Morning journal and courier., 1890-08-19
THE FIFTx-FIRsr CONGRESS.

THE FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS. Amendments to the Deficiency Bill-
 The Measure Passed-A Resolution n
 to Prevent the Sale of Liquor i'm the
 Senate Wing ef the Capitol-Work
 of the House.
 WASHINGTON, Aug. 18-Several amend ments to the deficiency bill were reported by the committee on appropriations and agreed to by the senate.
 - The amendments -appropriating an ag- gregate of S1 ,239, ,6SS for. the payment of the French spoliation claims was opposed by MT. Plumb, who denounced the claims as essentially fraudulent and as intended not for the benefit of the claimants, but of attorneys and assignees.
 The amendments were defended and ad yocated by Messrs. Hale, Blair and Morgan and were agreed to-yeas 31, nays 12.
 The bill was reported back to the senate and all the amendments that were agreed to by the committee of the whole were agreed to in bulk, the only one reserved for special vote being that inserting an item of $4O, GOO to complete the investiga- tons by the department of agriculture as to the underf1ow and artesian waters and their availability for irrigation
 The amendment was discussed for nearly two hours and was agreed to-yeas 30, nays 15.
 MT. Morgan offered an amendment pro- hibiting any officer of the government pay ing more than $50 year or $7.50 a quar- ter for telephone instrument in the Dis trict of Columbia, and read a paper which had been furnished to him by well-in- formed gentleman, and which was an ar gument in defense or the proposition. This paper showed that in the various gov ernment offices in Washington there are 200 telephone instruments, for which $60 each is paid, making S12, 1000 year paid by the government for the use of instru- ments that did not cost more than S10 each.
 You are entirely too liberal, MT. Plumb interposed The instruments do not cost more than $4 each. ps
 Mr. Morgan added that there was scan dal arising out of it. It was reported on the streets that government officials had telephone instruments put in their private houses free of charge.
 MT. Plumb said that he had just been informed by a senator that it would require a stretch of the imagination to suppose that these inst1nments cost $4 each. Two dollars or $1.50 would be nearer the figure.
 The amendment was agreed to and the bill was then passed.
 MT. Plumb offered a resolution instruct ing the committee on rules to make such orders as will wholly prevent the sale of spirituous, vinous or malt liquors in the senate wing of the capitol.
 MT. Blair suggested the insertion of the words "and drinking'
 MT. Plumb have no objection.
 Mir. Gorman-Let the resolution go over.
 The resolution went over.
 MT. Gray asked MT. Aldrich to consent to let the tariff bill stand over for the present in order that the senate might take up the bill to transfer the revenue marine to the naval establishment.
 MT. Aldrich regretted that he could not yield to that request.
 The tariff bill was then taken up, the pending question being on MT. Plumb's amendment reducing the duty on tin plate from 2.1 pound to 1 cent a pound, and providing for bounty of 1 cent pound on plate produced in the United States.
 Without coming to a vote on MT. Plumb's amend, the bill was Iaid aside.
 The senate at 6 p. m. adjourned till to- morrow at 10 o'clock.
 HOUSE.
 Mr. Dalzen of Pennsylvania called up the Mississippi contested election case of Chalmers against Morgan. The majority report finds in favor of MT. Morgan the sitting member.
 MT. Kelley of Kansas offered a resolu- tion reciting the following paragraph from the majority: With respect to the other seven counties, there is a number of other boxes as to which no testimony was taken, but it may safely be affirmed that in not one of these counties, taken as a whole was the election an honest one. Fraud in various forms, including intimidation of voters, corrupt manipulation of registra- ton and stealing of ballot boxes and illegal voting, finds ample illustration in all of them;" and recommitting the case with in- to reject from its count the unexamined boxes Lost-yeas 31, nays 136.
 The minority substitute was rejected and the majority resolution declaring Morgan entitled to the seat was agreed to without division.
 Mir. Russell of Connecticut, from the committee on printing, moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill fixing the wages of printers, bookbinders and pressmen in the government printing office at 50 cents per hour for night work and providing that for all piece work on the Congress sional Record 60 cents per 1000 ems shall De pdiu. ASfeeu to-ytaS lSI, nays ~.
 MT. Hit of Illinois, from tke committee on foreign affairs, moved to suspend the rules and pass the senate joint resolution providing that nothing in the diplomatic and consular appropriation bill shall be construed to interrupt the publication of the reports of the international American conference.
 Mr. Breckenridge of Kentucky inquired whether the publications would contain recent letters of the secretary of state on the subject of reciprocity, and on Mir. Hit replying that they wonld contain only the proceedings of the conference Mir. Breck- enridge sent to the clerks desk and had read Secretary Blaine's second letter to Senator Frye.
 MT. Breckenridge said he did not agree entirely with MT. Blaine, but the secretary was getting on the right track and so far as he went he Breckenridge) sided with him.
 The motion to suspend the rules and pass the resolution was agreed to.
 Mir. Osborne of Pennsylvania, from the committee on military affairs, moved to suspend the rules and pass senate bill for relief of certain officers on the retired list.
 No quorum voting, the house at 4:45 p. m. adjourned.
 THE SUGAR TRUST. Another Step Taken Toward Its Re-