Bismarck weekly tribune., 1888-10-05
General Bennet's Civil Service Circu.
lar Taken Up and Discussed
in the Senate.
A Lively Tilt. Also Indulged in on
the Northern Pacific Land For
feiture Bill.
The House Adjourns Without Trans
acting Business Grover OH the
Alm0nd-Eyed John.
CONGRESSIONAL.

CONGRESSIONAL.
The Senate
WASHINGTON, Oct. LIN the senate
some discussion took place after the read
ing Of the presidents message announcing
his approval of the Chinese bill. Mr..
Dolph regarded it as very extraordinary
proposition for the president to approve a
bill cutting off summarily and completely
the entrance of the Chinese and then ask
congress to disapprove of it and to amend
1t. The message was referred to the COM
mittee on foreign relations. Mr.. Hale Of
fered a resolution reciting the circular of
General Bennett directing the discharge of
republican employees from the United
States arsenals. stating that under it hon
orably discharged soldiers of the union
army and widows and daughters of sol
diers had been discharged, and directing
the secretary of war to transmit to the SEN
ate forthwith full information as to such
orders, stating fully whether the necessi-
ties of the department required that that
order should be issued and why an order
issued on public business should be
marked confidential" Mr.. Hale re-
marked that there was nothing in the pre-
war that would have led him (Mr. Hale)
to believe he would have permitted
or authorized the issuing of such
a circular extending (for the first time)
party prescription to women and children.
He did not know in the history of party
politics and party conflicts an instance
where the dogma Ito the victors belong the
spoils) had been carried to that extent.
Mr.. COckrell objected to the immediate
consideration of the resolution, and said he
would tomorrow answer fully the re-
marks of the senator from Maine and
would state what the democratic party was
responsible for, what it was not responsible
= for and what it should have done long ago.
The resolution went over till tomorrow.
The senate then took up as unfinished
business the senate bill reported from the
committee on public lands on August 3Oth,
restoring to the United States certain
lands granted to the Northern Pacific Rail-
road company and was addressed by Mr..
Berry. He contrasted the position of the
democratic house Of representatives and of
the republican senate on the question of
railroad land forfeitures and claimed that
while the bill which passed the
senate this session only forfeited between
100000 and 100000 acres the amendment
to it adopted by the house and which was
now in conference between the two houses
forfeited S6,000,000 acres In no part of the
record Of the republican party, he said,
had it been more clearly shown that it
was friend of corporations and not of the
people than in its dealings with the public
lands. Mr.. Plumb said the house of repre-.
sentatives was not the democratic party.
The president of the United stateSwas the
democratic party and the president HIM
self had patented more than 100000 acres
to the railroad companies, which lands
were earned years and years after the
time limited in law. He (Plumb) would
prophesy y that between election day and
the day congress would next assemble
another large lot of land would be pat
ented to another railroad company learned
out of time), a railroad company the presi-
dent of which was one OF the largest con-
tributors to the democratic campaign fund.
He declared that while the house had
been making so much noise about forfeit
ing land grants the democratic admins.
tration had been certifying the same lands
to railroad companies. On motion of Mr..
Dolph the house bill on the same subject
was substituted for the senate bill and then
Mr.. Dolph offered the senate bill as SUBJ
stitute for the house bill, the object and
effort being the passage of the house bill
with amendments. Pending action on this
motion the bill went over till tomorrow as
unfinished business. Adjourned.