Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-05-30
CONGRESSIONAL
TUESDAY, MAY 20.

Sendte-The agriculturala appropriation
bill passed the senate, with amendments
providing $4,000 to encourage silk cul-
ture, and for an appropriation for the
sinking of artesian wells to reclaim arid
lands. Senator Slater introduced res
olution asking the president by what
authority he had appointed commissions
ers to examine sections of the Northern
Pacific completed after the legal time.
House-A bill appropriating $4,000 to
reward the officers and crews of the
Cumberland and Monitor for their gal
lantry in the fight with Merrimac, was
reported favorably to the house naval
committee by a sub committee. The
majority report in favor of seating
Eaglish, ia the Peele- English contested
election case from the Indianapolis dis
trict, was debated in the house, but was
not decided. A joint resolution to add
$1,000 to the relief of sufferers by the
lower Mississippi floods was objected
to. The senate amendments to the
Dingley shipping bill were non-concur-
red in. Mr.. Hewitt rose to a question
of privilege, and denied the authorship
of the letter purporting to be reply to
Mr.. divers letter.
WEDNESDAY. MAY 81.
Sendte-The resolution calling on the
president for information concerning
the appointment of commissioners to
examine certain sections of the North
ern Pacific railroad, was referred to the
judiciary committee; yeas, q; mays, %.
The following bills were passed: For
the erection of public buildings: In
Vicksburg, 100000; Chattanooga; $780,
600; Opelanda, La, $4,000; Port
land, Oregon, $4,000; Sacra-
mento, $500, 600: Dayton, O., $780,
900; Springfield, o., 100000.
The above sums INCLUDE the cost of
sites and buildings. The bill passed to
authorize the issue of the congressional
record and statutes at large to public
libraries. The bill passed authorizing
tt e construction of bridge across the
Mississippi river at Sibley, Missouri.
The Utah bill was laid aside, and the
bill establishing bureau of labor sta
tistics was taken up.
House-Mr. Blackbura supported the
claims of the contestee After consid-
erable debate Peele addressed the house
in his own behalf English's claims were
advocated by Hurd, Springer, Henley
and Converse, of Ohio. GIr. Hart
then offered to substitute for
the majority resolution the reso-
luton or the minority confirming the
right of Peele to his seat. During the
progress of the vote there was great
deal of interest manifested. Mr.. Eng
lish sat at a desk in the last row and
kept tally; and looking over his shoul-
der stood his father. a number of
members watched each vote intently.
At the conclusion of the call when it
was evident that the substitute was
agreed to Springer, who had voted in
the negative changed his vote to the
affirmative for the purpose of moving
the reconsideration. The vote was
then announced, yeas 121, nays III.
The following democrats voted with
the republicans in the affirmative:
Aiken, Beach, Boyle, Budd, Connolly,
Dargan, Findlay, Greenleaf, Hardeman,
Herbert Hewitt of Ala, Hunt, Jones of
Wis, Dare, Miles. Morgan, Neese, Pcele
of Ark, Potter, Stevens, Sumner of Col,
Throckmorton, Tillman, Turner of Ca,
Woodward, WOrthington and Yaple.
Mr.. Springer Immediately moved to re-
consider the action, and Mr.. Hart moY-
ed to lay that on t.e table, pending
which, Mr.. Converse moved to ad iourn.
The motion was carried, 119 to 1fS,
amid applause on the democratic side.
THURSDAY, MAY %.
Sendte-In the senate tie title of the
Bureau of Labor Statistics bill was
changed to Department of Labor Sta
tistics." The senate committee report
cd an amendment to the sundry civil
appropriation giving $50, 900 for the ex-
ploration of Alaska. An amendment
granting S50,600 to open consular re-
lations with the Congo country. The
bill closing the mails to publications in
which are lottery advertisements went
to the foot of the calendar.
House-In the house Mr.. English, the
contestant in the English-Peele case,
was seated by vote of 1870 to 1877. 1t
was charged that Wm. III. English. his
father, had used his privilege of the floor
as an ex-Member to lobby for his sons
success and that Representative Weller
had been influenced to cease voting
against the contestant after the first
hallott. A committee was appointed to
investigate the charges. In the house
the bill to forfeit the land grant of the
Oregoo Central railroad was debated
The committee on ways and means has
decided to give no consideration to that
part of the Hewitt Tariff bill which
looks towards a reduction of tariff.
FRIDAY, MAY 90.
tSenate-1n the senate Mr.. Harrison re-
ported favorably a bill providing that
the Dakota legislature shall consist of
twenty-four members of the council and
forty-eight of the house The pension
appropriation bill passed the senate.
Also the bill establishing a bureau of
labor, with commissioner at $1,000
year and a chief CLERK at $4,000.
HouSe-In the house Mr.. Weller in
denied that he had been in
fiuenced to cease voting against Eng
lish. Mr.. Kellogg appealed for an
investigation of the charges against him
in the Star-route casts, and, after some
hesitation, it was referred to the COM
mittee on Judiciary to decide whether
the house had power to investigate the
acts OF person committed before he
became a member of the house. Mr..
Springer attacked Gen. Grant in the
house, calling attention to his connec-
tion with the greatest swindel of the
age. The house favorably reported
bill giving S30o,00 to pay quartermas-
ter claims.