The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1897-01-21
NATIONAL SOLONS.
REVIEW OF THEIR WORK AT
WASHINGTON.
Detailed Proceedings of Senate and
House-Bil1s Passed or introduced
in Either Branch-Ouestions of Mo.
ment to the Country at Large.
The legislative Grind.

The Legislative Grind.
The House witnessed a sensational
episode Tuesday. Mr.. Johnson (Cal.),
who recently made a bitter attack on Ed
itor Hearst of San Francisco and New
York, was himself made the target of
denunciatory charges by Mr.. Mcclure
(Cal.). The wordy DUE grew out of the
publication in the Congressional Record,
as a part of Mr.. Maguire's remarks OF
MI. Johnson's speech in which Mr.. Ma
guire defended Mr.. Hearst, and without
the mention of Mr.. Johnson's name, de
tailed some matters in Johnson's early
life when he resided in Syracuse, n. Y.
Mr.. Johnson got the floor on a question
of privilege. He was at times dramatic.
He denounced Mr.. Maguire's attack on
him as wanton and cowardly and told the
story of his indictment thirty-four years
ago in New York for forgery and how
he had gone out to California to rear a
new home and make a new name. Then
with a bitter invectiye he paid his re-
spects to Mr.. Mcguire and MI. Cooper
| of Wisconsin, who characterized his at
tack on Mr.. Hearst as cowardly. In re-
ply Mr.. Mcguire said: HE whines at
this attack on himself. He thinks only
of himself. He does not think of the
| grief and anguish until it strikes him
self. Why did not he think of these
things when he made the attack on an
other who was not present and who was
not a member of this body. Those
| charges are false, and it ill-becomes the
author Of those charges to whine because
1 reply" Futile effort was made to have
the gremarks of both stricken from the
Record. The Senate passed the day in
lively political debate, Upon the free
homestead and fourth-class postmaster
ships.
The Senate, in executive session Wed
| nesday, had up for a time the nomination
| of David r. Francis to be Secretary Of
| the Interior, but no action was taken.
| Senator Vest, of Missouri, was the prin-
| cipal opponent of confirmation, but he was
| seconded by Senator Pugh, of Alabama.
| Senator Gear introduced a new bill for
the settlement of the Pacific railroad in
debtedness, constituting the Secretary of
the Treasury, the Secretary of the In
terror and the Attorney General a COM
mission with full power to make a set
| Element of the Indebtedness of all the
bond-aided Pacific roads to the govern
ment, upon approval of the President.
| After a very dull day devoted to passing
bills of minor Importance the House
plunged into a warm controversy over
q bill to tax oleomargarine and other
limitations of dairy products
The Senate Thursday passed the free
homestead bill. 1t is a measure of far
reaching Importance to the West. The
effect of the bill is to open to settlement
all public lands acquired from Indians,
free of any payment to the Government
beyond the minor Office fees, and to re-
lease from payment those who have here
tofore settled on these lands. The num-
Der of acres involved is 32,252, al, which
would have yielded the Government, at
the prices heretofore established, $685.
343,OO6. The lands are mainly arid and
those who have settled upon them are I'M
able to make payment by reason of the
| scanty products of the soil. The Senate
adjourned until Monday. The House
| spent almost the entire day debating the
Grout bill, to subject o~leomargarine md
other imitation dairy products to thu laws
of the States into which they are trans
ported. The bill was passed by q vote of
126 yeas to 96 nays. The advocates of
the measure took the view that the States
should be allowed TO regulate the sale of
a product sailing under false colors, and
the opponents that the bill would estab-
lish q dangerous precedent, and invade the
power of Congress to regulate interstate
commerce. In a speech in support of the
bill MI. Henderson of. Iowa said with
much emphasis: "The opposition to this
hill ~ fpa~, {h1 a.-.@1uzl 80
tons in Chicago and Kansas C4eg, II
comes from men like Armo4E and Swift,
who are destroying the great cattle in
terests of my State and other: States by
keeping down the price of heeves and
keeping up the price of beefsteak."
The proceedings Ia the House Friday
were very tame 1t was private bill day,
but the whole time was consumed in pass
ing House bills favorably acted upon in
committee of the whole before the holi-
day recess. The widow of the late Mai.
Gen. John Gibbop was the beneficiary Of
one of the bills passed, carrying 500 Der
month, and the widow of Brevet Gen. W.
A, Nichols of another, carrying SIS per
month. The free homestead bill, which
came back to the House with Senate
amendments, was referred, under . ruling
of the Chair, to the Committee on Public
Lands. At the evening session fourteen
private pension btsls were reported with
a ~fayarabls recommendation. Among
them We're bills granting a pension of $50
per month to the widow Of Gen. Green
CLAY Smith and $75 per month to the
widow of Gen. Henry A. Morrow. The
last mentioned bill was advocated BY Rep
r%esentative Mercer, who had the amount
increased from $5O.to the amount named.
A bill has been reported To- the House for
a subsidy of $1aA.Q90 q year to the Pacific
Cable Company of New York, in which
James Scrymser and J. Pierpont Morgan
are interested,
Nofes IF Curreuf Eyor<