Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-04-01

com mlLCeo 20 the 1acC CnaG the estimate
for the pay of railway postal clerks was
too low, and spoke at considerable
length on the general question. The
committe rose and the house ad-
journed.
THURSDAY, March %.
Se7ldte.-The committee on commerce
reported the bill to provide for an en-
couragement of American skipping,
and promote commercial and postal re-
lations with foreign nations. Senator
Frye explained briefly that the bill ap
propriated one million one hundred
thousand dollars for carrying the
United States mails in American YES
sells to and from foreign countries. It
makes it the duty of the postmaster
general to advertise for proposals to &C
cept the lowest bids and to enter into
contract for carrying these mails. After
an animated discussion on the civil
service law, participated in by Senators
VOORHEES,, Evarts, Mccall and Ingalls,,
the senate went into executive session
and soon adjourned.
H0uSe-ln committee of the whole
on the postoffice appropriation bill to-
day, Mr.. Guenther, of Wisconsin, said
that the postmaster general had been q
target for innumerable aud vicious as
saults and misrepresentation, which,
In his opinion, had been entire unbound
ed, and dictated solely from a spirit of
revenge and spite by certain steamship
companies, and especially the Pacific
Mail Steamship company. The reasons
given by the postmaster general for not
exercising the authority given him in
regard to the foreign service were good
and sufficient. The committee then
rose. The evening session was devoted
to the consideration Of the resolutions
expressive of the sorrow Ct that body
at the death of Joseph Rankin, late rep.
resentative from Wisconsin,. Eulogis-
tic addresses were delivered by Messrs.
Henderson, of Ia. Bragg, Guenther,
Hudd, Thomas and La Toilette, of Wis
consin, Henderson, of ILL.,, Maybury, of
Mich, and Jackson, of n. Y. The res
olutions were unanimously adopted and
as mark of respect to the deceased,
the house adjourned.
FRIDAY, March &c.
Se1Gte-Hoar introduced bill pro,
viding for inquests upon national auth
ority. Hoar said that the bill was sug-
gested by reports of recent occurrences
at Carrollton, Miss. The senate had no
Information in regard to these occur
ences, but the newspapers of both poll
tlcal parties seemed to agree about
them. According to these reports,
wanton and unprovoked crime had
been committed, resulting in the death
OF large number of citizens in which
all the victims were of one race and
presumably of one political party, and
ana all the murderers of another. Such
occurrences had unfortunately been
frequent, but when investigated were
apt TO take st political turn, persons de-
tending Or apologizing for them by say
Ing they had no political significance.
Still, facts remained that it was the op-
ponents of the democratic party that
were killed and that the adherents of
that party were the murderers. This
bill was to supply method of inquiry
which would serve to remove the cues
ton from politics. The bill was refer
red to the Judiciary committee.
Sen. Platt then attempted to make the
bill for the admission of Washington
Territory the unfinished business Off
Monday, but some filibustering motions
interfered and at $3.50 D. NJ. the senate
until monday, when Sen.
Platt will attempt to get up the bill
named.
House. On motion of Mr.. Springer,
the vote by which the house, few days
since, defeated the senate bill granting
a pension of $50 month to the widow
of General 81. w. BenhanI, was recon
sidered and the bill was passed. Yeas,
119; nays, S5. At its evening session
the house passed 40 pension bills and
until tomorrow.
SATURDAY, March o.
House-The silver bill came up and
debate was opened by Mr.. Culberson.
He was friend of silver and ia favor
of placing it on the same plane with
gold. He would make the coinage of
silver free, and he would pass a law
compelling the treasury department to
pay the surplus on the public debt. Mr..
Long said the simple, common sense
thing to do was to call a halt. We had
an abundance of silver, more than the
efforts of the administration could force
into circulation. Give silver coinage a
terest of bimetallism, in the interest of
silver itself. it was time to cast an an
Choir and take bearings to suspend or at
least fix the time for the suspension of
silver coinage, and then to see
with the other great CONNER
cial nations could not be made.
Mr.. Dorgan made strong plea for
the establishment of a single gold
standard, and averted the suspension of
coinage under the Bland act. declaring
that the so-called debt paying was in
reality debt scaling debtor, to-day,
nothing but 80 cents worth of bullion
with falsehoods stamped On it. Mr..
Hotzsll said that the people had spoken
in no uncertain voice against the sus-
pension of silver coinage and the ques
ton was whether congress, their ser
want, should hold their voice or legis-
late in the interest of those who were
seeking to enrich themselves at the ex-
pense of the working class. The stop.
page Of silver coinage meant the stag
nation of trade, paralysis of labor, and
an infictioR of all the evils which must
arise from the arrangement of the in
dustries of the country. Mr.. Taylor, of
Tennessee, briefly favored the free coin
age and the house adjourned.