The Portland daily press., 1886-05-29
XLIXth CONGRESS- FIRST SESSION.
SENATE.

In the Senate today after the routine bust
ness was disposed OF, the chair laid before the
Senate Mr.. Wilson's resolution which was
offered yesterday providing for an investi-
CATION by the committee on Indian affairs into
the matter of appointments of Indian raiders
by the Commissioner of Indian affairs. Mr..
Dawes charged that gross OutrageS were per-
petrated on Indians by traders and there
was no law under which the latter could be
held liable Mr.. Butler moved the reference
of the resolution to the committee on Indian
affairs for preliminary inquiry as to the foun-
dation of facts on which the statement was
based. The resolution was. so referred to
the committee on Indian affairs.
The Senate then resumed consideration of
the Northern Pacific land forfeiture bill. The
pending question was to lay on the table the
amendment Of Mr.. Van Wyck, which
amendment would forfeit all lands cotermin-
us with and adjacent to such parts Of the pro-
posed line as should not have been complet-
ed at the date of the passage of this act. The
motion to lay it on the table was defeated %
to %. The question recurred an adoption of
amendment
After some discussion and submission of
some proposed amendments in order that
they might be provided the hour of 2 o'clock
arrived and the bill went over without ac-
tion. Mr.. Van Wyck's bill for taxation of
railroad lands was then placed before the
Senate aud under the plea of discussing this
bill the debate on the Northern Pacific for
feiture continued. Considerable debate en-
sued, but it resulted in no action on the bill
before the Senate.
AT 3.45 p. m.,, the senate went INTO execu-
tive session. AT 4.42 the doors We're r-eop
ened and the Senate adjourned till Tuesday
next.
In the House of Representatives, on mo-
tion of Mr.. Morrison of Illinois, it was
ordered that when the House adjourn to-
morrow it be to meet on Tuesday next.
rha rncnlntiOnc atiya f0 the
death of John f. Miller late Senator. from
California will be called up for action on
Saturday, the 18th of June.
Private business having been dispensed
with, the House went into committee of the
whole ON the oleomargarine bill, the pending
amendment being that offered by Mr.. Daniels
of Virginia, reducing the special tax on
retail dealers from $48 to $25.
Mr.. Van Setback of Wisconsin presented
protest from the executive board of the
knights Of Labor of Milwaukee against the
passage of the bill
Mr.. Gibson of West Virginia regarded the
whole bill as fraud, and all the amendments
as simply aiding to carry out that fraud. 1t
professed to be bill in the interest of the
farmer, while in fact it was bill in favor OF
the grasping dairymen around great cities,
who notoriouSly watered their milk and
made nasty butter for people. he regarded
the measure as the most Infamous that had
ever been introduced in the American Con-
willing that man should sell mean Whiskey
if he paid tax of 800, but if a man desired
to sell cheap food to the laborer he must pay
tax of $500, If he were allowed to give
the names of the members OF Congress who
had told him that they knew that the bill
was an Infamous and monstrous one, but
that they were afraid to vote against it, he
would make revelation which would startle
the country and show what mockery this
legislation was.
Mr. Cannon of Illinois--Why not tell us
their names?
Mr.. Gibson-I do not choose to do so, but
it is fact.
After further debate, the amendment sub
mitted by Mr.. Daniel was rejected.
On motion of Mr.. Hatch, an amendment
was adopted allowing retail dealers in oleo-
margarine to pack the compound in paper
packages.
Mr. Townshend of Illinois offered an
amendment reducing the tex on pound of
oleomargarine from ten to two cents.
Mr.. McCreary of Kentucky moved to fix
the rate at five cents. Rejected.
Mr.. Glass of Tennessee moved to fix it at
one cent. Rejected.
MI. Butterworth of Ohio supported Mr.
ToWnShend'S amendment. 1t had been said
by the advocates of the bill that all they de-
sired was such a law as would place the
manufacture of oleOmargarine separate and
apart from that of butter, and to compel the
man who manufactured it to stamp it for
bring about that result. He warned the
gentlemen on his side of the House that if
the time had come in this country when
Congress was willing to wipe out one indus
try which could survive and which could
flourish simply because it was the competitor
of another domestic industry, the spectre of
free trade would stalk through every town
and village of the country within five years,
and it ought to. Applause on the Demo
cratic side) If this industry of oleomar-
gorine was what the gentlemen said it was.
the requirement that it should appear before
the country for what it was, was enough to
destroy it. If it could not stand on its own
merit, it ought to die. If it could stand and
grow and flourish, there was no right in this
Congress to strike it down.
Pending action on the amendment the
committee rose.
The Speaker laid before the House several
veto messages on private pension bills, and
they were referred to the committee on In
valid pensions.
The House then, at O'Clock, took q recess
until evening, the session to be for the con-
sideration of pension bills.
The House at the evening session passed g
number of private pension bills and at 11,45
o'clock adjourned.