The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-02-23

of the Department of Agriculture into an
executive department, for making the chief
officer of that department Cabinet officer,
with the title of Secretary of Agriculture,
and the same salary as other heads of de-
partments. 1t also provides for an Assist
ant Secretary of Agriculture, with the same
salary now paid the Assistant Secretary of
the Interior.
THE SIOUX RESERVATION.
An agreement has been reached between
Senator Dawes, Mr.. Holman, and Others in
tereSted in the opening of the great Sioux
Reservation. The proposition finally agreed
upon is to open the reservation strictly for
homestead settlement. Ii does not permit
settlers to commute their claims, but obliges
them to live the full five Years on their
homestead. The reservation will not,
therefore, be open to presumption,
timber culture, private, or scrip entry.
That portion of the reservation to be
opened will extend from the White River,
OH the south, to the Big Cheyenne on the
north, embracing $1,000 square miles, or
over 100000 of acres. The treaty pro-
vides for $4,000 cattle for The Indians, but
the agreement also requires each settler to
pay twenty cents an acre in addition to his
uUlllCSlCdu ltt luiS 10 W up loi
whatever amount the Government may see
proper to advance to the Indians. A quar-
ter section of land will be allowed for town
site purposes under the Town-site law, and
these tOwn-steS may be every ten miles
along the line of railroad.
uLITERATE VOTERS CONTROL THE ELEC-
TIONS.
According to table prepared by Repre-
sentative Willis, to accompany his bill for
Federal aid to education. in the thirty-eight
States there are l,S11,2l7 illterate voters.
In South Carolina more than half the male
citizens are unable to write in Alabama,
Florida, Mississippi North Carolina and Vir-
ginia one-half the male population are total
ly uneducated. In the last Presidential
contest thirty States with 29S electoral
votes were within the domination of SOW
ereigns who could not read the very charter
of their liberties, but whose votes combined
could overturn the majOrities given for one
side or the other.
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS
THE session of the Senate on the 18th
was mostly occupied in debating the bill
to provide for the issue of circulating
notes to National banks; an amendment pre-
viously submitted by Mr.. Sherman, providing
that if any bonds deposited bore interest
higher than three per cent, additional notes
should be issued equal to one-haf of the inter-
est in excess of three per cent accruing be-
fore maturity, WAS rejected-7 to IL. A Joint
resolution making a further appropriation of
$1,000 for the relief of sufferers by the Ohio
flood was passed. Adjourned to the 18th In
the House the Joint resolution making an addi-
tional appropriation of S200UOO for the relief
OF food sufferers was passed. The Chalmers
Manning election case was taken up, and
resolution declaring that Manning was en-
titled to a seat from Mississippi was defeated
81 to l51; the majority resolutions, discharg-
ing the Committee on Election from the prima
facie case and leaving the seat vacant until
the case is decided on its merits were then
aiopted-!30 to 3d. Adjourned 10 the 18th.
Bill S were introduC ed in the Senate on the
18th: BY Mr.. Harrison, for the admission Of
the State OF Dakota into the Union on an
equal footing with the original States; by Mr.
Vest, to provide for carrying on Improvement
of rivers and harbors by contract. Bills were
passed to authorize the sale of timber on the
Menomonee reservation in Wisconsin, and 10
provide for the removal the Southern Utes
from Colorado to Utah. The bill providing
for National bank circulation was further
amended In the House bills were in
trodueed; BY Mr.. Nichols, to regulate tue
bonds, making freight pools and the discrim-
nation in freight rates unlawful by Mr.. Cobb,
providing for the paying of the costs of sur
and to subject the same TO taxation; by Mr.
Peel granting three hundred and twenty acres
ofpublic land to each survivor of the Mountain
appropriating s5oS,ooo for the relief
of the sufferers from the floods
in the lower Mississippi, and also for the dis
rules were suspended and bill was passed
fixing at ore cent for each four ounces the
rate of postage on second-ciass mail matter
when sent by persons other than a publisher
or newspaper agent. A resolution was adopt
edit TO 6-making the bill for the retire
ment of the trade dollar the special order on
,l,.x, NJ I.,r Of D.1E
offered II resolution directing the Secretary
of State to furnish Information as to the ac-
ton o Bismarck on thcrcSolutions In regard
to the death of Herr Lasker. An all-night
session was held, many Republican members
refraining from voting on Il motion by Mr.,
Hewitt ,Fla) 20 suspend the rules to aUOpt a
resolution making the Mexican Pension bill
thu special order for the 2lst inst, thus leav-
Ing the House without II quorum. call of
the HCuse was ordered and the Sergeant-at-
Arms ordered to take absentees into custody
and bring them before the bar of the House.
BILL was reported in the Senate on the
18th providing that trespassers on Indian
lands may be imprisoned for one year and
fined $500. The bill to provide for the issue of
circulation to National banks was debated
until the hour of adjournment. in the
House, after an all-night session, quorum
was obtained in he morning, when the resoIu-
ton was adop,cd to make the Mexican Pen
sion bill the special order for the 2lst and an
adjournment was taken 10 that date.
A BILL was passed in the Senate on the 10Th
increasing the annual amount to provide
arms and equipments for the militia from
$40, 900 to $4,000. A resolution was agreed to
asking the Secretary of the Interior for
information AS to when and how
many acres of indemnity lands were certi-
fed or patented to railroad corporations
in Iowa, to whom grants of public lands were
donated, and whether any such roads are now
claiming more indenity lands, and what guam
titles. Mr.. Sewelrs bill appropriatng 500, 900
per annum for the militia was passed. Mr..
Plumb reported bill to raise the Agricult-
ural Bureau to a department, with secre-
tary. Some progress was made on the
bill to provide circulation for National
banks. In the House joint
resolution was passed appropriating
Sl50,UN to be expended for educating Indians,
and q resolution was reported requesting the
President not to deliver Senior Carlos Aguero
TO the Spanish authorities until an investiga-
ton is made by the Attorney-G eneral. a re-
port was agreed tolls to l08-calling on the
Postmaster-Genera to transmit to the House
reports made by special agents of the Post
Office Department having reference to the
star.route investigations not heretofore made