Los Angeles herald., 1892-03-01
The immigration Laws to Be
Investigated.
.Stanford's Scheme to Establish
the Value Of the Dollar.
March 22d to Be Set for Consideration
of the Bland Bill.
,Pugh's Overpowering Argument In the
Idaho Case-FOster and the Gold
Reserve Chairman Springer
Seriously Ill.
Asso ciated Press Dispatches.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 29.-In the house,
today, on motion of Stump of Maryland,
q concurrent resolution was agreed to,
authorizing the house and senate COM
mittees on immigration jointly to inves-
tigate the workings of the immigration
laws and the Importation of contract
labor.
Catchings OF Mississippi, from the
committee on rules. reported a resolu-
tion providing that Tuesday, March 22d
Immediately after the morning session,
the house proceed to consideration OF
the silver bill, and should said bill not
be sooner disposed of, the house shall
continue the resolution during Wednes-
day, the 23d, and Thursday, the oath.
The resolution was ordered printed
and Catchings gave notice that he would
ask the house to consider it Monday
next.
The house went into committee of the
whole on Indian appropriations.
Holman of Indianal moved an amend
ment making the appropriations for the
Carlisle school applicable to the pupils
now in attendance. Rejected.
Pending action the committee rose
and the house adjourned.
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
Vice-President Morton was in the
chair once more today, and laid before
the senate a number of petitions ad-
verse to the free coinage of silver.
Stanford introduced bill to deter
mine the value of legal-tender dollar.
Laid on the table for the present. 1t
provides that the value of 25.8 grains of
gold be the standard by which shall be
determined the value of the dollar; all
dollars to be received and paid out in
the discharge of debts, both public and
private, at par, measured by that stand
ard, whether the stamp of the govern.
ment making the dollar be in gold. sill
yer, paper, or any other material; also
the legal-tender value of each dollar is-
sued by the United States shall depend
alone on the stamp Of the government.
and there shall be an obligation on the
part Of the government to exchange one
dollar for another. tsp
Villas introduced bill to amend the
pension laws. Referred to the commit
tee on pensions. 1t proposes to have
the pensions OF invalid pensioners who
desert their families paid to their wives
(if anv) or to the guardians of their
children.
Voorhees, presented a petition from
Stillwell post, g. A. R., for the defeat
of the free coinage of silver.
PUGH's POWERFUL ARGUMENT.
The Idaho election case was again
taken up, and Claggett resumed his ar
gument in support of his claim to the
seat.
Dubois gave detailed account of the
election.
Pugh, who signed the minority report
in favor of Dubois, made an argument
in defense of it. While he was speaking,
the chair of Vance, who sat close to him,
broke down, letting the North Carolina
senator fall to the floor with some force
and much noise. As Vance picked him
self up, apparently unhurt, he said: 81
beg your pardon for interrupting you,"
to which Pugh rejoined, he had not
supposed his argument would be SO
overpowering.
At the close Of Pugh's speech the
senate went into executive session and
soon adjourned.
Mitchell gave notice that he would ask
the senate to sit out the Idaho case to-
morrow.
Ia HOW ABOUT THE GOLD RESERVE? S
At the instance of Representative
Dockery of Missouri the house today
adopted resolution directing the COM
mittee on judiciary to inquire into and
report to the house, as to the right of
the secretary of the treasury to use the
s$100, ,000, 900 gold reserve for current ex-
penditures. The question is held by
the Democrats to be of the utmost inn
portance. They say if the gold reserve
should be held not to be available for
current expenditures, it simply means
that the fifty-second congress has
500, 600, 900 less to draw upon in the
matter Of appropriations than has gem
orally been understood. The Democrats
say in that case their declaration that
the country is confronted by deficit as
the result OF the appropriations of the
fifty.frst congress, will be justified.
They will argue that all the protection
of the Mckinley bill has been unable to
save the public treasury from the verge
of bankruptcy, and point in contrast to
the generous surplus that existed at the
close of Cleveland's administration.
FREE COTTON BAGGING.
The report OF Turner of Georgia from
J the ways and means committee, in favor
of the bill admitting free cotton bag
ging, ETC., says the right to resort to i'm
ported bagging and ties will, it is be-
lieved, protect the farmers and laborers
engaged in the production of cotton
against the corners and combinations
among those who. under the present
tariff, control the supply of these indis-
pensable articles. The effect of the Nc
Kinley rates upon bagging and ties is
not yet fully developed. The first re-
suit has been to cut off importations of
these articles. The next step will be
the augmentation of the price.
SPRINGER SERIOUSLY ILL.
Chairman Springer is unable to see
anyone but the immediate members of
his family. His features are swollen al
most beyond recognition and have as
sumed purple hue. He has requested
McMillin of Tennessee to assume charge
Of the tariff bills in the house and make