The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-03-26
CONGRESSIONAL.
Senate.

senate letter from the secretary or the
| treasury transmitting report of Speci III
Agent Spaulling in relation to the fraudu-
| lent importation of Chinese into the United
| States Referred.
Mr.. Cullom moved to make the interstate
| commerce bill special order for next
Tuesday week.
Several messages from the president were
| laid before the senate, one of them being
| unsigned but received" said Pre- ,ident
| Pro Tenn: Sherman, lin due and official
FORM" The message, on suggestion OF the
| chair, and on motion of Mr.. Cockrell, was
returned to the president for signature.
Mr.. HOar gave notice that he would to-
morrow move to make the bankruptcy bill
q special order TOR the Wednesday after
next.
The senate committee on claims, in its
report adversely on claim which had been
disallowed by the southern claims commits
sion on the ground OF insufficient proof of
the claimant, says that there are nearly
5000 of these rejected claims, involving an
amount of more than S50.000.00o The COM
mittee do not deem it just or wise to open
the door to this flood of claims when 10
substantial or equitable reason is shown for
80 doing.
MARCH 1S.-The bill introduced by Mr..
Frye to provide for commission to invest
igate the alcoholic liquor traffic, its relation
to revenue and taxation, and its general
economic, criminal moral, and scientific as
poets in connection with pauperism, crime,
aud the public health was passed in the
Senate; also, the bill to remove the charge
of desertion from the rolls and records in
the Adjutant Generals office against GER
tain soldiers; also, Mr.. Blair's bill to pro-
vide for the study of the nature of alcOhO-
lie drinks and narcotics and their effrc
schools of the territories and the District of
Columbia and in the military and naval
academies.
An arrangement has been affected be-
tween the Secretary of the Treasury and
the Senate Committee on Finance which
will probably result in breaking the dead
lock on the nominations of collectors of in
ternal revenue now pending before that
committee. A number of favorable reports
on nominations of this character have been
agreed upon and will be submitted to the
Senate at the next executive session. 1t is
believed that this method of procedure will
be adopted by other committees. and that
the stand taken by Mr. E;lmunds against the
Administration will not interfere to any
great extent with the confirmation of the
more important nominations. The nature
of the arrangement between Secretary
Manning and the Committee on Finance
cannot be given this time-in fact, it is sup
posed to be yet in progress.
MARCH 19-Mr. Coke called up the bill
to establish a national livestock highway
and TO promote commerce in live stock be-
tween The states The bill sets apart for
ten years as such highway the public lands
in range Al. along the east line of the state
of Colorado it being q fractional range,
averaging about two miles in width. The
bill was passed.
Mr. Plumb called up the bill ''To define
the status and for the relief of heirs or
legal representatives of certain recruits of
the 14th Kansas cavalry volunteers. who
were killed mt Lawrence, Kan, Aug, II,
1868, by guerrilas. The bill was passed
Mr. Blair called up the bill reported by
him from the committee OH pensions "fOr
the relief of soldiers of the late war honor
Obly discharged after six months service
who are disabled aud dependent on their
own labor for support and of dependent
parents of soldiers who died In the service
or from disabilities contracted therein"
After some debate as to the wisdom of
taking up this bill in the morning hour, the
hour of o'clock arrived, and the matter
went over.
MARCH 22.-There was lively passage
to-day between Senators Logan and Hale
over the proposed increase of the army TO
10000 enlisted men, which Is implied IN
Gen. Logan's bill for the promotion of the
efficiency OF the army. Senator Hale could
not see any necessity fot the increase of the
army. He thought we had troops enough
ten years ago, and that the need for troops
now was less then IL was then. Gen Logan
replied that he had for years been trying to
get the number of enlisted men fixed at 80
zoo, and all the Generals of the army had
again and again asked for more troops.
Senator Logan spoke strongly of the degree
to which the efficiency of the army is i'm
paired by the extreme smallness OF the
commands, and said that $4,000 privates
was the least force that we could maintain
the form and organization of an army with.
Senator MandersOns bill proposes this
same increase, and several senators are
much In favor of an addition of 5000 meI
TO the army. Senator Plat has procured
from the war department a table of all the
military posts, with the number OF officers
and men stationed at each on February %
last. This list shows very strikingly the
slenderness of the army organization. One
thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven
officers and %, 6i2 EN- listed men are scatter
ed through 122 posts lying all along the cX-
tenslve frontier and in the Indian country.
The difficulty of getting together at any
one time and at short notice an adequate
force to meet the Indians with is due 10 tho
necessity of maintaining so many posts
with so few soldiers. OF the I'D military
posts, 81 have less than 100 officers and
men at each; 80 have between 100 and 200;
n have be ween 30 and 100; IL have be-
tween 500 and 400, and Is have over 400 Off
GERS and men each.
MARCH Ex-senator Van WICK got
through the senate to-day q bill that is of
very great importance in the public land
States and Territories. and especially to