The gale., 1888-02-17
WASHINGTON CHAT.
D0INGS AND SAYINGS AT OUR NAT
IONAL CAPITAL.
What Our National Law Makers Arc Do
ing-DepartmcntaI Gossic-MOve-
ments of President and
Mrs. Cleveland.
CONGRESSIONAL.

CONGRESSIONAL.
Among the petitions and memorial
presented to the Senate was one numer
ously signeD from Pennsylvania, askin,
, such change of laws as to bar all pau
per lmmigration to prevent the landing
OF immigrants under contract; to deba
from citizenship all foreigners who ow,
allegiance to other powers or govern
ments, and to require twenty-one year
residence before any immigrant can hole
any public office of trust or emolument
A bill reported from the committee ane
placed on the calendar, authorizing thu
construction of a bridge across the Mis-
sissippi River at Natchez. The resolution
offered by Mr.. Plumb, some days since
as to the inefficiency of the postal service
OF the West and South, was taken up fol
discussion, and Mr.. Plumb addressed the
Senate upon it. Mr.. Kenna discussed the
Presidents Message on the Pacific rail
roads. After a brief speech from Mr..
Sherman, in reply to Mr.. Kenna, and a
still briefer enc from Mr.. Reagan in re-
joinder to Mr.. Sherman. Mr.. Stewart
addressed the Senate briefly in support of
the education bill. The pending ques-
ton, the chair announced, was with re-
spect to the formation of select COM
mittee for the consideration of the Mes
sage of the President on the report of
the Pacific railway commission, and that
the mover of the resolution, the Senator
from Massachusetts,, (Hoar) would have
been entitled to the craftsmanship, but
,he cbsssr was informed by that Senator
that under no circumstances would he
accept place upon that committee
In the House, Mr.. Blount, of Georgia,
chairman of the committee on postotiices
and postroads, called up for considera-
ton the bill amending the statutes so as
to provide that no publications that are
but books or reprints of books, whether
they be issued complete or in parts,
bound or unbound, or in series or whether
sold by subscription or otherwise, shall
be admitted to the mails as second class
matter. The object of the bill, ex-
planned Mr.. Blount, was to prevent the
evasion of the law which designates
what shall constitute second and third
class mail matter. Under the law, books
must pass through the mails as third
class matter, but an abuse had sprung up
and the law had been eyaded by pub
fishers issuing books at stated intervals
and passing them through the mails as
second-class matter, on the ground that
they were periodicals. While the Bible
and educational books had to pay eight
cents a pound, a yellow-covered novel
could go through the mails for one cent
pound. Mr.. Grain from the committee
on Presidential elections, ETC., reported
| joint resolution proposing a constitu-
tional amendment providing that Con-
| gress shall hold its annual meetings on
4 the first Monday in January; placed en-
the House calendar.
In the Senate, Mr.. Coke presented me-
mortal signed by mercantile men of Ell
Paso, Texas, representing the extensive
amount of smuggling done between the
border towns of Mexico and those of the
] United States, under the Mexican free
| zone law, and asking that a reciprocity
| treaty be entered into with Mexico in or
der to prevent such smuggling. Mr.
Pasco presented telegram which he had
received from the vice president of the
Pensacola and Atlanta Railroad compa-
ny, stating that that company claimed no
lands except those embraced by the list
| approved by the state of Florida. (This
was in contradiction to certain statements
made by Mr.. Call.) Mr.. Blairs educa-
tional bill was taken up, and Mr.. Pugh
addressed the Senate in its favor
In the House, the Speaker pro tenn. pre-
wife of Chief Justice Waite, president of
the Woman's National Relief Association,
praying that pensions be granted to those
engaged in the life-saving service; re-
ferred. The House proceeded, in ac-
cordance with previous order, to consid-
Grafton of the report Of the committee on
commerce, relative to the proposed in
vestigation of the Reading strike. After
some delay, various propositions were
consolidated into the following resolu-
tion, which was adopted withou, divis-
ion: Resolved, That special commit
tee of five members be appointed to in
yestigate forthwith the extent, causes and
effect upon the interstate comne cree Of
the continued failure by the Reading
railroad company to transport such COM
merce, and to report to the Housc, by
bill or otherwise, for consideration at any
time such legislation as is necessary to
secure to the public regular and com
plete execution by the railroad company
of its obligations to serve as common
carrier of interstate commerce, and
to investigate the differences
existing in the Lehigh and
Schuylkill region of Pennsylvania be
tween corporations mining coal and th'
miners; and, further, to investigate al
facts relating to mining corporations anc
individual miners of anthracite coal il
connection Herewith, and all facts il
relation to the matter, and report tn
same to the house with such r,commcn
datlons as the committee may ag e
upon"
GOSSIP