Year: 1879




Washington Special (Jan. 26) to Chicago


Times.


A joint caucus of the Democrats of the two
Houses will be held tomorrow evening for the
purpose of considering several i'm portant mat
ters. Among these will be the Edmunds reso-
lutions. The last time Edmunds made a mo-
tion in the Senate (Friday EVENING" to take up
his resolutions the Democrats then Indicated a
disposition to tllouster against taking them up,
Or to Introduce other matters to crowd out this
discussion, which the Democrats, for some rea-
son or other, are not specially anxious to pro-
woke. Just what line of action will be taken
by the Democrats in the future will be agreed
upon perhaps in to-morrow's caucus. The sub
ject OF an extra session will also be discussed.
This will be contingent upon what course thew
determine to pursue in reference to several
matters Of legislation (which the Democrats
want to effect in this Congress. One of these
is the clauses which have been INTRODUCED in
the legislative bill providing for the consolida-
tion OF the surveys. Senator Edmunds has
already signited his intention Of enforcing
preparation bills. At this caucus the Demo
Gratis will determine whether they shall insist
that this or any other legislation they NAV
wish to put through in this way shall remain
in the appropriation bills, thus making it nec-
essary to to have an extra session. If it is de-
WI
ground, the Legislative bill Will be reported to
the House containing all these provisions and
such others as they disposed to bring up
and press to passage this session. The short
ness of the session renders it impossible to
perfect the legislation just presented to Con-
gress IN any other way One important piece
OF legislation the Democrats are determined
to accomplish, it possible, before the adjourn
ment, Is the repeal of sections $40 and S21 of
the revised statutes, requiring jurors to take
on-clad oath that they were never in rebellion
against the United States government This
subject ;,u will also come up before the caucus.
Ihe Southern Democrats are especially anxious
to have this law repealed. They say that their
jurles are made up, of necessity, under this
law, of ignorant, illiterate colored people,
intelligent white people are excluded from act
ing upon these juries by reason of having to
take this oath: bill has already passed the
Senate repeating section 800, but the Southern
Democrats claim that the provisions of eection
S2l are equally uni ust and obnoxious.


The last section leaves it discretionary with
the United States attorney whether or not this
oath shall be administered. They say that un-
der the present system and administration this
provision is as severe as the one the Senate
proposes to have repealed. It was proposed to
pass an amendment in the House repeating the
last section as we'll as the first and send the
bill back to the Senate for concurrence but if
there should be any antagonism to it the pass
age OF the bill at this session would be endan-
gered: orthe bill as amended by the House
might fail to pass the Senate at all. bill re-
pealing both sections did pass the House at he
last session, but was buried in Christiancy's
committee in the Senate and will probably
! never be reported. It is therefore proposed
that provision be tackled on the legislative
bill repeating both sections. It is for this pur-
pose that the legislative, executive and ju-
dicial appropriation bill is held back. The bill
VIII be reported after the caucus with this new
provision in it, if the caucus so determines,