Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1885-12-18
CONGRESS-.
THE SUCCESSION BILL DEBA1ED
IN THE SENATE.
Animated Discussion Of the New Rules in
the HOuse-Randall Receives Some
sharp Knocks.
SENATE.

ldlu D6lUE6 Lub StudI6 d A6bL6r ITULl Jl6
secretary of war, with the report of
the chief of ordnance, showing the
tests of iron and steel during the last
fiscal year; also letter from the same
secretary transmitting, in compliance
with recent resolution of the senate,
the report Of Capt. Bixby, United
States engineer, On the sea coast forti-
ficatioDs of Europe.
Mr.. Edmunds, from the committee on
the judiciary, reported favorably the bill
to relieve Gen. Alexander r. Lawton,
of Ga, Of his political disability. He
asked for immediate consideration of
the hill.
Mr.. Edmunds introduced a bill
granting a pension to Mrs. Julia d.
Grant. and another bill granting her
the franking privilege. Mr.. Edmunds
said the extra bills were precisely in
the form adopted in similar cases here
tofore.
The bill was then read three times
and passed.
Gong to the calendar the senate took
up Mr.. Hoar's bill to provide for the
presidential succession and Mr.. Hoar
addressed the senate on it.
On the conclusion of Mr.. Hoar's re-
marks on the presidential succession
bill, the senate took up the bill to in
crease to $4,000 the salary Of the
United States district judges, but after
some debate laid it over till tomorrow.
Mr.. Frye then called up the bill pro-
viding a code Of joint rules for the
senate and house of representatives,
and the senate proceeded with its con.
sideration.
A joint resolution introduced by
Senator Jackson to-day proposes an
amendment to the constitution Of the
United States, providing that the pres.
fident and ice-president shall here
after be elected for term of six years
and that they shall be ineligible to d
reelection, and the vice president shall
be ineligible to the Office of presiden
after he shall have filed the same il
case of vacancy therein.
, HOUSE.
Mr.. Morrison, of Illinois, offered a cOncllrren
/ resolution proVid ng for holiday recess from
Tuesday, December 22d, until tuesday, Jan
tisry 9th; laid over for one day under tht rules
Mr.. Morrison then called up the report OF the
committee on rules, which was presented yes
terday, and the proposed new code Of rules was
read at length.
AT MIR, Morrlson's suggestion, the reading of
the report itself was dispensed with and the
general debate was opened by Mr.. Morrison
with short explanation of the proposed re-
vision There was nothing new, he said
in the proposition. He had merely
grouped such Of the propositions as had been
submitted to the house from time to time, as
were believed to be essential TO the speedy or
ganizatlOn OF the house, to the proper distribu-
tiOn of its work and to more c0nservat We and
economical legislation. After touching briefly
upon one or two Of the minor changes proposed,
he argued in support Of the distribution of the
labors of the appropriation committee. If the
revision was adopted that committee would be
left with jurisdiction over bills aggregate g
in amount over half the expenditures Of
the government. and 1t Is believed by
the committee on rules that to give
diligent and proper attention to appropriation
bills involving such an amount of money, would
require all the efforts, all the industry and all
the intelligence that could be found In any one
mittee of The house. ltwss claimed by the
minority of the committee on rules hat this
would lead to increased expenditure. 1t would
be only so, he contended, II the members who
should constitute other committees were
Vlgilant and less Ca Capable 'H' iIof per' ss
forming the duties that devoloved on them
than the members Of the committee
in the minority report that since the agrcui-
tural appropriations bill had been transferred
to the committee on agriculture, the appropria-
tiOns for the Agricultural bureau had largely
increased. This he accounts for by the fact
that the duties and powers of that bureau had
largely increased and he commented upon the
fact that though the agricultural interest was
the most important II the country, the last
agricultural appropriation bill carried only
one-twelfth Of the money which had
been appropriated to erect public
building in Philadelphia, to tax industry and
admit the same amount that had been given for
a pm lie building in an interior town, where one
member OF The appropriation committee
resided 1t was not the only rule in which ap
preparations had been increased under the
management OF a Democratic appropriation
committee. The expenditure for the pOstOtce
department had grown Sl70,00 since the rorty-
third congress. He did not complain of it. He
did not say that 1t had not properly grown so,
but only pointed to The fact that the apprOpria-
tions would grow and rightly grow whether
theyswere made by the committee Oh apprOpia-
tiOnS or some other committee. II was not a
new thing to be IN favor Of a distribution of the
appropriation bills He had voted to take away
the agricultural appropriation bill from the ap-
pr0pr alton committee at a time when
that committee was presided over by
a warm friend of his, Mr.. Atkins,
Of Tennessee, to whom the public owes as much
as to any other man for the dimi nished eXpendi-
lures OF the government. The minority report
had introduced number of senators as wit
nesses against the adyisabllity Of division OF
the appropriation bills They had been SIAM
moned, say that in the house the appropr a
ton bills should be kept together in order that
the expenditure might be reduced, and In the
senate thatithey should be kept together in order
that the expenditures might be largely in
creased. lie then passed into a consideration
OF the proposition to prohibit the Incorporation
OF general legislation on appropriation bills, de-
clarlng that it would be in the interest Of con-
slderate and speedy legislation, and answered
the suggestion that the only way to get de
crease OF expenditure through tie senate was to
permit the Holman amendment to stand, re-
marking that the senate would hardly worry
itself about increasing appropriations which
were made in the interest Of Democratic
officials.
Mr.. Randall, of Pennsylvania, said that he
had not intended to speak on the subject to-day
but some views had been expressed by the gen.
tlelhan from Illinois, Mr. Morrison, which he
was unwilling to pass over without notice. He
agreed fully that his past relations to the com
mittee on appropriations would seem to indi
cate that In the mind OF some men he was we'd
ded to particular control In this respect. II,
was NOT sure that those who knew him hes,
would give him the credit in iii,
matter OF acting from proper
sense Of duty, i it related to the public good
The gentleman, from Illinois, had seen At to al
lude 10 MS views as expressed in the minority