Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-03-21

The Senate continues to make good prog
ress with the public business, while in the
House all business drag7 Having ratified
the Mexican treaty, and passed tho Fitz John
Porter bill and the important cattle disease
resolution the Senate has reached and now
has under discussion the Blair educational
bill. Senator Blairs bill provides that l5,-
600 600 shall be divided this year among the
states and territories in the proportion of the
whole number OF persons in each state or ter
ritory over 10 years Of age who cannot read
or write TO the whole number of such per
sons in the United States that the sum to
be divided shall diminish a million dollars
each year, until 10 appropriations have been
made, and that no state or territory shall
share the bounty which does not expend for
the first five years at least one-third as much,
raised by local taxation, as it receives, and
for the second five as much ns the whole
amount 1t receives. The last census showed
the presence in the United States Of G,2i0,-
600 persons over 10 years of age who could
not write, one.half colored The Blair bill
therefore will distribute about So 30 per
capita for this class. The proportion Of Yer
mont will be about $40, 600 that Of Massa-
chusetts will be about S225 600; that OF New
York 5000 900 that Of Georgia 81, $50 600 ;
that Of Alabama 81 200, 600, and so on.
The House has passed the postal appropria-
ton bill, but on a cheese pairing policy which
receives. as it merits, universal condemnation.
The amount voted is not sufficient to enable
the postmaster. general to keep the service
abreast with the progress Of the country.
The railroads are to be pinched. tho fast mails,
which are now demanded between all the
principal cities, must be discontinued or ma
terially reduced and the postal car clerks de-
mRnded by the extension Of postal routes
cannot be employed because the House has
refused to give the postmaster general the
amount of money which his estimates show
ed to be necessary to give the public efficient
service.
On Tuesday the House disposed Of the
Lasker affair by the adoption of two resolu
tons reported from the committee on foreign
affairs. In these it was set forth, first, that
the original resolution regarding the death OF
Herr Lasker was intended as n tribute of re.
spec. to the memory of an eminent foreign
statesman who had shown sympathy with,
and been an honorable representative OF the
German people secondly, that the House
has no concern with the relations between
the executive and Legislative branches Of the
German government, and 1t is not required
by its dignity to criticise the manner in which
/ its resolutions Of coincidence were received
and intercepted after they had been commun
icated to the German government through
the proper channels
| Mr.. Edmunds has introduced bill in the
| Senate providing for the establishment Of a
| forest reservation at the head-wators Of tn,
| Missouri river and at the head-wators ant
| ClArks Ford Of the Columbia river Tn,
! bill provides that tract Of land in the terri
tory of Montana, embracing an area Of 800
| square miles and the boundaries Of whicl
are described in the bill be reserved aut
/ withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, o.
/ sale and dedicated aud set apart forever as
/ national forest reservation for the presorva
| ton of the forests protecting the head-water
and tributaries Of the Columbia and Missouri
| rivers.