The Dickinson press., 1885-02-21
PROCEEDINGS OF CONGRESS-.

FkVCEEDuNGN VI WNGkESN.
WASHINGTON, Special Telegram, Feb. 49,
n 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 rs to 20. 1t is safe to say thatno 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Whenever public lands have been withdrawn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
terminated by act Of congress, executive order,
Or order by the land department., or where lands
have been, by operation of law, reduced in price
to $l.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 23th of January, 1885, there
were no valid conflicting claims thereto or state
ments thereon, all such entries, etc, are con-
hrned 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. The 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 a big
steal, i'll which a few capitalists were inter
ested. Senator Palmer, in q very temperate
speech, denied the asperslon, but the letter
produced a hub-bub for some time after
wand. Commissioner Mcfarland says there
IRE between 100000 and 900, 900 acres Of
land embraced in the Ontanagon amend
ment The original entry men, having paid
$1.25 for them, and having paid taxes in
many cases for fifteen Years, will now lave
their patents endorsed as regular. The sen
ate amendments to the original house bill
are numerous n sweeping-so much so
that there is no expectation that they will
be concurred in. The inalv vote was almost a
strict party one, Edmunds being the only
Republican to vote against the repeal, and
Brown the only Democrat to vote in the
affirmative.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12.-The resolutions offered
| Yesterday by Messrs. ingalls, and Hoar. relating
to the electoral count, were. on motion Of Mr..
Hoar, referred without comment to the COM
mittce on privileges and elections.
A resolution offered by Mr.. Sherman was agreed
to. authorizing the president of the senate to APP
point a committee Of three senators to make the
necessary arrangements for the inauguration Of
the president-clect.
SENATE-The senate, in spite Of strong efforts
oy MI. Van Wyck to have the Texas Pacific land
grant forfeiture bill considered, voted to take
Up the bill prohibiting the importation of for
sign contract labor. This measure was debated
1t great length without action.
HousE-A bill passed amending the Pacific
:ailroad act so as to authorize the construction
II a road from Sioux City, Iowa. to Granger,
Wyo. The senate bill regarding jurisdiction over
:he Yellowstone National Park passed. The post
office appropriation bill was considered. The
chair overruled a point of order against a para
graph allowing additional compensation to
American steamships carrying ocean mails, and
IN An appeal the decision was sustained. After
ward. by a vote of los to 81. the house struck
out the paragraph in question. An evening ses-
sion was held for the consideration Of private
pension bills.
There was an animated discussion,
Turing which the scandal over
The Pacific mail subsidy in the
Forty-thirdc congress was referred to by Hol-
nan, Mills and Blount as o warning against
Affirmative action. Bayne of Pennsylvania
made the decisive attack on the clause,
charging the Democrats with utter incompe-
;ency and with being led by the agents of
Jay Gould. When the vote was taken on the
motion TO strike out the subsidy advocates
were paralyzed by the discovery that they
were defeated and that their pet scheme was
punched out of the bill
SENATE. The day was mostly devoted to the
Indian appropriation bill. The provision for
the payment Of claims for Indian depredations
was struck out
The nomination of E. A. Kriedler,
to be marshal of Montana, was
taken up, and, at the request Of Senator
Cameron of Wisconsin, was laid over till
Monday.
The paragraph of the bill which provides
for the reduction of postage on letters, as
passed by the house, reads as follows:
Upon all matter of the first class, as defined by
the laws of congress declared subject to postage
at the rate of three cents for each half ounce or
fraction. postage shall be charged on and after
the LIST day of July, 1885, at the rate of two
drop letters shall be mailed at the rate of two
cents per ounce or fraction thereof, including
delivery at letter carrier offices, and one cent for
each ounce or fraction thereof where their de-
livery by carrier is not established.
The paragraph providing for the reduction
of the rate on newspapers reads as follows,
and forms part of the paragraph above
quoted:
That upon all publications of the second class,
except as provided in section % of the said act,
when sent by the publishers thereof and from
the Office of publication to bona fide subscribers
or when sent from a ne " S agency to actual sub.
scribers thereto or to other news agents, shall
on and after July l, 1855, be entitled to trans.
mission through the mails at one cent a pound
or fraction thereof, postage 10 be prepaid as nov
provided by law; provided, however, that pub
J fishers of seccnd-class publications may mai
one cent for each four ounces or fractional par
thereof, to he prepaid by ordinary stamps af.
fixed thereto; and all acts, so far as they fix q
different rate of postage than herein provided
upon such first and second-class matter, are t
that extent repealed on and after July /, 1885
and any article or item in any newspaper o
] other publication may be marked for Observa
tion except by written or printed words, withou
increase of postage.
, ~SENATE-The Indian appropriat ion bill, after
. protracted consideration, passed. Mr.. Dolpl
9 introduced a bill making Seattle and Tacoma,
Wash, ports Of delivery.
An amendment was yesterday proposed by
Senator Morgan to the anti-silvcr coinage bill
1t strikes out the present provision fur the sus'
pension OF the coinage of the standard dollar
) and authorizes the president, on and after Apri
, April i, 1856. to direct the secretary of TIN
treasury to suspend, in whole or part, the pur.
chase of silver bullion for the coinage of stand
e ard dollars.
: HoUSE-Thes senate amendments to the arm,
. . bill were non-concurred in. Tie bill AMENDING
I the statutes relating to the transportation o
. dutiable goods passed. Mr.. Siocum dem.
4 moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill
q placing Gen. Grant upon the retired list. Ate