81.
SENATE On motion of Mr.. MCPHERSON,
who stated that q large number Of inventors
wanted to express their views in support Of
more equitable mode of dealing with the
subject, all the bills relating to the patent
laws were recommitted.
The bills establishing an additional judicial
district in Alabama and for the relief of the
trustees of the Southern Illinois Normal
University at Carbonate were passed.
At o'clock the bankruptcy bill came up
as unfinished business. the pending question
being on Mr.. Morgan's amendment
making the buying and selling of futures an
act of involuntary bankruptcy, The amend
ment was rejected; yeas %, nays 26.
Mr.. George offered the following addition
to section 331: Insolvency under this act
shall be deemed to exist only when the debt
ors' liabilities exceed in amount the value of
his property liable to execution and the
available debts due him.; rejected, yeas 9,
nays Sc.
On motion of Mr.. Farley the following
was adopted as an additional section: 'sPro-
ceedings commenced before the passage of
this act under any State insoIvent laws shall
not be impaired or affected hereby"
At the suggestion of Mr.. Sherman an amend
ment was incorporated in section 10 to the
effect that the accounts of the commissioners
shall be received and sealed by the Treasury
department.
MIR. ingalls, moved to add the following to
section Is: ''No person shall be eligible as q
supervisor unless practising attorney of the
courts of the United States or of one of the
States or territories" agreed to.
Mr.. George moved to amend the second
section to except publishers of newspapers
from the class of traders against whom in
voluntary bankruptcy proceedings may be
instituted.
Mr.. Hoar could not see why the exception
should be made. He asked why the great
corporations which publish the New York
Tribune, Boston Herald or other large jour
nails should not be compelled to divide their
assets amongst their employees in case of in
solveney.
Mr. George said the amendment would
protect struggling newspapers; the rich ones
needed no protection. Rejected.
Another amendment offered by Mr.. George
excepting the newspaper publishers whose
invested capital does not exceed $5, 600 was
also voted down.
On motion of Mr.. Morgan an additional
section was agreed to providing that all ap
poIntments under the act shall be made with
reference to the personal fitness of the indi-
viduals to discharge their duties and no dis
elimination shall be made on account of pol.
itics or party associations.
The bill was passed; 80 yeas, 10 nays.
Those voting in the negative were: Messrs.
Brown, Call, Oockrell, Coke, Colquitt, Far
ley, George, Harris Morgan, Plumb, Pueh,
Vance, Voorhees,, Walker and Williams.
The pleuro- pneumonis bill was laid before
the Senate as the next order.
Adjourned at $3.50 p. m.
HOUSE Mr. Morrison, from the Ways
and Means committee, reported resolution
fixing the hour of meeting daily at IL O'Clock;
adopted.
Mr.. Scales, from the Committee on Print
ing, moved to suspend the rules and pass q
resolution authorizing the public printer to
reprint copies of the tenth census, the com
pendulum thereof, and the medical and surgi
cal history of the war; passed.
Mr.. Mutchler, of Pennsy lvania, for the
Committee on Civil Service Reform, moved
to suspend the rules and pass the bill to re-
peal the sections of the revised statutes FIX
ing the terms of certain officers at four years.
(The officers whose terms are fixed by the
statutes which"i it is proposed to repeal are
district attorneys, chief justices and associate
justices of the territories, surveyors general,
registers and receivers, collectors of customs,
naval officers and surveyors of ports and
postmasters }
The bill was opposed by Msssrs. Holman
of Indiana, Springer of Illinois, Dibble of
South Carolina and Mcmillan of Tennessee
and advocated by Messrs. MutehIer of Penn
sylvania, FindIey of Maryland. Lyman of
Massachusetts, and Bayne of Pennsylvania.
The yeas and nays we're ordered on the pas
sage of the bill and it was rejected; yeas SO,
nays JAG. Affirmative and negative votes
came about equally from either side of the
House.
Mr.. Dingley, of Maine, for the Committee
on Shipbuilding, moved to suspend the rules
and pass the bill to constitute bureau of
navigation in the Treasury department;
passed, yeas 40, nays At.
Mr.. Warner of Ohio, from the Committee
on Pensions, Bounty and Back Pay, moved to
suspend the rules and pass the bill to regu-
late the granting of pensions in certain cases.
Mr.. Warner said in explaining the bill, that
it took nothing away from the soldiers, nor
did it add any new class of pensions The
bill lacked to some extent the req uirement
of evidence and among other things made
acceptance and three months service prima
facie evidence of good health on entering
the service subject to rebuttal by record or
other positive evidence. 1t also provides
that the present dependence of parents shall
be sufficient evidence of dependence upon
the deceased soldier.
The bill was opposed by Mr. Hewitt, of
Alabama, because it enlarged the pension
list; by Mr.. Brown, of Indiana and Mr..
Laird, of Nebraska, because il did not go
far enough, the former declaring it was not
as liberal as the present pension laws.
Other members objected to certain parts of
the bill and the yeas and nays were ordered.
The vote resulted: Yeas 165, nays 81, and
| the bill was passed.
Mr.. Beach of New York, for the Committee
| on Public Health. moved to suspend the rules
and adopt a resolution directing that COM
mittee to investigate the adulteration of food
and drugs imported into the United States or
exported therefrem. Mr.. Beach urged the
adoption of the resolution, showing by STATIC
tics large decrease in dairy products which
he charged was due to the adultsration. He
further charged the English dairy cheese i'm
ported into this country was likewise adulter-
ated. The motion was lost by vote of 81
to 80.
Mr.. Hurd, from the Committee on Ways
and Means, submitted as privileged report
bill removing discriminating duties on
works of art imported into the United States;
placed on the calendar.
Mr.. Cox, of New York, from the Commit
tee on the Census, moved to suspend the
| rules and pass a resolution for printing ad-
ditional copies of the compendium of the CEN
sus and other reports on special subjects. A
question of order as to the right of this COM
mittee to offer resolution for printing was
raised by Mr.. Scales, of North Carolina, and
after debate sustained by the chair.
At $50 p. M the House adjourned to IL
O'Clock tomorrow.