Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-21
The Business Transacted in the Senate
and House Yesterday.

The Business Transacted in the Senate
and House Yesterday.
WAsHINGTON, Feb. 2O.-In the Senate,
after routine business, the Des Moines
river lands bill again came up and Mr..
Lapham resumed his speech, occupying
the time until l O'Clock, still holding the
floor when the matter went over. The
struggle for precedence OF bills then be-
gan, and Mr.. Morrill, succeeded in get
ting the anti-silver coinage bill before the
Senate bv a vote OF 81 to %. 1t was then
informally laid aside for the agricultural
appropriation bill, which. after some de-
bate, was passed substantially as it came
from the Senate committee, the principal
change being in the item for the cultiva-
tiOn of sorghum, which was increased
from 5000 to 500, 900.
The post Office appropriation bill was next
taken up. In the course of his remarks de-
Tending an amendment reducing one of the
items of the bill, senator Plumb. OF Kansas.
said he thought the expenses of the government
could be reduced byS50,00 10000 annuallywithOut
hurt to the public service. On section of the
bill as it came from the House provided that
letters should be charged at the rate of
cents an ounce. instead of cents per half
ounce; drop letters (where there is no
free delivery l cent an ounce, and news
papers in bulk TO regular subscribers l cent
ounces.
As TO this provision. Mr.. Beck said the APP
preparation Committee had concluded to
strike it out as being general leg islatiOn. Mr.
Beck said il was good legislation, though in
the wrong place, and the members of the
committee, or most of them, held themselves
at liberty to vote as individual Senators
against their recommendation as committee
men.
After considerable discussion as to the op-
Grafton of the Senate rules, the Senate disa-
Inv "a
vote of IS to 33 so far as that amendment re-
lated to letter postage. leaving the newspaper
provision yet to be acted on.
After an executive session the Senate ad-
journed.
IN THE HOUSE.
The House met at 10 O'Clock in continuation
OF Thursdays session, and Immediately went
into committee of the whole, with Mr.. Ham
mOnd IN he chair, on the river and harbOr
bill. One hour was consumed in slowly and
uudeterminedly voting upon amendments to
the paragraph making an appropriation Tor
the Improvement of the Mississippi river
Finally, in order to expedite matters. the
friends of the bill yielded to a motion to strike
out the entire Mississippi river clause. This
withdrew the bone of contention from the
committee, and the clause will be restored in
the House.
The clause relative to the Hennepn canal
being REQUIRED to, the Chair delivered an
elaborate decision on the points of order that
were raised against it. He held that the sub
iect matter was germane, and that 1t was not
in the nature of new legislation, and there
fore overruled the points which were based
on those grounds, but sustained the point that
the Committee on Rivers and Harbors had not
original jurisdiction of the subject. and that
1t should properly have been considered by
the Committee on Railways and Canals, and
upon this ground he ruled that the clause was
not in order and must be stricken from the
bill.
Mr.. Henderson appealed from the decision,
pending which the committee rose.
The House then adjourned, and at u O'Clock
the session Of Friday began.
The conference report on the consular and
diplomatic appropriation bill was agreed to.
Under the special rule number Of public
building bills were passed.
The House, at 3:l5. went INTO committee of
the whole on the naval appropriation bill, the
second section Of which relates TO the increase
of the navy. and contains what Is known as
the Randall plan. Having been read it was
agreed that four hours debate should be al
lowed upon it, Speeches were made by
Messrs. kelfer, McCCid, of Iowa, and Long, of
Massachusetts,.
Pending further debate the committee rose
and the House, at O'Clock, took recess until
:, the evening session to be for the consIdera-
tion of pension bills.
EVENING SESSION.
The House at its evening session passed 80
pension bills, and at O'Clock adjourned until
sucn time tomorrow as 1t may be called to
order by the Speaker. This is the last evening
OF the present Congress which will be devoted
to the consideration of pension business re-
During this Congress this committee, of
which Representative MatsOn, of Indiana is
Chairman, has reported to the House ad-
versely and favOrably 1928 cases, which is
about equal to the number of bills
reported 10 any three preceding Congresses.
The reports during the Forty seventh Congress
numbered about 400. OF the ,223 reported to
this Congress Cos, all of which were favor
sbIv reported, were passed by the House.
Mr. MatsOn, in stating these facts 10 the
House Just before adjournment, thanked that
* flaa xglt VI
mitiee had been treated and Mr.. Hewitt. of
Alabama, also thanked the House in the
name of .he Committee on Pensions, of which
he Is Chairman.