The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-01-09
CONGRESS AT WORK.
Considerable Discussion In the Senate
Over General Legislation In
Appropriation Bills.
The Inter State Commerce Bill FL
nally Passed by the House
OF Representatives.
THE FoRrY-ElGarH CONGRESS.
The Senate.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8.-AmOng the bills in
troduced was one by Mr.. Allison, relating to
fees Of pension claim agents and attorneys.
It is Identical with the persian bill recently
passed by tho House. 1t was general legis-
Iation, he said, and repealed al legislative
provisions contained in the Pension ADpro.
priation bill of last year.
Mr.. Beck agreed with Mr.. Allison IS to
the %impEOpriety of attaching general legisla-
ton provisions to an Appropriation bill;
but the Pension Appropriation bill was not
the only bill 10 which such provisions were
attached. Tbs Senate was Obliged either to
adopt that legislation or lose the bill. The
remedy, Mr.. Beck said, was in az amend
meIt TO the joint rules which would pro-
hibit the Senate from agreeing to the pro.
visions OF general legislation In apprOpria-
ton bills.
Mr.. Dawes explained that the Senate con-
ferees had objected TO the legislation last
year, and rejected it; but the House refused
ID pass the bill without it.
Mr.. Hale said the remedy suggested by Mr..
Harris was the only remedy, and no matter
INV important the legislative provisions
night be. when found in appropriation bills
they should be struck out.
Mr.. ingalls, said he had listened with in-
terest to the Senators who had roared 50
loudly and Numbered in the index upon
the Improperly of general legislation upon
appropriation pills. Hs admired the vigor
with which the Senator from Tennessee
tHarris) with Iesoundipg clamor smote his
desk and declared he for one was willing to
stand up in solld phalanx, and declared
the House should be resisted, If
necessary, to the death. This anus
ing comedy had been repeated over
and over again, iterum iterum que, in the
psst five years. We had repeatedly re-
solved there should be no legislation on APP
preparation bills. We had declared that the
practice was vicious. We had withdrawn
ourselves and gone up into a high moan
tain and declared we would have nothing to
do with j. Mr.. ingalls, c~ritised the action
of the Appropriation Committee and the
Conference Committees of the Senate, which
always yielded, be said, to the House on this
point, no matter what the merits of the
question involved. in the twelve years Of
his presence IN the Senate he had never
heard the Senate conferees report that the
House Committee had yielded. The Sen
ate, he said, was the only body of which he
knew that had voluntarily cast itself into
the dungeon and loaded itself with chains
and let its adversary 60 free. The Senate
needed no joint vote on the subject under
debate; it only needed to take q stand and
adhere to it.
Mr.. Hale said il was easy to clsim another
body had more backbone than this body, but
the senate was liable to be confronted any
lOAuCn III SQCA q i'll WILL AcSl5ihblOu 60
inherently and strictly lust that the Senate
would hardly feel it ought not to pass. The
Pension bill was a case in point. Hundreds
OF thousands Of worthy people were inter
ested in that bill. and IL the House should
put in it a provision intended to remedy the
grievance, against which those people had
been loudly protesting, no Senator would
feel like disregarding il.
Mr.. Allison thought the Appropriation
Committee should thank Ingalls, for the i'm
piled compliment conveyed by his refer
eDces to that committee. If ingalls, state
ents were true that committee was able, at
its will aud pleasure, to lead s~eventy-six
bers OF the Senate. He would remind
Mr.. Ingalls, that when he Ungalls) was en-
gagged, toward the close of the session ia
packing his trunk for his trip to Kansas, the
Committee on Appropriations was still dill
gently at work in an effort to reach q conclu-
slon regarding the same appropriation bill.
The Government had to 60 on; it could not
go on without money, and so the differences
between the two houses had, in some way,
20 be composed. Allison cited many instances
in which the Senate Conference Committees
had succeeded in getting the House Commit.
tee to withdraw the provisions to which the
Senate bad objected. It may be, he said,
tnat the Alta of next March would DO uoOn
Us before the completion of the Pension bill,
ard an immediate session of the Forty-ninth
Congress might be necessary. For his part,
be was perfectly willing to remain, and let
the men who were TO come in on the 4th of
Merch deal with the question. The navy was
now beiag run without any appropriation
because the two Houses were at disagree
nent on the Appropriation bill. 1t was
easy, Mr.. Allison continued, for Senators to
stand up and scold the Committee on Appro-
pristions, and with genial and courte1 rus
philippe talk Of its ~su-rendering
to the House. The Senator from
Kansas ungalls) should bear in
mind the members OF that committee were
mortal men, not such men as the Senator
from Kansas. They had more i%n6rmities
-hsn he, but they did the best they could:
and when the committee did not dc what
the Senator thought the proper thing be
(All'son) wanted the entire body OF Senators
10 tel tee rUmmltt &c 50.
Mr.. Mitchell said in regard to the COM
plant about the pension Law, that difficulty
would have been avoided If the bill reported
at the !. ct session from the Senate Commit
tee on Pc lsions had become a Law.
The NIL introduced by Mr.. Allison was
ten referred to the Committee on Pensions.
Mr.. haNley offered a resolution, which
lies Over one day. requesting the President,
il not incomoatible with public interests. to
communicate to the Senate q historical state
ment covering The public policy of the TX.
ecutive Department of the Confederate
S ates during the late War. reported to have
heen lately filed in the War Department by
General Sherman.
Mr.. Lapham then addressed the Senate on
the subject of commercial treaties, aud con-
troverted the argument that they were uu-
constitutional. q
On the conclusion of Mr.. Lapham's re.
marks Mr.. Morrill,, in moving TO refer to
The Fioancs Committee the resolution
offered by himself, relating to the reciproci-
ty treaties, TO which his remarks yesterday
were directed, took occasion 70 say be sun
posed the Committee on Finance would
soon be rendered altogether unnecessary by
'reas N OF the action OF the State Depart.
meDt, the Secretary of the Treasury and the
Committee on Foreign Relations.
On motion of Mr.. Morgan, its reference
was postponed until tomorrow.
After executive session, the Senate sd-
journed.
The House.
WASHINGTON, Jan. Son motion Of Mr..
XaIantnna tha Hill ~ naarad ranAinn Aha