The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-05-29
CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY

CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY
..s
Bills were introddced Id the senate on Non
day for the forfeiture Of portion of the North
snd t oreFcn lana and E1s91 As
road land grant A abil1 10 divide NE Eighth
judicial circuit ind place Minnesota, Iowa and
Missourtil thetintk circuit, Was reported fav-
1fra6ly; A5iA was introduced providing. a
Oregon and Neasla. After long discussion
on the late fafidtes inr New York, the res
olution ohereds Friday directing the finance
committee to investigate national bahkS In New
York, to learn &Nhethers tho failures We're dup
20 violations Qfevasions of law, was referred
70 the committee in question. The bill to
create a bureanof labor statisticsswss consid
cred - e $&REE @S-SN& ~.1*'
A resolution was introduced in tho senate
n as;xlag the president by what authority com :
t items ekthd Northern Pacific railway after
tlliie when the terms of the land grant re-
. q4lred the road to be completed had expired.
In the housaMr: Hewitt of New York, in
long speech, saisclained the authorship Of the
letter sent ont from Pittshlrg shis name,
answering Nh. Olivers's criticisms upon his
. !Hewtt's) tariff bill The senate amendments
to the shipringshin were non -concur1c1 in.
u se o h rSsStcans the 1ac aaa dis
changes tic Eighth Circuit 50 that il viii COM
prise the districts Of Nebraska Kansas, Ar
Kansas and Colorado, and the Ninth circuit so
of Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri. The Tenth
circuit is made tile same as the present Ninth,
and the judge of the Ninth is made the Judge
Of the Tenth circuit 1t further provides that
there shall disappointed circrit Judge for7 the
comes sAaw tbs, Ninth circuit, in which Mime
sofa is Situated, would be without a Judge, and
new judge is thus provided for.
Mr. Raymond's bill pgoyidingsfor two adfli-s3
of Dakota has reached the senate, and has beed
referred to the committee on judiciary.
The house committee on military affairs in
structed Representative SlocumN to report fay
orably his bill providing that honorably dis
: charged soldiers or sailors be preferred for ap-
'Spointment to civil Offices when found to pos
sess the capacity necessary for the proper
discharge Of the duties Of such Offices.
In the senate, the chair appointed Messrs
Sherman, Allison, Bayard and Lamar MEMBERS.
on the part of the senate, of the committee to
supervise the dedication ceremonies in conneo-
ton with the Washington monument A num-
Der of petitions were presented and referred,
protesting against any government assumption
Of telegraph service.
A bill passed the house to authorize the issue
Of tho congressional record and statutes at
large to public libraries. A bill passed auth
orizing the construction of bridge across tho
Mississippi at Sibley No.. The Utah bill Was
laid aside, and the bill establishing bureau
Of: state statistics was taken up: Pending &C
following bills upon their passage, and they
passed: Bills permitting the erection of the
bridge across the Missouri at White Cloud
HANS; another across the same river at Rul0;
LOru LIE
its MOUTH and the mouth of the Dakota on
same river; another across the Mississippi be-
tween St. Paul and Natchez, and another
across the Illinois river between itsmOuth and
Peoria; also bill authorizing the Bellingham
Bay railroad and Navigation company to build
bridges in the Territory of Washington.
The commissioner Of pensions sent to the
senate q list of the widows Of army and navy
officers who are drawing pensions of more than
$50 month Mrs. Garfield receives 81, 200 a
year, the same that was given to Mrs. Lincoln,
and the widow of Admiral Farragut receives
s., GOO. III the army list the widows or SISTERS
OF the following generals receive $50 per
Hackleman, Richardson, Wallace, Plummer,
Stevens, Baker, Whipple, sumner, BidwelI
Farley 9schel Carey, G Ressdss S.'a Gastor
French, Ramsey: Warren and Mecham.,
The daughter of President Zachary Taylor
also receives $50 per month. The house COM
mittee onpensions has agreed to reporta bill
to give Mrs. Do Long, the Widow of the Arctic
explorer, pension of $50 a month The bill
granting pension to Almira Kaler of Meeker
county, Mimi, was favorably reported to the
house.
After nearly three days Of wrangling, the
unseating Peelle, Republican; and seating Eng
!!lsh, D,em.ociat, by majority of three; more
The sensation Of the day was the charge, made
in a very caustic speech by Horn of Michigan
that English, senior, father of the contestant,
has grossly abused the privilege of the floor,
and seven Objectionable methods to secure
votes for his son.
A dozen democrats sprang to their feet to
defend Mr. English, and vehement speeches
were made by Randall, Cox and others. A res
olution was offered by Bayne of Pennsylvania
to appoint q committee of seven to investigate
tho charges in this connection against William
II: English. The resolution was adopted
The report Of the senate COMMITTEES on post
Offices and post roads on the subject of postal
telegraph has been completed by Senator Hill
1t gives summary Of the history, increase
debts, rental and capital stock of the Western
Union telegraph company and value Of its prop
erty, leased md otherwise, and says:
The passage OF the postal telegraph bill will re-
dnco the average charge per telegram from
thirtylinc to twenty-five ccnts immediately,
and to twenty cents in five years, and secure
uniformity Of charges, Irrespective Of amount
newspapers and to commercial news asso-
cations. Under the present Geographic sys-
tom, the possibility of a species of censorship,
which is one OF the most alarm
try, arises in two distinct ways
first is the power which telegraph companies
themselves have for manipulating news for,
sinister purposes, and the second is the same
not themselves owning telegraph lines, but max
q SPECIAL contracts for the transmission of
kilograms over lines owned and managed by
others ut will appear that the power of the tclo-
graph company in this respect will be entirely
taken away BY the pending bill and that the pow
erof the associated press and similar associa-
irons will be greatly reduced. The bill will ef1ectu-
ally take power away from the Western Union
or any other private telegraph company. by low
rates which it secures to everybody, and by the
still lower rates which it secures commerciaI
news associations e
On Friday, in the senate Mr.. Harrison re-
ported favorably, from the committee ON terri
tories, the house bill in relation to the legisla
ture of Dakota which provides that that body
shall consist of twenty four members of the
and that they shall be elected at the next gen.
eral election in the territory two members Of
the council and four members Of the senate
The pension appropriation and labor, bureau
bills passed, the vote on the latter measure be-
ing So to =: The house bill providing for the
muster and pay of certain officers and men of
the volunteer forces also passed. Adjourned
till Monday.
On Friday, in the House, Mr.. Kellogg offered
resolution instructing the committee on ex-
penditurcs of the department. ofjustire to in
quire into hist Kellogg s)alleged connection with
star route frauds After speech by Kellogg
and a long discussion, the resolution was re-
ferred to the committee on judiciary, to report
whether the house has legal. right ..th,is to
order an investigation of the acts of member
before his term of service began. The bill for
the payment of quarternaaster claims, known
as Fourth of July claims, md appropriately
$500 0OO, spassed-s The houses Eat the evening
session passed forty sx pension bills, includ-
ing one giving $50 per month to the wife of
Gen. Ord.
Mr.. Springer took occasion to speak in strong
condemnation of the bill to retire Gen. Grant
and to give him . pension Of $40, 125 a. year,
simply because kes HAD been unfortunate in
Wall street 1t was said that Gen. Grant had
not been aware of the dealings of his partners
but the fact remained that he had associated
himself with Spectators who were involved in
the most disreputablo practices which had ever
been heard of in this country, and were only
para1leled in other countries by the South Sea
bubble and John Laws Mississippi scheme
This was not the time nor were the circum-
stances s1ch as called upon congress to go to
Grants relief. :" =
The senate has passed substitute for the
house bill establishing labor bureau II pro-
vides fora commissioner of labor to be- aE-
pointed BY the president and confirmed by the