The Dickinson press., 1884-04-19
CONGRESSIONAL suMMAax

CONGRESS 8OMMARY
The senate passed a bill making tia felony
for q person to falsely or %fraudulentlv assume
or pretend to be an officer or employe acting
under the auth, 'ity of the United States or any
department thereof. The bill has passed the
house.
The House has passed the agricultural ap-
seeds, etc.
Mr.. Nelson Of Minnesota, on Tuesday, moved
q suspension Of the rules in order to take up
dian reservation and made his maiden speech
in the house. Mr.. Washburn favored the bill.
He, thought it was a step in the right direction.
He had introduced a bin which went farther,
but the committee had chosen to report Mr.'
MIR; Blount of Ga, violently attacked the bill,
and the motion requiring a two-thirds majority,
was lost-yeas "a, nays Il. The bill, however
is not defeated, but will be in better shape
when it is taken up in the house in the regular
way.
The senate has passed q bill to divide ND the
reservations and give the lands to the Indians
in severalty, in 100 acre tracts, the residue to
DO sold by the government and the proceeds
used for educational and other purposes. The
bill also makes the Indians subject to the civil
and criminal laws of the community in which
they live, and makes them citizens except so
far as the right OF sufferage is concerned. The
passage of this bill will break up tribal rela-
tons and give the Indians q GLANCE to take
care of themselves without being entirely de-
pendent upon the government. The adults
will have to work for a living as white people
do, and the children will be given an ed,icatfon
in the rudimentary branches and the industrial
arts.
The senate has passed a bill requiring that
governors of all the territories, except the In
dian Territory, shall be residents Of those ter
r1ltories for at least two years next preceding
the date of their appointment. The bill was
passed after q lively discussion.
The following executive business was trans
acted by, the senate on Thursday. Nomina-
tons: Thomas We're Fox, consul Of the United
Maryland, second secretary of legation, China.
Postmaster, John J. Burns, Sprague, Wash.
Combinations: Postmasters, E. S. Miner.
Necedah, Wis. JamesA Foote, Anoka, Mimi;
Warren Potter, Aitkin, Mimi; F. J. Bartels,,
r les Wis; Henry heerl Mason City, Iowa;
Tho following bill in relation to courts and
Judicial proceedings in the territories has
passed the senate. The act provides: The
supreme court of every territory shall consist
OF a Chief justice and three associate justices,
any three of whom shall constitute a Quorum:
and they shall hold their office for four years
and until their successors are appointed and
qualified. They shall hold a term annually Mt
the seat of government of the territory for which
they are respectively appointed; provided,
however, thatno justice shall act as a member
OF the supreme court i'll any action or proceed
ing brought to such court by writ of error.
bills of exceptions, or appeal from decision
judgement of decree rendered by him as Judge
Of q district court. Every territory shall Be
divided into four judicial district, and a dis
trlct court shall be held in each district of the
territory by one of the justices of the supreme
court at such time and place as may be pre-
scribed by law; and each judge, after assign.
ment, shall reside in the district to whit he i
assigned.
Senator Hill, from the committee on post.
offices and post roads, reported favorably the
original bill to establish a postal telegraph sys-
TEN. Mr.. Hill remarked that the committee
were unanimous as to the first clauses of the
bill, which relate to doing the work by con-
tracts with the existing companies.
Tho contract system remlins the most
prominent feature of the bill, and is not widely
different from the scheme of the postal tele-
graph company, except that it empowers the
postmaster general to receive bids from any
telegraph company for contracts. The provis-
ions relating to the establishment of a govern
ment system, pure and simple, in the event that
no satisfactory contract with established COM
panles is secured are q combination of the
features of the Hill and Edmunds bill.
Ihe long contest over the appointment of
Mccoy to the Aberdeen, Oak, land Office was
ate on the,l0th. Mr.. Mccoy, who is there. saws
he has had this fight on his hand for three
years, and he is very glad it is over. He re-
CARDS the result as a complete vindication.
9Th, the chaplain prayed to just one senator be-
side the presiding officer, and that was Mr.. Harris
Of Tennessee. Possibly he may have felt more
than his fellows the need of the ministrations.of
their spiritual adviser, but whether this be true
or not, it is a fact that he was the only soma
FOR DrnSlnt Half n 1nzap NM ~, L., I.,r H.
next five minutes, but it was some time before
q quorum was present.
In the House, Wednesday o resolution was
introduced instruc>:ng the committee on com
merce to investigate alleged evils attending the
transportation of cattle. After a long struggle
the house voted, instead of considering the Orc
gon Central land grant bill, which was in the
order of unfinished business, to 20 into COM
mittee on public building bills. Tho house
considered the bills for the erection of build
1ngs at keoknk, Iowa, and Waco, Tex, and q
tween Mossrs. Mills of Texas and Buckner of
Missouri, Democratic members. No final &C.
ton was taken, and the house took q recess
until this morning.
Bills have been reported to the senate as fol-
lows: ny MI. vest, from tho committee on
construction of a bridge across the Mississippi
at ST. Louis. BY Mr.. Miller (Cal.), foreign Re-
latlcns, an original amendment to the consular
and diplomatic appropriation bill, to take the
place OF the bill referred to that committee in
'eaafa to Of provide wide for the ap-
TO visit the principal South American
countries for the purpose of collecting informa-
non looking to the eXtention of our trade in
that direction. BY MI. Wilson, postoffices and
post roads, an amendment to the postoffice ap-
tended t" provide for the settlement of post
masters salaries, under the act of March 3
1855 Senate adjourned to Monday.
On Thursday the 10th, in the house the COM
mittee on laws relating to the election of presi-
dent and vice president reported a substitute
for tho senate bill. A bill amending the stat
ntes regarding the immediate transportation Of
dut1abde goods was reported. The remainder
pf the day was devoted to bills for the erection
mcrous controversies arose, causing mnc mol
CONFUSION. The house adjourned, having sat
all day IN continuation of Wednesdays session
MI. raymond presented to the house April
10th the petition of many citizens of Dakota
urging the passage of his bill in relation to the
homestead law.
A petition signed by about 1900 members
OF the Andersonville Survivors, association
that the soldiers confined in rebel pris.
ons during the late war be pensioned. was re-
felved IN the house recently. The autographs
"SASi lcuGiS pOulU LII DOOk form. and attJncfn1
q good deal of attention.
Representative Warner has reported from
me committee on pension, bounty and back pay,
the bill providing:
Every person specified in the pension laws
who served for a period of six months or
more, who has an honorable discharge and is
not receiving q pension, or a greater pension
than that provided by the bill, and who is now
disabled by reason or wound, injury or disease,
which there is reason to believe originated in