Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-07-03
CONGRESSIONAL.
SENATE.

In the senate on June %, the committee
on Nicaragua claims, reported resolution
requesting the president to bring to the at.
tention of the Nicaraugarian government
the claims of citizens of the United States
against that government. The resolution
was agreed to. The senate then took up the
bill repeating the redemption and timber
culture law. Mr.. Blair had moved an
amendment prohibiting the acquisition in
case of ownership of more than
64G acres of desert lands. To
this Mr.. Ingalls, offered an amendment ap-
plying the limitation to all public lands
The latter proposition, which was the pend.
ing motion to-day, was voted down-yeas 8
nays ~. The senator's voting in the affirma-
tive were Blair, Dolph and Teller. Pending
consideration adjourned.
In the senate June %, the Hawley motion
was then taken up, to reconsider the vote by
which the senate passed the bill prohibiting
members of congress from acting as autor-
neys of land grant railroads. Mr.. Beck re-
sumed the floor and continued his remarks
against reconsideration. He denied that he
had intended to injure anybody by the in
PRODUCTION of the bill. If the senate should
agree to the motion to reconsider, that
would be the last of the bill. Beck read
Mitchells amendment, proposing to forbid
members of congress from doing law bust
ness for men who we're managers of banks,
or inspectors of foreign goods, or who man.
ufactured or would manufacture butter,
oleomargarine, tobacco or whisky. THAT
ia taking lick at creation" exclaimed Mr..
Beck. He deprecated that sort of amend
ment. The motion to reconsider having
been brought to vote, was agreed to
yeas, 81; nays, 81. The only republican
voting in the negative was Van Wyck.
A number Of veto messages received from
the president were read and laid on the
table, Mr.. Logan remarking as to one of
them that he had never before known such
a construction as that soldier on furlough
was not in the line of duty. Mr.. Blair said
the president seemed to find it a congenial
duty to express himself in the most extra
ordinary terms respecting the two houses of
congress. Mr.. Blair defended congress from
the criticisms made by the presidents state
ments were entire misapprehensions of the
facts. Mr.. Blair gave instances to support
his own assertion. He charged that the
pension Office was organized to reject claims
whenever that could be done. 1t had come
to be court of chancery. Some of
the statements made about the the action
of congress regarding pensions were
''petty, trifling and contemplate. +"
The bill to repeal the presumption and tim
Der culture laws was then placed before the
SENATE anu was uoDdteu Illl duJOurumeuu.
In the course of some remarks on the bill
Mr.. Plumb said that if there was not some
change in the methods of management of
the general land Office the litigation that
would ensue would outlast the life of every
man who heard him and exhaust the entire
value of the lands. The malicious, interest
ed and careless investigations of special
agents, invested with absolute power, would
ruin thousands and tens of thousands of
uh, hoA Of nv
the government. 1t was agreed that at 3
O'Clock tomorrow a vote should be taken on
the bill.
In the senate June "a, the bill repeating
the pre- emption and timber culture law was
laid before the senate. Mr.. George address,
ed the senate on the bill. In the course of
his remarks he denounced the frauds COM
United on public lands. Mr.. Mitchell
thought. the department had been mistaken
in many cases as to what was called "frauds"
Mr.. Plumb cited figures to show the enor-
nous transactions in public lands in 1884.
There were sc, $40 entries under the home
stsa law, embracing nearly 100000 acres.
The figures for 1885 were nearly the same.
In this enormous aggregate of entries there
had no doubt been some frauds, meaning
thereby failure to make a strict technical
compliance with the regulations made by
the government. In referring to the
recent order of the land department.,
suspending execution of the -emption
remarked that whatever purpose there was
in that order, it was the purpose of the land
department, and not of the secretary of the
interior. With regard to the absorption of
the public lands in the south, Mr.. Plumb
inquired why the land department should
single out the poor settler in the wilds of
Dakota, while ignoring the organizations
Al ID - In H.
southern states. 1t seemed singular to him
that an officer of the government should be
so seriously affected by what Mr.. Plumb
could only denominate political, geo.
graphical and isothermal strabysmus."
Mr.. George said the absorption referred to
in the south, so far at least as Mississippi
was concerned, was not in violation of law,
but in pursuance of law. Mr.. Stanford
stated that the provisions of the bill as
amended in the senate, would absolutely
prevent the reclamation of desert lands.
There were enormous quantities of such
lands, he said, not worth a penny an acre,
and they could only be reclaimed by the ex-
penditure of large sums of money. In or
der to make reclamation possible, he moved
to restore certain words already struck out
by the senate. Mr.. Plumb feared the amend
ment might lead to fraud and opposed it.
Mr.. Stanford's motion was rejected, and
the bill then came to vote and was passed
yeas, "a: nays, 20. The Fitz John Porter
bill was then laid before the senate. Mr.:
Sewell said it was the same bill that had
passed before. There was nothing to
be said now that would throw any new light
on its subject matter. A mere statement of
facts would be sufficient. Mr.. Sewell then
recited the salient facts in the military his
tory of General Porter, and had the clerk
read q number of resolutions of Grand Army
posts. urging the passage of the bill. The
people, he continued, had finally come to
see that instead of being criminal General
Porter was a martyr. ''He comes now be-
fore You, 1 trust for the last time to ask for
justice. The time has gone by to ask that
favor may be granted to this man that has
been wronged. 1, who have known him as
q citizen of my state, and as a man who
demand justice of the senate of the United
wronged." MIR. Logan obtained the floor to
session the senate adjourned.
In the senate on June 18th, the Fitz John
Porter bill came up for consideration. Sem
ator Logan arose and delivered an extensive
speech against the passage of the bill. Mr..
Plumb also opposed it. An amendment was
made to include Gen. Alfred Pleasanton in
this bill and have his name placed on the
retired list. Voted down. Mr.. Logan offer
ed an amendment to place on the retired
list every volunteer officer who received
wounds producing total disability
Rejected. Yeas. Is; nays, %.
MIR. Logan offered an amendment provid-
inu plaf,es on the retired list for the union