The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-02
The House Authorizes a Committee to
Investigate the Telephone Scandal.
Passage of the Bill Increasing the Pensions
of Soldiers Widows to $12 Per Month
The Limitation Clause Not Repealed.
THE SENATE.
Routine Business-C Continuation OF the Elec-

Ioro the Senate lotCor from tno secretary OF
War transmitting report on the militia forces
of the United States; also, letter from the Sec
retary of the Interior. transmitting q report OF
w. Hallet Phillips. relating to the Yellowstone
Park; also, letter from the Secretary of the
Treasury transmitting copy of communities
tion from the superintendent of the coast and
I geodetic survey, with draft of proposed bill
| to authorize the supplying of standard weights
| and measurement to the Territories
Mr.. Berry, from the committee on public
lands reported favorably, with an amendment,
| the concurrent resolution heretofore submitted
by him regarding the renewal of the leases OF
the bath h-houses at Hot Springs, Ark. The reso-
| luton went over one day.
Mr. Call submitted resolution which, at his
request, was laid over for the present, directing
the committee on military affairs to report a
bill providing that ex Union soldiers shall not be
| required to submit to civil-service examination
before appointment to any position embraced in
the civil service laws
A resolution offered by Mr.. Mitchell of Ore
gon, was agreed to. directing the Secretary OF
the Treasury to inform the Senate whether AL
fred B. -Meacham late superintendent of Indian
affairs for the State Of Oregon was at any time
declared defaulter on his official bond as such
superintendent, and if SO, when and for how
much, and whether any moneys had been since
paid him by the United States.
The Senate then, going to the calendar, took
up and passed the bill providing for the division
of part of the Sioux reservation in Dakota, and
the REIMBURSEMENT of the Indians title to the re-
mainder.
The next measure on the calendar was Mr.
Morgan's resolution relating to the appointment
of officers of the United States 1.-THE trustees pro-
vided for by the recent Utah bil) to participate
with the officers Of the Mormon Church in the
management of the affairs of that church. The
resolution expresses the sense OF the SEN
| ate to be that it is not in
the power of Congress to appoint officers,
by whatever name called, who, in the name or
on behalf of the United States. should be re-
ligious sect, church society in the joint con-
duct of the spiriturl temporal affairs of such
church society, and that it is practical viola
tion of the Constitution of the United States for
the President to appoint such trustees under any
law which assumed to empower him to do So
At o'clock the electoral-count bill displaced
Mr.. Morgan's resolution, which thereupon went
over.
Mr.. Hoar then moved the amendments hereto
fore published as intended to be proposed by
him, and said that he did not propose to go over
the argument in this case for the hundredth
time. OF all the schemes ever suggested for
dealing with the subject, Mr.. Hoar said, the
scheme pressed by the Senator from Ohio
r. +.
disposed, personally, to favor the selection of
the senior judge of the United States Supreme
Court as the arbitrator in case of disagreement
of the two houses, but he supposed
the consent of this generation would not be
given to mingling the functions Of the judicial
Office with the functions referred to. The
arbiter, which would be selected by Mr.. Sher-
mans amendment, however, would be composed
of 400 eager political partisans-men whose
future and whose success in life might be in
Ac1x klos- L. t.
be body in which individual responsibility
would be wholly lost, body with character
of its own to sustain. When committed to the
Senate the members on either side of that body
might be trusted to do their duty; So also. with
the House of Representatives; but when com
mitted to body composed of the two houses
one that came into existence and expired with
the occasion-the responsibility would be lost.
The present bill, Mr.. Hoar continued, did not
pretend to provide arbiter 1t remanded
everything to thu States. There was no case
that had arisen since the beginning of the gov
ernment that would not be covered by the bill
before the Senate. with his Mr.. Hoar's] amend
ment added.
Mr.. Sherman said that whatever we did in.
volved more or less danger The amendment
submitted by Mr.. Hoar involved its special dan
ger. 1t would make the Governor of State the
judge of which set of returns were the lawful
set, in case there were two SETS The Governor
would naturally belong to one or the other of
the opposing parties in the State controversy.
This was Jumping out Of the frying pan into
the FIRE." Mr.. Sherman would prefer to see
provision requiring that vote should be count
ed, unless both houses agreed that it should not
be counted. Under the amendment proposed by
Mr. Hoar, If even the two houses of Congress
agreed that the Governor of the State had GER
titled illegal returns, yet the returns signed by
him would have to be accepted and counted. Mr..
Sherman would prefer to recommit the bill to
the committee on privileges and elections than
have it passed on now. He would prefer to place
the arbitrament in the hands of the United
States Supreme Court, Objectionable as that
course might be, rather than to leave the ques-
tion where it would be left by the BILL
Mr. Hoar replied that the points involved had
been debated week after week. and month after
month, during the sessions of Congress for
twelve years past. The Senate, therefore, was
prepared to deal with it now, if it could be.
Mr. ingalls, claimed the floor, but Mr.. Hoar and
Mr.. Sherman continued their discourse.
Mr. ingalls, expressed his amazement at the
suggestion that this bill was as perfect as the
Senate could make it. He moved its recon.
initial to the committee on judiciary. and in do
ing so called attention to the fact that the re-
Gently passed resdential-succession bill had
hardly been passed when it was discovered to be
defective. This question of the presidential
count Mr.. Ingalls, said, would continue to be de-
bated till we had constitutional amendment The
electoral commission Of 1867 was a contrvance
that would never be repeated. 1t was adopted
by each party in the hope that IL would defeat
the other, and resulted in cheating both. The
Democrats would never have consented to it If
they had not supposed that the fifteenth man
would favor Tilden. 1t happened that David
Davis had been sent to the United States Sen
ate and thence to the United States bench, and
so the eight to seven became changed to seven
to eight If the Democrats had then seen as
much as they see now, they would never have
consented to the commission Mr. ingalls, repro
bated the declaration made by the presiding
officer of the Senate on the occasion of the last
presidential count. and thought it was prac-
tical abdication of the power of the Senate still
Wr. 1ngalla admittad that the uresiding Officer