Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-05
FROM THE CAPITOL,
NO QUORUM IN THE SENATE
And the Sergeant-at-ArmS is Sent to
Summon Absences.
ARKANSAS CASE IN THE HOUSE.
THE SENATE.

The message of the President making known
his approval of the agreement made with the
Chippewa Indians in Minnesota for the cession
of their lands, transmitting the report of the
commissioners and recommending an appro-
priation to complete the survey of the lands,
was presented, read and referred.
MR.. COUGHS CONTRADICTION.
MIR. Berry, as a question of privilege, re-
fcrrod to a letter read by him in the dis
cussion on the Oklahoma bill which reflected
on MIR. VIM. L. Couch. That letter. he said,
purported to have been written by citizens of
Oklahoma. He had now received a letter from
MIR. Couch contradicting those allegations, and
(ln justice to him) he asked to have MIR. Couch &
letter read by the clerk.
The letter was read 1t declared that the
statements made in the communication were a
tissue OF falsehoods from beginning to end
and that its author was James l.. Brown, "a lot
and claim jumper and professional black
mailer"
AGAINST THE SUNDAY REST BILL.
Senator Stockbridge presented today two i'm.
mense packages of remonstrances against the
passage Of any bill in regard to the observance
OF the Sabbath or the Lord 8 day or any other
religious or ecclesiastical institution or rite;
against the adoption of any resolution for
the amendment of the national Constitution
that would in any way give preference to the
principles Of any one religion above another,
or that will in any way sanction legislation
upon the subject of religion These remon-
strances contain the individual signatures OF
3OS,3T citizens from different states and terri
tories as follows: Michigan, Al, ,447; Minnesota,
2ZSSO; Wlsconson, 20, 755; Kansas, 30,075; Cal
Hornla 70, 42S; Ohio, 1850.
On motion of MIR. Turpie the Senate bill ap-
propriating 100000 for public building at
Lafayette, Ind, was taken from the calendar
and passed.
BILLS ON THE CALENDAR.
The calendar was then taken up.
The first bill on the calendar was the bill to
regulate commerce by telegraph, which was
reported from the committee on interstate
commerce on the 5th of February
1t was read in full, Mr.. Cullom having sug-
gested that, as it was q unanimous report and
as it had passed the Senate last session,
debate. But, Mr.. German suggested
Cat the close of the reading) that he would
ike to offer some amendments, the bill was al
lowed to go over without action.
GENERALS WIDOWS AND PRIvATEs' WIDOWS.
bill increasing the pension of the widow OF
Maj. Gen. G. K. Warren to 800 a month hav-
ing been reached Mr.. Reagan opposed it and
spoke against the practice of giving large pen
sons to widows ON the ground that
their husbands had been dis
tlnguished officers while the widows
OF private soldiers might go to the poor house.
instead OF the government being one of the
people, for the people and by the people it was
getting, he said, to be one Of the classes, for
the classes and by the classes.
The bill was defended by Mr. Blair and on
the question of its passage the vote was: Yeas,
there was call of the Senate, when Sc Sena-
tors (still less than quorum) answered to their
names.
Thereupon motion was made by Mr.. Platt
and was agreed to directing the sergeant-at-
arms to request the attendance of absent Sena-
tors, The names OF absentees were furnished
to the sergeant-at-arms, who then proceeded 10
execute the order of the Senate.
QUORUM IN THE RESTAURANT.
After some minutes the presiding officer Cdr.
Ingalls, informed the Senate that the sergeant
alarms had just reported to him that there
were twenty-five Senators in the restaurant:
that they had been all notified to attend and
that they had declined to do So
MIR. Hawley remarked that there were sew
eral in the Supreme Court, where an interest
ing case (the Neagle case) was going on
MIR. Platt moved that the Senate adjourn.
MIR. Harris-l ask the gentleman from Con-
necticut to withdraw the motion SO that NAV
make another motion which. 1 think. is legiti-
mate under the rule, and that is that the SER
geant- alarms be directed to compel the at
tendance of absent Senator's
Mr.. Blair hope that the motion to adjourn
will not be insisted upon.
The chair reminded Senators that debate was
not in order and that there was no quorum
present
The question was taken on the motion to ad-
Journ and 1t was rejected-yes II, nays Sc.
IN FAVOR OF THE BLAIR BILL.
The chair then announced that as there was
quorum present and as the hour of 2 o'clock
had arrived, the educational bill was before the
Senate as unfinished business and that the
Warren pension bill would remain on the cal
endar.
MIR. Barbour addressed the Senate in advo-
cacy of the educational bill. He spoke of the
great interest which the people of Virginia took
in that measure and said that it had been
favored IN the platform Of both political par
ties in that state.