Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-21
4 DAY.. !. .DO|NGs IN CONGRESS,
Senator Bates Bill for Freer
Elections.
Senator Palmer Opposes the Anti
Option Bill.
A slimIy Attended Session OF the House
Interviews With Treasury ON
cials and Other Public
Representatives.

By the Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20.-In the senate,
today, the army appropriation bill was
received from the house and referred to
the committee on appropriations.
A large number of petitions Tor ana
against the anti.option bill were pre-
sented and referred to the committee on
agriculture.
Sherman introduced Dill 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.
The resolution for the assembling OF
both houses February Sth to witness the
count of the electoral vote was presented
and referred.
The McGarrahan bill was laid aside
and the house bill for the sale of navy
yard lands in Brooklyn was passed.
The bill introduced by Bate Of Ten
nessee to repeal all the statutes relating
to supervisors of elections and special
deputies was taken up, and Bate made
an argument in its favor. These laws,
he said, had been in operation over ~
wears and not reconciled the peo-
pie to their harsh interference with
affairs belonging exclusively to the
states. 1t was not surprising that late
political revolutions had swept from
power the party which enforced ma
chinery for interfering with the elections
OF states. The force bill had been po-
tent in the late overthrow of the Re-
.o~trv Tho 10 oyJ w hinh ho
posed to have repealed was the germ of
the force bill. These laws have no con-
stitutional warrant; serve no good, and
their remaining on the statute books is
disregard of the spirit and purpose of
the late elections, and the peace and
quiet of the country.
The bill went over without action.
After brief struggle and attempt by
Blackburn of Kentucky to displace the
anti-option bill. with the Hudson river
bridge bill, ,sthe former was taken up.
Palmer OF Illinois addressed the senate
in opposition to the BILL. He argued
that the meaning and effect of the pro-
posed bill was to give collectors of inter-
nal revenue absolute authority over all
contracts made by any persons for the
sale and future delivery of property. 1t
gave most extensive and alarming juris-
diction to collectors of internal revenue
gave them authority to look into the
business of every and any man in
the country; power which was here
tofore only permitted under very lin
tied and restricted circumstances for
mere revenue purposes. The bill was
Objectionable on broader grounds. No
senator, he apprehended, would risk his
reputation as lawyer and legislator by
claiming that congress possesses the
right 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
federal government into the states to de-
fine and punish crimes. The senator who
called the bill revenue measure knew
the term was misnomer, because thhere
was no purpose to raise revenue under
the bill. The Democratic party, when
it comes into power, will not tolerate
fraud of the character of the pending
bill. Gambling in the states will never
be prohibited by federal action, but the
Democratic party will endeavor to sup.
prefs such vices by state action.
After further argument in 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 executive session the senate con-
irmed the nominations of P. s. Grosscup
as United States district judge for the
northern district of Illinois; Silas AL
exander, secretary of New Mexico; 6.
B. Lyman, postmaster at Yuba City,
Cal.
Attendance in the house grows Slim
mer day by day and the business trans
acted today was of very little import.
The committee on public lands called
up the bill adjusting claims under the
swamp lands act, but no action was
taken on it.