The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-02-25
CONGRESS.
STILL UARPING
UPON THE EDUCA-
TIONAL BILL.
VARIOUS RESOLUTIONS AND MO-
TIONS IN TIE HOUSE-THE
TREASURY BALANCE.
SENATE.

| du W yoke, from lne cOmnlttee on public lands
to confirm entries of public lands made under the
public land laws of the United States
Among the bills introduced and appropriately re
terred, was one by Mr. Edmunds to facilitate the
administration of laws in Alaska. Mr.. Edmunds
explained that persons appointed to office in
Alaska could not give bond in that territory and
tne IN was intended to enable such persons tC
give BOND In the state from which appointed.
Mr Morgan offered the preamble of a resolution
winch, at his request, was ordered printed and laid
on the table for the present. The purpose of the
preamble and resolution is to show that the senate
judiciary committee has not the authority to ar
raign the attorney general, as it did in its recent
| report and the accompanying resolutions in re-
gard to the refusal of the attorney general to trans
mt to the committee certain papers in regard to
the removal OF an officer which had been asked for
| by the committee. The preamble says referring
to the recent judiciary committee resolution: "lt
said resolution is adopted as being true upon its
face and as matter of law it will thereby announce
the prejudgment of the majority of this body with
out any trial according to law, that the attorney
general of the United States is guilty of and con.
| demned for unlawfully committing an offense in
the conduct of his Office which is in Violation of his
special duty and is subversive of the fundamental
principles OF the government of the nted States
The attorney general, if he has in fact wilfuly
committed any ofense that is in violation of his of
flcial duty and is surversive of the fundamental
principles of the government of the United States
Is only amenable to the condemnation of the sen
ave when te senate Is sitting with the chief justice
OF the United States, as court of impeachment to
hear and decide upon articles of impeachment pre-
sented by the house of representatives
MI Dolph, from the committee on public lands,
reported a resolution calling on the secretary OF
the interior for full information concerning the
selection, surveying and patenting of lands given
in aid OF the construction of the Northern Pacific
railroad The resolution WIS agreed to.
Mr.. Hoar called up his bill approprlating $780,,
OO for the erection of monument in Washington
city to the memory of Gen. Grant which, after de
bate, was passed, Mr.. Hoar saying that the COM
mittee on library would consider the matter of an
| appropriate monument to the memory of Lincoln
| On going to the calendar, among the bills post
poned to later day, was the woman's suffrage
| constitutional amendment, Mr.. Blair saying that
| although it was very important measure it could
| not be discussed under the five minute rule.
The education bill was placed before the senate,
and Mr Gray took the floor in opposition to the
| BILL taking the ground that education in United
States was not only wholly outside of the jursdic-
tion of the United States government, but exclu-
siyely in that of several states In
conclusion Mr.. Gray said: 81 trust it may
| if l beg senators older in experience and wiser
than |, to hesitate long before taking the first step
in this new and urexplored pathway of federal en-
croachments. Down its dark vistas see shapes of
direful portent, and shrink from the encounter.
Over the level bulwarks of the constitution will
| come thronging thick and fast the armies of cen
traliZatiOn and the enemies of local self government
We may still find life worth living under the dis
pensation, but to mourn the constitution of
our fathers bounded to death in the house of its
friends. have no desire to the map of the
L
least, shall not assist in thus embitterng the link
OF states, and with them the ancient land marks of
| the constitution"
! Mr.. Plumb also opposed the bill He regarded il
as an anomaly in legislation, appropriating money
not only for one year, but for eight years. He had
no doubt that at the end of the eight years. if the
pabnlum now provided were not continued, con
ventions would meet and delegations would be
/ sent to Washington to urge congress to keep on
| appropriating more money. We must before un-
derstand that in passing this bill we arranging
for expenditures for generations yet to come. This
bill, Plumb said was the outgrowth of that demor-
allied and demOralizing period preceding the last
presidential election. If there was any period
when public men were less gratifed than at any
other to give wise and careful consideration to the
financial affairs of the government, it the sea
son preceding the presidential election, when issues
were being made and the interests of candidates
were being forwarded; when we were LAYING the
plans and plots whereby we might catch our un-
wary opponent or appeal to some class or section
for its vote. He (Mr. Plumb could count the
fingers of his two hands the senators who really
favored the bill Independent of some such special
reason, and if the bill could in some way, he got
rid of without submitting it to vote nine senators
in every ten would not regret it,
Mr.. Plumb quoted detailed statistics to show the
assessed valuation of property in the southern
states, and insisted that each of such states was
amply able to educate its own illiterates He
quoted also figures allowing that much larger
proportion of money would 90 to the states of the
south, and much the larger part Of it be supplied
by the states of the north and west The whole
theory of the bill was fase-that theory being that
the southern states were unable to give a common
school education to their lliterates. The general
government was under no obligation to remove
the ignorance of the SOUTH The blacks who were
freed by the war, would receive no benefit from
the bill.
Mr.. Call spoke in favor of the bill He recog-
nized the constitutional power of the general gov
ernment to aid the states-with their own consent
-and the constitutional power of the states to aid
the general government. Such aid had been rec
ognized as constitutional from the foundation of
the government The south was not without self
reliance, Mr.. Call said. Its people had already
taxed themselves t. the utmost, but their land was
not as was the casc with Kansas, a readily convert
ible asset
After a shor. executive session the senate ad-
journed.
HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, February 23.-AIr Morrison, (of
1llinois) from the committee on ways and lSeans
reported joint resolution directing the payment
of the surplus in the treasury on the public debt
Referred to committee of the whole.
Mr.. Hewitt (of New York; obtained leave to file
the views of the minority.
The report which accompanies the joint resolu-
ton, says On the Both day of January 1886. as
shown by the official statement of the assets and
liabilities of the treasury of the United States,
there was in the treasury, including amounts held
for redemption of United States notes. and not in
Guiding minor and fractional silver coin, cassed as
" assets not available, the sum of 3179,6S9 "a
in of all other liabilities than the redemp
ton of the said United States notes. 1t is be-
lieved that this sum is largely in of the sum
required for the purpose for which it is held, and
that considerable part thereof should be appro-
prated to the payment of the interest-bearng debt
of the United States, now payable, to the end that
the public monies should be used to eXtinguish the
public burdens and not unnecessarily held to lure
the agents and representatives of the people into
improvident and wasteful expenditures.
Mr.. Tucker, (of Virginia. from the committee
on judiciary, reported bill providing that no per
son shall be held to answer for any crime whereof
the punishment may be loss of liberty except on
presentment of indictment by the grand jury, ex-
cent in cases arising in the land naval forces or
in the militia within actual service in time of war;
or of public danger. Referred to house calendar.
Mr. Ellsberry (Of Ohio from the committee on
invalid persons, reported bill granting pensions
10 ali wounded soldiers or their widows, or chill
dren who are dependent upon their daily labor for
support Referred to committee of the whole. |
Mr. Buchanan, (of New Jersey from the com
mites on claims reported bill for the relief of
the survivors of the exploring steamer Jeannette,
and the widows and children of those who perished
in the expedition. Referred to private calendar.
The remaining hour was consumed in the con
alteration of a bill to annex the northern part of
Idaho territory to the territory of Washington,
but no final action was taken.
The house proceeded to the consideration OF
business on the house calendar the bill being that
authorizing several executive departments 10 ex-
hihit articles at the New Orleans exposition the
bending motion being to lay the bill the table.
The motion to table was carrledt yeas; l35' nays,
112.
The next bill on the calendar was that OF forfeit
inc the unearned land grant OF the Atlantic Pac1-
fc railroad company ,. .,
On motion of Mr. Holman, OF Indiana, an amend
ment was adopted providing that the forfeited
lands should be subject to settlement uhder the