The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-14

A Contest Over the Public Buildings Bills
The Death of Mr.. Colfax.

Inc OeaGLh Oh NIT. OOIdXs
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.-Mr. Stockslager,
rising to question of personal privilege, sent to
the clerks desk and had read an article in yes
terdays New York Sum- charging the committee
on public buildings with log-rolling to pass bills
for erection OF public buildings involving S. 0O0,
600, and giving Mr. Randall great credit for
fighting and exposing the job. The statements
in the articles said Mr.. Stocksager, were reck-
less. but considering that statements almost as
reckless had been made ON the floor and in
| interviews, especially by gentleman from
Ohio (NIr. Warnerl, it was not strange that news
paper reporters should repeat them. The
amount in the bills was not S., 100000, but ST.
$40, 900. The assertion that there was any com
biDation, any binding together Of these bills. so
far as it referred to him to the committee,
was wholly cratuItous entirely uncalled for,
| ard utterly false. He defended the order under
| which the public building measures We're to be
| considered
| Mr.. Randall said he had never known of the
| article in the Sun untilit shown him yester-
day. The material point of the controversy
between the gentleman from Indiana ana
himself WAS and he proposed to take the bull
by the horns. whether there was combination
He did not now, and never had charged that
gentlemen were guilty Of forming an improper
combination, but he did say that the very effect
of the resolution is a combination, and nat
urally so, necessarily so. Since he had presented
his objections to the consideration Of these bills,
he had been appealed to on all sides to withdraw
that opposition. He had stated that il the COM
mittee on public buildings would select twelve
or fifteen mertorious bills, which should be
passed the House could proceed understand
ingly; the answer was that the moment twelve
or fifteen bills We're picked out the gentlemen
interested in bills not selected would oppose the
proposition. He was willing the country should
Judge whether it was q combination or not
The order for consideration OF the public build
ing bills was an extraordinary one. and If exc
| cuted would consume three or four weeks Of the
time of the House.
The matter WAS then dropped
The Speaker laid before the House message
| from the President, transmitting the report of
the government directors of the Union Pacific
Railroad Company. Referred. Also communca-
ton from the Secretary of the Navy, in response
to the House resolution calling for information as
to the cause of the death of Naval Cadet Strang.
The communication states that Cadet Strang
died from peritonitis, and there is no reason to
| believe he died from cruelty.
| Mr. Cox dwelt upon the necessity of putting a
| stop to hazing at the Naval Academy.
Mr.. Thomas hoped the House would not hest
tate to probe thus Strang matter to the bottom
LOT he was firmly convinced that haZing existed
! at the academy in every grade.
The communication was referred to the COM
mittee on naval affairs.
the consideration of business reported from the
committee on Judiciary. The following bills
were passed: Creating the United States Judi
cial district of Southern California: limiting the
time for presentation of bounty and back pay
claims to three years from passage of this act
and of all other claims except pension, to six
years, and providing that claims hereafter aris-
ing must be presented in six years from the
time they originated; authorizing the service of
civil and criminal processes issued by Territorial
courts within military ana Indian reservations
and the Yellowstone Park repeating section $40 of
the Revised Statutes which provides that clerks
of circuit and district courts in California Ore
gon and Nevada may charge extra fees; amend
ing section 1889, Revised Statutes. SO as to pro-
hibit Territorial Legislatures granting private
charters; regulating appeals from the Supreme
Court of the District OF Columbia, and the Su-
preme Courts of the Territories; to release
the reversionary right of the United States
to certain lands in Detroit to extend the laws of
the United States over certain unorganized ter
ritoy south of the State of Kansas: repeating
so much of section 1918, Revised Statutes,
as prohibits promotion to the position of
commissioned or commissioned officers in
the regular army of any private sol
der who has served two years since
September 1866; to regulate the effects of judg-
| ments and deerees of United States courts in
any State by providing that they shall take
effect. by way of lien or otherwise, to the same
extent and in n like way as judgments and
DEGREES of courts of such State; for the relief of
L A. Norris of Arkansas
Dir. Browne, of Indiana, rising, said: II per-
| form the sad duty of announcing to the House
Speaker of this House. and late Viee-president