The Wahpeton times., 1890-07-24

A Resume Of the Proceedings
ct Congress During the
Past Week.
SENATE.

SENATE.
BY nearly party vote. ssnators " Vest 'aS and
George spoke in opposition to the bills and
Measrs Stewart and Harris IN favor OF thor,
Inc senate caucus committee met and
spent some time trying to devise plan to
carry out the absolute instruction Of the
caucus to report rule, . modification ol
Of procedure by which majority Of the son.
ate may reach vote upon the national slsc.
tlon bill or any other pending measure with.
IN reasonable space of time. The com.
mittes did not reach . conclusion, but hopes
to be able to report to the caucus soon.
The conference report ON the silver bill
was passed by the house by strict party
vote. The silver bill has now passed both
houses Of congress in the identical terms 10
tee.
While the sundry civil bill was under con.
sloeratlon senator Stewart came round to
Senators Moody and Casey and asked them
IL they were ready to make fight for their
wells for irrigation in theDakotas. Both Of
these gentlemen are primed with statistics
on this point and will nuke every effort to
have the amendment inserted in the bill
There is some fear Of losing the amendment
repeating the act withdrawing the lands sus.
ceptible to irrigation. as point Of order
may be made against it and sustained.
The session of congress, which will proba
bly, close within the next five weeks mas been
an exceedingly poor one for claimants
Speaker Reed early in the winter disclosed
the fact that he was not disposed to encour
age legislation looking to disbursements ol
public money for claims against the govern
ment, private or otherwise. and he has been
sustained by large contingentin the house,
embracing the conservatives in each of the
political parties. There are many just claims
that have been pending for years, but they
are so commingled with the jobs that they
suffer the fate OF the latter.
SENATE
The senate resumed consideration of the
sundry civil appropriation bill, the first item
being one of $3.50, 900 for surveying the pub.
lie lands, the committee recommending an
increase to 100000.
senator Powers presented mammoth
petition from ffty-one towns in Montana,
signed by 2,31O citizens, asking for legisla.
ton to preserve to the people OF the state
the mineral lands in it, and to prevent the
Northern Pacific from acquiring lands to
which it is not clearly entitled under it's char.
| ter.
| HOUSE.
The house, after routine business, went in
TO committee of the whole on the bill appro.
priating $62G,1S for additional clerical
| !orce for the pension office, q two-hours de-.
| bate ensued.
! The Indian committee of the house has re.
ported an omnibus bill for Indian schools
locating one in Montana convenient to the
most prominent railroad center, in South
Dakota at Chamberlain, and in Minnesota
ut Pipestone.
A bill! was introduced to give The widow o,
Gen. John c. Fremont apension of$3 900 a
year.
The resolution of Senator Cullom for M
investigation of the Canadian Pacific rail-
road in relation to alleged evasions of the
Interstate commerce law, seems to have
been boomerang. Senator Wushburu of.
fered an amendment which investigates the
Grand Trunk road, which is just what Cul.
lom did not want.
very we'll satisfied with the present session
OF congress and thinks that neither house
has been businesslike or practical in it's work
de says that three months have been con.
sumed and othiny done.
There III general impression among some
senator's on the Republican side that neither
the federal election law nor the tariff bill
will pass the senate at this session.
| HOUSE.
The house committee on rules considered
the resolution providing for an investigation
ofpension Office methods under Commissioner
Raum. but came to no conclusion. On ac-
count OF the discussion in the house of the
present administration OF the pension office,
it is believed that an investigation will be
ordered.
The house went into committee of the
whole tho land Ill
Mr.. stockdale Of Mississippi advocated the
bill Mr.. Holman OF Indiana reviewed the
land grant legelation of congress and argued
in favor of n forfeiture of all lands not earned
within the time limited in the granting acts.
SENATE.
| The monotony of the discussion of the ir
rigation bill was changed by a speech from
Senator Moody Of South Dakota, who talked
two hours a nd half. Senator Moody pro-
tested most emphat ically against the with
drawal of lands in the western part OF South
Dakota. He also made plea for artesian
irrigation. In his remarks to show that
| Powell did not know what he was talking
about he read letter from an engineer Of
the army addressed to himself and another
addressed to Senator Casey. Theletter was
in reply to queries Us to what was being
done by Powell and showed conclusively
that there was far too much guess work in
the irrigation survey.
HOUSE.
Hermann of Oregon offered an amendment
to the Northern Pacific forfeiture blu, the
only amendment which was adopted, pro-
vding that the settlers who had gone on the
! railroad lands intending to purchase in good
| faith from the railroad company, should be
alowedito acquire from the government $50
acres of land so purchased ut $1.25 per acre
The bill is a senate bill with house substi-
tute,, forieiting land granted to aid in the
construction Of railroads Opposite to and
co-terminous with the portion Of any such
road not now completed.
SENATE
The consideration of the sundry civil an.
proprintion bill was resumed-the pending
question being. the amendment repeating
the irrigation provision in the like bill OF
Oct. 2. lsss-exccpting that reservoir and
canal sites hereto ore located or selected
shall remain segregated and reserved from
entry or settlement.
Mr.. Reagan continued his argument
against the amendment and in favor of the
irrigation scheme initiated by the act of
1883. After further discussion by Messrs
Plumb, Cockrell, Teller and Stewart the
question was put and the amendment was
agreed to.
HOUSE.
The "orlginal package bill was then taken
up. E. B Taylor, in advocating the measure,
said that never had such a blow been given
to state sovereignty and state rights as had
been given by the ascertainment that under
the constitution of the United States, the cit
liens Of a foreign state might take into an
other state any property that was subject
of commerce and there sell it without liabil-
ity of taxation or the burden of taxation.
Mr.. Culbertson, OF Texas, said the effect of
the senate bill would be to transfer power
vested exclusive in congress to tho states.
and the states themselves would execute a
power which they had parted with when the