The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-04-08
Congressional Proceedings.


SATURDAY, March 28.-Neither house of
congress was in session.
MoNDAY.-In the senate, Mr.. Hoar of
Massachusetts reported back from the judi
ciary committee the house bill to reduce the
cases in which the penalty of death must be
inflicted, and moved that it be passed, He |
explained that in cases Of treason, murder
and rape, capital punishment was retained; |
and that in all other capital cases imprison- |
ment at hard labor for life was to be inflicted |
where juries annexed to their verdict the |
words without capital punishment" Mr..
Hale of Maine suggested that the bill go
over, and 1t was so ordered. Bills were |
passed for the issuance OF suitable certif-
Gates of honorable service to military tele-
graph operators during the War of the Re- |
bellion, and to pay 81 800 to Thomas Will
liams, senate employe, who was injured in |
the discharge Of his duties. - In the |
house the senate joint resolution was agreed
to appointing Bernard X. Green as successor
to the late General Casey as superintendent
of the new Congressional Library, and au
thorizng ex.President Harrison to accept
| from the governments OF Brazil and Spain
| certain medals presented during his term of
| office The sundry civil appropriation bill
was then taken up in committee of the
whole after notice had been given by Mr..
| Hit of Illinois, chairman of the committee
on foreign affairs, that when the appropria-
ton had been disposed OF he would present
A general debate followed on the sundry
| civil bill
| TUEsDAY.-In the senate the Delaware SEN
atorial case was further discussed, Senator
George speaking four hours against seating
Dupont. Senator PETER asked that the SEN
| ate take up his resolution for investigating
recent bond issues, at the close of Senator
Georges remarks. Considering the post
office appropriation bill, several amend
ments reported by. the appropriation COM
mittee were agreed to, including one for
$12, S18, $50 for the delivery system. An
amendment allowing the sum of $4,000 ad-
ditional compensation to the Oceanic Steam
ship Company for mail transportion from San
Francisco to New Zealand and New South
Wales was discussed. Without disposing
of the question the senate adjourned. -
In the house Bingham of Pennsylvania re-
ported back the legislative appropriation
bill, recommending that the house do not
agree to the senate amendment and that
conference be asked. The report was
agreed to and a conference committee ap-
pointed. In committee, the house consid-
cred the sundry civil appropriation bill. A
motion to increase the salary of the super
intendent of coast geodetic survey from
5000 to $4,000 was defeated. The appro-
pration for field expenses in the survey of
the Atlantic coast line and tributaries was
increased from $500 to $685. 900. The mo-
ton to strike out of the bill the provision
for detecting and bringing to punishment
violators of the internal revenue laws was
withdrawn.
WKDNEsDAY-In the senate bill was in
troduced by Senator Butler, populist, of
North Carolina, providing that payment of
notes, bills and certificates shall be in legal
tender money, irrespective OF any stipula-
ton in the contract. He explained that his
object was to stop gold mortgages and gold
A committee of conference was ordered on
the legislative appropriation bill. A joint
resolution was offered by Senator Call,
democrat, of Florida, reciting the acts of
barbarity said to be perpetrated in Cuba by
the Spanish government, and directing an
adequate naval force to be sent Immediately
to Cuba to protect United States citizens
from wrong. The senate resumed the con-
sideration Of the Delaware election case
and Mr.. George, democrat, OF Mississippi,
continued his speech against the right OF
Mr.. Dupont to the vacant seat. The post
office appropriation bill was taken up, the
question being on the amendment allowing
$50, 900 additional compensation to the
Oceanic Steamship Company. Senator Per-
kins of California favored the increase. He
believed in,helping American ships as against
English ships. England, France and Rus.
STA had last year given S1o 600 600 in postal
subsidies. Final action was deferred -
The house, in committee of the whole on
the sundry civil appropriation bill, restored
$35 600 for the support of Howard Univer-
sity, colored, in the District of Columbia,
which the committee on appropriations nau
stricken out. The sum Of $4,000 was ap-
propriated to buy the house in Washington
In which President Lincoln died The sum
of $4,000 of the appropriation for con-
struction of the building and enlargement
of the military post at Spokane was made
available. In this connection Grosvenor
OF Ohio read from tables showing the oper-
atoms of the treasury under the first nine
teen months of the Wilson tariff law as
compared with those of the Mckinley law
in the first nineteen months of its existence.
These showed deficiency of $40, 167, $40 in
receipts, as compared with expenditures
under the Wilson law, and q surplus of
S24, 983, 221 under the Mckinley law. Gus
toms receipts under the Wilson law were
1921, O69, 273; under the Mckinley law,
$3O2, 1884, 1856. Internal revenue receipts un-
der the Wilson law, S207 ,069.8 l2; under the
Mckinley law. 1921 1872. 1872. Patterson of
| Tennessee laid the responsibility for this
state of things on the Sherman silver bill
of 1890. The onus was on the republican
party and especially upon William McKin-
lev not the Wilson bill.
FRDAY.-The senate was not in session.
The Cuban resolutions were discussed in
the house by Mr.. Hit OF Illinois and Mr..
Boutelle of Maine, the latter opposing them.
Ten private pension bills were passed at the
evening session.