National Republican., 1888-02-29

sented and referred Ia the Senate yester-
day were the following From the Iowa
legislature In favor Of the per diem rated
service pension bill, of the repeal Of the
Limitation clause In the pension arrears
law, and Of bill to pension prisoners Of
war (several other petitions to like effect
were presented from other statesl; from
citizens In Illinois and other states for
prohibition In the District OF Columbia,
and from citizens Of the District OF Colum-
bla for and against such legislation.
House bill to authorize the construction
Of bridge across Rock creek at the Wood
10y Lane road. In the District OF Columbia,
was reported with verbal amendment and
passed.
The resolution offered last week by Mr..
Hoar, to continue the investigation OF last
= session into certain events alleged to have
AIKEN place In Texas lin the petition OF
Tstephen Hackworth and others) was re-.
ported back from the committee on con-
tingent expenses, and agreed to.
Among bills introduced and referred to
committees were the following:
BY Mr.. Blair: To prohibit the manufac.
ture and sale Of alcoholic liquors In the
territories except for medical, scientific,
and mechanical purposes.
Also for the relief of sane persons con-
hD.d In insane asJ lums In the District of
Columbia and In forts and arsenals aud
the territories by placing inmates OF such
asylums under the protection OF the laws
by securing to them their postal rights.
Also to change the common law OF mar
rage to the custom OF modern civilization
by the emancipation OF married women In
the District of Columbia, forts, and arsenals,
and the territories.
In relation to the first bill he said that It
had been prepared by the woman's Christ
ian Temperance Union, and In relation to
the second, that parties desired hearing
before the judiciary committee
Mr.. Paddock addressed the Senate on the
subject OF inefficient postal service In the
United States. He denounced the manage
ment of the Postoflice Department for the
last three years as failure-probably q
more conspicuous failure than any of the
other shortcomings OF the present admin
istration.
Mr.. Wilson, OF Missouri, gave notice that
he intended to submit some remarks to the
Senate on the same subject.
The Senate then resumed consideration Of
the bill granting pensions to ex. soldiers and
sailors who are incapacitated from the per-
formance Of manual labor, and providing
for pensions to dependent relatives OF de-
ceased soldiers and sailors-the question
being on the adoption Of Mr.. Calls amend
ment making the bill apply also to those
who served In the war with Mexico or (for
thirty days. In any OF the Indian wars. The
amendment was agreed to.
Mr.. Blair offered resolution changing
the phraseology Of the second section.
Mr.. Cullom said that 1t seemed to him
that the farther the country got away from
the late war the less was being done, or
attempted to be done, for the ex xsoldiers.
Instead Of increasing pensions Congress
had been going the other way and dimin-
ishing them. 1t seemed to him that the
time had come when Congress ought to at
tempt to do more for the soldiers, instead
Of attempting to do less, as appeared to be
the case In the pending bill. He thought
that the Senate had better hesitate before
inserting in the bill provisions for Indian
and other wars, and should provide In 1t
exclusively for ex.soldiers Of the war Of the
rebellion.
Mr.. Manderson appealed to the Senate to
pass the bill as 1t had been formulated by
the pension committee OF the G. A. X. He
would be glad to see bill passed In the
not think 1t well to cucumber the pending
bill with that idea. He hoped the Senate
would retrace Its steps, and not agree to the
amendments adopted In committee OF the
whole.
Mr.. Davis, who has charge OF the bill,
coincided with Mr.. Manderson In the opin-
ion that all OF the amendments adopted
yesterday should be struck out and the bill
left as reported unanimously from the COM
ni.tee on pensions. 1t had been prepared,
he said, by committee representing 400,-
COO members Of the G. A. R., who knew
the wants to be remedied and the needs to
be supplied. They had said, awe will be
content with this. We ask no more for the
present. We trust to the future for the
f,trf falta Of IN yh xua apti lad
Mr.. Plumb intimated that there was
something OF "a juggle" concealed in the
bill. The effort seemed to be to get up
bill not to meet the wishes OF Con-
gress, but to meee the wishes OF somebody
else. The Senate was asked not to change
the bill by dottipg au "i' or crossing q
IT. and yet no one was able to say what
accomplish by 1t. He asserted his convic.
ton that the G. A. r. did not want this
bill. He did not mean to say that the bill
had not come to the Senate with the sane.
ton of that Reorganization, but he believed
that somebody. was 'goiDg to be cheated
either the pension committee Of the G. A
X. or theS: A. Il. ITSELF" The question
Mr.. Manderson contradicted the state
ment that the G. A. r. did not desire the
passage Of the bill, and said that the vote
In 2,7lS posts had been 106, ,160 for the bill
to8,609 against It,
MIR. Plumb repeated his belief that the G
A. r. did not indorse the bill as 1t stood.
But, whether It did or not, he was In the
was due to the ex soldiers of the Union and
to an enlightened public opinion.
In conclusion he called on the Democratic
members of the committee on pensions to
express their views as to the bill.
Mr.. Faulkner, member OF that commit.
tee, said that after careful analysis and
examination of the bill he had given 1t his
support in the Senate unless the amend.
ments now In 1t were retained. II those
amendments were retained he would vote
against the passage Of the bill.
A sharp debate between Mr.. Plumb and
Mr.. Faulkner ensued, In which the ques-
tion was asked by Mr.. Plumb as to whether
he (Faulkner) thought the President would
sign the bill as now constituted, and the
senator from Kansas was promptly called to
order by the chair for referring to the Execu
tive-semething not permitted by the rules
Mr.. Plumb continued and claimed that
y II attempts to fit the bill to the Presidents
Views were not complete subordination OF
the legislative to the executive authority,
he did not see how 1t could be made any
more so. III the Senate was willing to put
itself in that attitude, he had no objection.
He proposed to discuss the question on its
merits, not considering what the President
might think about II. The President was,
in regard to the bill in It's present stage, a
private citizen-no more, no less. His
opinion might be good or might be bad,
but he could only express 1t In the way
provided by the constitution and laws. AZ
all events, senators were not to put them.
selves prone on their fronts and ask the
President In advance whether he was going
to sign an act.
Mr.. Blackburn. Does the senator from
Kansas mean to say that the Chief Execu
tive lie nothing more than private citizen
Mr.. Plumb. No; did not say anything
OF the kind. | said that so far as the
effect of his opinion upon me is concerned
in the exercise of my duties as senator
he is Grover Cleveland; nothing more, moth
ing less. "a primrose by the rivers