The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-02-20
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS-.

suspend the coinage Of standard silver dollars
was debated likewise the pension bill During
the discussion the chair ruled that an amend
ment proposing new Legislation was admissible
An appeal Was taken and the char SuS'@lneu-
So to 81 80,
The situation with regard to the pension bill
now in the senate will concur only IN the APP
preparations; all tho legislation in tho matter
Of pension claim agents having been passed IN
a separate bill last week aad sent to the house,
where il lies on the speaker desk, to be called
up only by unanimous consent, which is likely
not to be had.
In executive session the President sent the
following nominations: Edward 8 Curtis,
Idaho, secretary of Idaho; Ellis l. Bierbower,
marshal Of the United States, district OF Ne
braska.
Observation-Disclosures Thomas NJ. Pur-
tell, Cumberland, Wis. ; William L. Curtis,
Illinois, secretary TO the South American COM
mission; receiver of public moneys, Allen ".
Eaton, Oxford, Idaho.
HoUsE-The river and harbor bill was dis
cussed for a time, and then the postoffce ap-
preparation bill was considered
SENATE. The chair laid before
the senate a memorial in the form Of
a Joint resolution from the legislature OF
Dakota urging division of the territory and
admission of its southern portion as a state.
The senate passed Sherman's joint resolution
providing for striking medals to commemor-
ate the dedication of the Washington monu-
ment The consideration of the bill to pre-
vent the unlawful occupancy of public lands
was resumed. This is the bill known as the
influencing bill. 1t passed with slight
amendments. The antf-silver coinage bill
was postponed until tomorrow. The con-
sideratiOn of the pensions appropriation bill
was continued, and the senate committees
amendments conCurred in.
The senate then resumed consideration Of
the house bill repeating the presumption and
timber culture laws.
After some debate, MI. Dolph proposed an
amendment providing that all entries
heretofore made under the presumption laws
on which final proof and payment have been
made, to which there are no adverse claims
and which have been sold to innocent pur-
chasers, shall be confirmed and patented
pom the presentation of satisfactory proof
to the proper department officer.
Mr.. Sherman thought this required careful
consideration. 1t might operate to deprive
lands originally obtained from them by
fraud.
Without a decision on the amendments the
senate adjourned
HoUsE.-Tte whole session was taken up by
a discussion Of the post office appropriation
bill.
SENATE-The bill for a permanent reserva-
ton for Northern Montana Indians passed.
The bill to repeal the presumption and amber
culture acts was debated. After returning to
the senate chambe or upon the conclusion of the
presidential count in the house, a long debate
ensued regarding the conclusion Of Mr.. Ed
mund's declaration of the presidential vote,
viz: Not as possessing any authority In law to
declare any legal conclusion whatever.
Mr.. Ingalls, offered the following resolution:
Resolved. b the senate does not assent
to the concluding declaration of the president
of the senate in the announcement of the vote
for president and vice president Of the United
States, made in the presence Of the two houses
of congress this day. -f..a..
Mr.. Hoar offered the following: Resolved,
That the senate is of the opinion that the cen
stitution and laws have been duly executed and
that no further declaration Of those facts is
necessary. Both were laid over. r
HoUsE.-The pastofice bill was debated and
at the conclusion of the Presidential count, q
long debate ensued in regard to the announc-
Hnent thereof.
WASHINGTON, Special Telegram, Feb. r.
The senate, after spending two long execu-
tive sessions and the entire afternoon in a
chaotic debate, passed the house bill to re-
peal the presumption and timber culture laws
by 26 to 20. 1t is safe to say that no bill has
been passed this session which is in a worse
muddle and is less understood The discus
sion to-day was on Palmer's amendment This
was simply the old and much-described On
tonagon land grant bill. which was success
fully tackedon the repeal The original bill
Is virtually the bill which Gen Washburn got
through the house two years ago. 1t was
passed by the house last June. The amend
ment provides:
Whenever public lands have been withdrawn
from sale by grants made to aid in construction
of railroads, and such Withdrawals have been
or order by the land department., or where lands
have been, by operation of law, reduced in price
to 81. 25 per acre and purchased in good faith or
entered with warrants or scrip, and the officers
of the land department have issued certificates
or patents in accordance with this purchase
without such lands having first been proclaimed
by the president and offered at public auction:
and where ON the 25th of January, 1885. there
were no valid conflicting claims thereto or state
ments thereon, all such entries, ETC., are con-
frEaed and declared valid and legal.
Morgan amended Palmer's amendment so as
TO except two hundred or more settlers who
have gone on the disputed lands in Northern
Michigan and entered homesteads Tho Pal
mer amendment passed by a close party
vote. Senator Vest produced a sensation by
reading a letter from a Michigan citizen,
charging that the proposition covered q big
steal, in which a few capitalists Were inter
ested. Senator Palmer. in a very temperate
speech, denied the aspersion, but the letter
produced . hub-bub for some time after
ward Commissioner McFffland says there
are between 100, 900 and 2GO,000 acres OF
land embraced in the Ontanagon amend
ment The original entry men, having paid
81. % for them, and having paid taxes in
many cases for fifteen years. viii now have
their patents endorsed as regular. The SEN
ate amendments to the orig inal house bill
are numerous and sweeping-so much so
that there is no expectation that they win
be concurred in The final vote was almost
strict party one, Edmunds being the only
Republican to vote against the repeal, and