The record-union., 1892-12-21
CONGRESSIONAL.
Yesterdays Proceedings in the Senate
and House,

J eSIerd0y' : proceedings IN the Senate
and House.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2O.-In the Senate
the army appropriation bill from the
House was presented and referred to the
Committee on Appropriations.
a large number of petitions for and
against the anti-option bill We're pre-
scented ana referred to The Committee on
Agriculture.
Sherman introduced bill to extend to
the North Pacific Ocean the provisions of
the statutes for the protection of fur seals
and other fur bearing animals. Referred
to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
\ resolution for the assembling OF both
Houses on February 9th, to witness and
count the Electoral vote, was presented
and referred.
The McGarrahan bill was laid aside and
the House bill for the sale of the Navy
yard lands in Brooklyn was passed.
The bill introduced by Bate of Tennes-
see to repeal all statutes relating to Su-
pervisors Of Elections and special depu-
ties was taken no and Bate made an
argument in its favor. These laws. he
said, have been in operation over twenty
years, and have not recOnciled the peO-
pie to their harsh interference with af-
fairs belonging exclusively To the States.
1T was not surprising that the late DO
1lllGdl IbNOluNlOIS Ddu swept from DOW eT
the party which enforced machinery for
Interfering with the elections of the
States. The force Dill had been potent in
the late overthrow of the Republican
party. The law which he proposed to
have repealed was a germ Of the force
bill. These laws had no constitutional
warrant, serve no good, and their re-
maining on the statute books was a dis
regard of the spirit and purpose of the
late elections and the peace and quiet of
the country. The bill went over without
action.
After a brief struggle of an attempt by
blackburn of kentucky to dsplace the
enti-option bill with the Hudson River
Bridge BILL the former was taken up.
Palmer OF Illinois addressed the Senate
in opposition to the bill. He argued that
the meaning and effect Of the proposed
bill was to give Collectors of Internal
Revenue absolute authority over all con-
tracts made by any persons for the sale
and future delivery of property. 1t gave
most extensive and alarming jurisdiction
to Collectors of Internal Revenue: gaye
them authority to look into the business
OF every and any man in the country. a
power which has heretofore only been
permitted under very limited and re-
strlcted circumstances, for mere revenue
purposes. The bill was Objectionable on
broader grounds. No Senator, he appre-
Lenued, would risk his reputation as a
lawyer ana legislator by claiming that
Congress possessed the power to prohibit
dealings in options on futures in the
States. The attempt, however, was
but thinly disguised in the bill to
thrust the jurisdiction OF the Fed
eral Government into the States to
define and punish crimes. The Senator
who called the bill revenue measure
knew the term was a missioner, because
there was no purpose to raise revenue I'M
der the bill. The Democratic party, when
Il comes into power, will not tolerate a
fraud OF the character of the pending bill.
Gambling in States will never be pro-
hibited by Federal action; but the Demo-
cratic party will endeavor to suppress
such vices by State action.
After further argumentin the same line,
but without concluding his speech, Mr..
Palmer yielded the floor, the anti-option
bill going over without action, and the
Senate adjourned.
IN THE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON. Dec. 20.-The attendance
grows simmer in the House day by day