National Republican., 1888-04-12

aud placed on the calendar IN the Senate
yesterday was one to cQualilc the grades of
officers Of the marine corps.
Mr.. Sherman from the committee ON for-
oign relations, reported back Mr. Riddle
hcrgcr's resolution Offered some DAYS sincel
amended SO as to request the President (il
not Incompatible with the public intere,tsl
to furnish amy Information in his possession
relative to u dispute understood to exist be-
wCCn the government Of Venezuela and the
government Of Great Britain concerning the
boundaries between British Guiana and
Venezuela. Adopted.
The Senate tlIcn (On motion Of Mr.. Frye
at l23O proceeded tu the consideration OF
executive business.
Within ten minutes the doors were re
opened. and Mr.. Brown. from the commit
tee on foreign relations, reported the follow
ing bills:
House hill ladvcrscly) authorizing Brig.
Gen. hhsalOm Baird TO accept from the
president of the French republic diploma
comforting the decoration of commander Of
the Legion of Honor.
House bill favorably) authorizing Com.
mandCr John ". Phillips, L. s ~, TO ac-
cept silver pitcher from tile United States
Of CUlOmbu. Culcudar.
lie Senate then took up the motion To
refer the Presidents annual message, and
was addressed by Mr. Morrill,
Mr.. Morrill, closed his speech at o'clock,
and then, on motion Of Mr.. Harris, the
Senate hill to authorize the lICnurpCc Md
land Railway Company TO construct II
bridge across the llcuucpCC river was taken
up aud passed.
The Senate then resumed consideration of
the h!ll to provide for the admission Of the
state Uf Dakota and for the organization of
the territory of North Dakota, and was ad-
dressed by Mr. Davis, after suggestion by
Mr. Plat (who had charge of it, that lie
hoped To have it disposed Of to-day.
Mr.. Davis spoke Of the question involved
in the admission of Il new state us one of the
most important that could come before the
Senate. The rights Of the great northern
commonwealth of Dakota had been the
said) denied for years for party purposes
Her people now rcappeurcd demanding
rights which could not he refused them with
decent plausiblity: rights to which they
were entitled under the Louisiana purchase
treaty and under the principles of the
ordinance of 1851. The present territory Of
Dakota had in turn formed part Of the ter
ritory of Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin.
Iowa. and Minnesota, and was now entitled
TO insist on its admission rs state until the
moral sense of the American people became
convinced that IN this case treaties had been
overlooked, cOmpaCts set at maught and
equities Ovcrthrown.
The senator from South Carolina Mr..
Butler, was Of opinion that the admission
Of q state was purely within the discretion
of Congress. lie tMr. Davis denied that
proposition. He denied it from the light Of
law and had denied II in all its length and
breadth for the light of history. lie sent
up TO tile clerk desk and had read rcSoI-
tions of Democratic convention in Dakota
in favor Of the division of the territory and
of the admission Of the southern half as a
state, AS TO the proceedings of the Abrr
deem convention IN December, lSS1--which
Mr.. Butler had referred to as proof Of the
opposition to the division of the territory --
he read extracts Of letter from Mr. Springer
chairman of the House committee on terri
tories which he spoke of aS u 'pronunCia-
mcniO" and Il ''uliase,n stating that those who
were waiting for n division of the territory
might well "pOstponc the realization OF
their hopes till more convenient season.
which Mr.. Davis supposed might refer to
a time after the next presidential election.
Was IL any wonder Che usked) that, with
such u letter as that read to the Aberdeen
convention, the people who had met thcr,
had abandoned the hope Of division aud had
| made up their minds To take what they
| could get? The whole territory (he said
contained some 100000 inhabitants o
| which number about 600 were in South
| crn Dakota. OF the latter 10000 were cN.
| Union soldiers. who were denied enfran
chisemcnt hy the country which they had
| fought to save. They were, to-day, i'll all
| that constituted Il state, more fully equipped
| than many states which were now persist
emily denying their admission Us "A state
| Why should not Congress, he asked, b,
at least nIcanly Just in the admission OF
South Dakotay Why delay longer that
great act of national Justice. The question
should be stripped of all prctrnsr, evasion
and sham, and il should be plainly al
mitted that the commonwealth Of Soutl
| Dakota lad been denied admission as ;
state foI the sole reason that the party II
| power with the solid soutl) was deter
mined not TO lose its political asccndancy.
Mr. Turpic obtained the floor, and til,
bill was laid aside Till tomorrow.
| The following bills were taken from III,
calendar and passed:
House bill to purchase of TIE widow an,
| children Of the late Gen James Shield
| certain swords, at u cost not exceeding SO,
| eco.
Senate bill for the relief of til" First Ma
tional Bank Of Marion, Iowa, for ntcrcs
| on lost COUPON bonds.
Senate bill for the erection of II monincn
10 the memory of Gen. Joseph Warren
who fell at Bunker Hill.
| A number Of bills were then taken from
the calendar and passed
The bill for the purchase from Miss Nir
ginia Tayloe Lewis of Il sword Of Washing
ton for $40 600 was taken up and read.
| Mr.. Cockrell remarked that IL seemed I,
lie Il very expensive sword, and he inquire,
whether there was any Identification Of il
Mr.. Evarts (who had reported the bill
from the library cOmmittcc) said that tli
sword had been useful To the United State
| when used by its former owner. In tina
/ Ea1n huI ul \ "a lap lllli
and blade II had not any great value. !
was one of the five swords mentioned II
Gen. Washingtns will, and bcqucathcl Il
various Of his kindred The first of then
was that one which had the traditionG
credit of having been presented to Gen
Washington hy Frederick the Great, witt
the message that 1t was u present from III
oldest general in the world tn the creates
general in the world. That sword WAS nov
been purchased with other article,
for the sum Of 100000 This matte
had now been brought to the uttcntio
Of the Senate, and the price mentioned |
the bill was that fixed by the Representative
of the lcgatcc of the sword. Its authentic
ity and It's relation to the great event Of I'll
surrender of Washington's commission wa
not disputed 1t WAS in the historical ,pl'
ture of that event. The library Committc
If anybody else were to cheaper IT, il WI
not 10 he the Senate Of the United State
The only proposition now before the Senat
was whether the United States should b
come the owner of that sword If not,
would he offered to other patriotic orgal
izatious that might desire It. It was to !
acquired at that price and not at any otht
price.
Mr. Cockrcl said that he thought this hi
| Wns carry iup tlp matter "A little ION far am
he hoped that the senator from New lOr
would moi Insist upon II vote then, as Il
Senate was not full, and Us he (Cockrcl
would he compelled to call the yeas and ma,
upon il. He did not think the bin was righ
The price was cXOrbilant.
Mr., IIoar remarked that the Senate la
passed Il bill 0pprOpriaing $4,000 for Il