The Portland daily press., 1888-07-21
THE NATIONAL CONGRESS YESTERDAY.
Senators Spend Much Time over the
Chinese Treaty.
The House Does Little of Much In
terest.
Melville w. FuIler's Nomination
Confirmed at Last.

WASHINGTON, July 20.-The Senate, on
assembling, went Immediately into secret
session, when the nomination Of Melville w.
Fuller of Chicago to be Chief Justice Of the
Supreme Court was confirmed.
The vote remains under the injunction Of
secrecy, but is understood to be as follows:
AYFs-Messrs Bate, Beck, Berry, Blackburn
Blodgett, Brown, Butler, Cameron, Cockeren
Coke, Cullom, Daniel, DAVIS, FarweH, Faulkner
Hampton, Hurst, Jones OF Arkansas Jones OF
Nevada. Mcpherson, Mitchell, Morgan, Pasco,
Payne pggh 9sa Jansen h6sga kddeSe der
NEYs-Messrs. Blair, Brown, Chandler, Dawes,
Dolph, Edmunds Eyarts, Hawley HOar Ingalls,
Manderson, Palmer, Plat sabin, Sawyer Sher,,
man, Stewart, stoekbrldge, Teller, Wilson of
Iowa-20.
Eustis, Harris, Kenna, Plumb Saulsbury-7.
Paired in negative-Messrs Aldrich, Allison
Chase Hiscock, Morrill,, Paddock, stanford-7.
Absent not paired-Spooner
After the doors opened Mr., Sherman gave
notice that he would ask the Senate To re-
sumo the consideration Of the fisheries trea-
ty tomorrow.
Mr.. Chandler thereupon offered the follow
ing resolution, which was laid over
Resolved, That the power % make treaties and
States being vested In the President and Senate
jointly the President has no right, under his i'm
piled power, OF making preliminary negotiations
OF treaties or to appoint, without the concur
renee of the Senate, private citizens as plenipo-
tentlarles TO make and sign such treaties In be-
pointment by the President, without the consent
Of the Senate, of James b. Angel and William l..
Putnam as special plenipotentiaries, to make and
sign the proposed fishery treaty with Great Bri-
tain dated February 10, 1888, was unwarranted
by the Constitution.
Mr.. Dolpb called up the bill to prohibit
the coming of Chinese labOrers into the
United States. Mr.. Dolph said a controversy
had arisen between the collector of the port
OF San Francisco and the courts as to the
right of Chinese who departed from the
United States after the date of the treaty
and before the act of 1882 took effect. to re-
turn to this country without certificates.
The collector had decided that they could
not, but the courts had decided differently.
The courts held that every Chinese laborer
returning without q certificate had right to
try his right to land. Consequently the
business of the courts was much obstructed
by the hd6eds corpus cases. A bill passed
in the 49th Congress to cure the defects in
the existing law, but was not acted upon by
the House. AT the present session similar
bill has been reported, but not considered
because the treaty had been negotiated be-
tween the United States and China. The
bill was intended to carry into effect the
provisions of the pending treaty.
Mr.. Mitchell said the object Of the bill
was to enforce the provisions of the pending
treaty, He regarded it as the best possible
bill that could be presented. He
had no faith in the treaty itself, as a
means of prohibiting Chinese immigration.
AS amended by the Senate the treaty was no
worse than the existing treaty and no better.
1t was sham, fraud and deception, and it
would not meet the expectations of the
President, Secretary of State or members Of
the Senate He read editorials from Cali
f0rnia papers denOuncing the treaty.
Mr.. Morgan said if he believed the treaty a
sham and fraud he would vote to abro-
gate it, He. deprecated very much the con-
slant disposition to disparage the honor,
wisdom and integrity Of the Executives The
members of his party had not so treated the
Republican administrations, no matter how
much they differed from them in foreign
policy. He defined the treaty as originally
transmitted to the Senate. and declared that
the amendments had been unconstt utional.
he thought Mr.. Mitchell had no right to
slur the Secretary of State.
Mr.. Mitchell denied any intention to slur
the Secretary OF State for whom he had high
est respect. The treaty had been made in
entire good faith. he had no doubt, and in
his Judgment was sham and fraud in so
FAR as 1t was means of accomplishing what
was intended by the parties who made it.
Pending further debate the Senate ad-
journed.
In the House today the first business was
the bill appropriating 100000 to aid State
homes for disabled volunteers.
MIR. Kilgore, of Texas, moved to amend by
reducing the appropriation to 100000.
After further animated discussion Mr.. Kill
cores amendment was rejected and the bill
passed.
The conference report on the river and
harbor bill was presented and agreed to, the
yeas and nays being refused.
The House then went into committee of
the whole, Mr.. Dockerey, of Missouri, in
the chair, on the private calendar
The entire afternoon was spent in the con-
sideration of the bill for the relief of Samuel
Noble. The claim is for reimbursement for
the loss of S02 bales of cotton. On motion to
strike out the enacting clause no quorum
voted.
The committee then rose and the House
took recess until o'clock.
The House, at the evening session passed
"a private pension bills and adjourned