The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-02-21
NATIONAL NEWS NOTES.
He SWAIN SCANDAL ENDING.
ne Congressional Pension Record-The
Arlington Estate--Naval Debate in
the House and Post Office Mat
tiers In the Senate.
xLvIII Congress.
SENATE.

Michigan. The report says the locks
Fll cost 81 ,5i5,400 and that $S55,es5 sd
bitional will be required for the purpose
d deepening the channel above the
ccks and the basin below. Referred.
Mr.. MILLER, of New York, from the
Committee on agriculture, reported IA
yorabiy with amendments the house
bill for the protection of forests on the
hubble domain.
Mr.. GORMAN offered a resolution,
which was agreed to, calling on the SEQ
retary of the interior for information as
10 whether subsidized Pacific railways
have constructed and are maintaining
and operating their own lines of tele-
graph, and whether telegraphic mes
sages are accepted and transmitted for
ali persons and corporations without
discrimination, provided by the act Of
July |, 1862.
Mr.. HALE moved to take up the agri-
cultural bill.
MIR. PLAT enquired whether that
would displace tho silver bill.
The CHAIR (Mr. Edmundo T
said itwould leave that bill on the calen-
dar subject to be called upon motion.
Mr.. HALE'S motion was agreed to by
viva voce vote and the agricultural
appropriation bill was taken up and
consideration proceeded with.
The bill, after some debate, was passed
substantially as it came from the senate
committee, the principal change being
in the item tor the cultivation of sor.
rhum, which, on motion OF Mr. Plumb,
was increased from $4,000 to $4,000.
On motion Of Mr.. PLUMB the post
office bill was taken up.
MIR. HAWLEY hoped the senate
would disagree TO the senate committee
.,rtaf tgKsIt
/ clerks III p0st-oftices from S53000O to
| 1000.
Mr.. PLUMB defended the reduction
and the committees amendment ,,as
adhered to.
In the course OF his remarks Mr..
| Plumb said he thought the expenses of
| the government could be resuced by
| 100000 annually without hurt 10 pub
liz service.
A section OF the bill, as it came from
| the house, provided that letters shall be
charged for at the rate of 9 cents per
ounce, instead Of 2 cents per half ounce,
drop letters (where there is
no free delivery cent
an ounce, and newspapers
in bulk TO regular subscribers, cent q
pound, but separate copies l cent per
four ounces. As to this provision,
MIR. BECK said the appropriation
committee has concluded to strike It
out as being general legislation. Mr.
Beck said it was good legislation though
in a wrong place, and the members Of
the committee, or most of them, held
themselves at liberty to vote as an indi-
yidual matter against their recommen-
dations as committeeman.
MIR. MILLER, of New York, opposed
the "sample copy" provision. He
thought it better that q uniform rate
should DO established. Postal rates had
been so irregular and unsystematic that
not even members of the postotlice
committee of congress could always re-
member what the rates were in any
given case. The rate should be simpli-
ned and stripped of complication.
Mr.. PLUMB said all reductions of
postal rates had been effected by means
Of appropriation oils.
Alter considerable further discussion
as to the operation of the senate rules,
which was participated in by Messrs,
Williams, Sherman, Miller (of New
York;, Miller (Of California;, Plumb,
Hawley, Hoar, Mitchell, Cockrell and
Edmunds, the senate disagreed to the
committee amendments-yeas IS; nays,
$3.50 far as that amendment related to
letter postage, leaving newspaper post
age yet to be acted on.
After executive session, the senate ad-
Journed till tomorrow at O'Clock p. IN.
HOUSE.
The house met in continuation OF
Thursdays session, and Immediately
went into committee OF the whole (Mr.
Hammond in the chair on the river aud
harbor bill. One hour was consumed IN
slowly and determinedly voting upon
amendments to the paragraph making
an appropriation for the Improvement
Of the Mississippi river. Finally, in or
der to expedite matters, friends, Of the
bill yielded to the Mississippi river
claim. This withdrew the bone of con-
tention from the committee, and the
clause will be restored in the house.
The clause relative to the Hennepin
canal being required to,
The CHAIR delivered an elaborate
decision on the points of order that were
raised against 1t, He sustained the point
that the committee on rivers and har-
bors had not original jurisdiction of the
subject, and that it should properly
have been considered by the committee
on railways and canals, and upon this
ground he ruled the clause was not in
order and must be stricken from the
bill.
Mr.. HEN BRICKS, of Iowa, appealed
from the decision, pending which the
committee rose.
The house adjourned and the session
of Friday hegNn.
Mr.. BURNS submitted conference
report on the consular and diplomatic
appropriation bill. Agreed to.
Mr.. BINGHAM, from the committee
on post-otlices and pOst-roads, reported
n FDanlnttnn oallinn tho nng M a a.
ter-general for information relative to
supplying inferior envelopes to the post
office department and annulling con-
tracts with Kellogg & Co., Of Spring
held, Massachusetts.
The House went into committee of
the whole (Mr. Wellborn in the chair)
on the naval approprl ration bill.
The second section, which relates to
the increase, and contains what is
known as the Randall plan, having been
read, 1t was agreed that four hours de-
bate should be- allowed upon IL.
Mr.. KEIFER opposed the plan con-
tanned in the bill. He believed itwould
not give the country single vessel
which II would dare put in the water.
he likened the situation of the United
States to that of an overgrown child,
who was hurt whenever touched, and
WAS WlbnOut power 10 blTlko btck. he
made detailed criticism of the aection,
and ridiculed the condition Of the pro-
posed board, characterizlng IL as an
hermaphrodite assemblage OF naval
men and civilians, and predicting that
the country would never get a ship
IRON such board.
MIR. M'CORD read petition from the
Society Of Friends in Iowa, protesting
against appropriations being made for
an increase Of the navy aud praying
congress to spare no expense In an Ell
fort to provide courts of arbitration for
the purpose Of the promotion of friendly
relations among nations.
Mr.. LONG said the position OF the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. keiter) In
favor of an increase of the navy, aud in
opposing the means proposed TO secure
that increase, reminded him of the story
OF q man who was in "fayor OF the
Maine law" but against its execution
The plan proposed might be faulty IN
detail, but he favored its general feat
ures. Our navy was an alphabet OIL
wooden wash tnha He bpliayOd