The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-07
THE CAPITAL CITY.
SUBJECTS OF DISCUSSION IN THE
NATIONAL CONGRESS.
The Story About Judge Waite's Illness q
Canard - Regulations Promulgated
Governing Whisky in Bond
POstmasters Appointed.

WASHINGTON CITY, Jan AT the con-
clusion of Wilson's speech in the senate Mon.
day ON the inter state commerce bill, an ex-
ecutive session was held, after which the
senate adjourned.
On Tuesday replies were laid be-
fore the senate from the secretary
of the interior to the resolutions
calling for information as to..the appraisment
of Cherokee lands west of the Arkansas,
and as to the leases OF lands b.
Indians for grazing purposes on the
Crow reservation and in the Indian
territory. The reports and accompanying
documents were of the most voluminous
character. Their general purPort was that
thousands of cattle from Texas and Kansas
had been pastured on Indian reservations at
q merely nominal compensation, amounting
sometimes to only cents per head a year,
which had been paid to few of the Indian
chiefs. Immense quantities of valuable black
walnut had been cut on the Indian reserva-
tions without any compensation
whatever. Several Of the Indian
reservations were much larger than were
| required In Montana alone there were
| 5000 900 acres which might be opened fol
settlement AMI still leave the Indians With
ample lands to support them if they de sired
to follow agricultural pursuits
| The secretary entertained serious objec-
| tions to allowing Indians on reservations to
lease for grazing purposes only lands which
were suitable for agriculture, and which
| ought to be open to actual settlement The
| communications were ordered printed
| The till to forfeit the lands granted to the
| Oregon Central railroad, which was dis
cussed before tho holiday recess, was again
taken up Morgan withdrew his motion to
| recommend the committee on public lands,
| but opposed its passage, on the ground that
| the bill mfringed the rights of innocent
| third parties.
| At . O'Clock, the senate, by vote of 23 to
| %, laid aside the unfinished business, the
interstate commerce bill, in cr,ler to con
| tinue the discussion of the Oregon forfeiture
| bill.
| In the house, Monday afternoon, keifer
| moved to suspend the rules and take up the
| Mexican pensions bill and pass it. There
was short discussion, some members saying
that it would require sum of money to exc
cute the provisions Of the bill equal to the
| national debt at the close of the war, and
| others declaring that $50, ,000,000 would ba
| abundance. Finally the motion was de-
| teated-129 to S5-not the necessary two
thirds in the Affirmative
| Calkins moved that the rules be suspended
aud the national bankruptcy bill passed.
| The motion was lost-yeas, 135; nays. 70
not the necessary twO-thirlS. This probably
kills the bin for this congress.
King introduced a bin appropriatiug ST.
| 00O, 900 for the Improvement of the Missis-
| sippi river, and the house adjourned.
When the house met Tuesday, Tucker Of
Virginia, from the committee on Judiciary,
endeavored to have assigned fixed day for
the consideration of business from that COM
mittee, but Holman objected.
The morning hour was dispensed with and
the house went into committee of the whole
on the pension appropriation bill, Rogers OF
| Arkansas in the chair.
| Hancock in charge of the bill briefly ex-
| planned its provisions Warner, of Ohio,
advocated repeal of the law allowing con
tracts to be made between pensioners and
claim agents for fee in excess Of so, and
denounced in unmeasured terms the profess
sionaI claim-agents and attorneys, declar-
ing them to be wolves in Sleeps clothing,
robbing and despoiling the soldiers. and a
disgrace to the civilization of the age.