Year: 1875

bWuuOW.
The bill for the payment of extra bounties
passed the Senate yesterday, and thus an
opening is made for the escape OF more than
$40 100000 from the Treasury. In view of the
probability that the Government will not have
enough money in hand to meet the claims thus
created, it was necessary to make special pro-
vision for raising it by borrowing. One trou-
BILE about such bills as this is the fact that the
demagogism of such of its patrons as Senator
Logan has tendency to dissipate any ap-
probation of its merits which may be excited
by laudable sympathy and patriotism.


The concurrence of the House of Represent
atives in the Senate amendment to the Post
Office BILL by which the Franking privilege is
revived for the remainder Of the present year,
shows that this Congress will leave nothing
undone to fill up the measure of Its unpopu-
larity. That the members who voted for the
Franking clause were ashamed of themselves
was shown by their refusal to allow the Yeas
and Nays on the amendment to be recorded.
But the vote in favor of the motion to lay on
the table a proposition for reconsideration will
give our readers q pretty correct list OF the
friends of the job.


The adoption of the resolution in regard to
Arkansas affairs, reported by the majority OF
Mr.. Poland's Committee, was hardly to be
expected after the action of the House OF
Representatives on the Force bill. But the
claim of the President in behalf of the defunct
Brooks administration was so monstrOus that
neither Mr.. Buffers bullying nor Mr.. Tre-
mains specious reasoning could make ma
iority of the House stultify themselves so far
as to vote for the minority report. The
upshot of the matter is that there will be no
Congressional interference in Arkansas; what
the President may do it would be hard to
predict.


On our twelfth page we present an entertain
ing lecture delivered last night by Prof. &. A.
Young of Dartmouth College, just returned
from Peking, where he assisted in observing
the transit of Venus. Prof. YOungs high
reputation and great success as "a student OF
the suns surface with the spectrOscODe had
led to the hope that his special Observa-
tions during the transit would have been
of great value Peking was selected in
stead of Yokohama, and during several
weeks of admirable weather, the hopes of the
|
rain and cloud came with the transit itself
and though they did not quite spoil Prof
Watsons observations, they interfered mate
rally with spectroscOpic work. But the lec-
ture of Prof. Young is not solely devoted to
the fortunes or misfOrtunes of the astron0-
mers and contains much curious information
about Peking and the science of the Chinese.


The last day of the session finds Congress
so nearly through with its legitimate work
that it ought to leave its calendar clear OF I'M
portant bills All the appropriation bills are
passed or in conference with fair prospect OF
agreement, except the Sundry Civil and the
Deficiency and the River and Harbor bills. The
Sundry Civil bill passed the House yeser-
day morning and is now in the Senate. The
consideration of the Deficiency bill was be-
gun in the House last night, and it ought to
reach the Senate tonight. The River and
Harbor bin will meet little opposition. AS to
the political measures, no action is required
by the Senate on the Arkansas or Louisiana
resolutions which have been disposed of by
the House. The Civil Rights bill is now
a law. Nobody seems very anxious
to have resurrection Of Pinchback.
The only thing likely to stand in the way of
business of vital Importance is the Force bill,
which has had its second reading in the Sen
ate and will come up on its passage to-day.
If the Administration party insists upon Its
consideration, in preference to appropriation
bills a debate may ensue which Will defeat
the latter and the Force bill alike, or the ap-
nropriatiOn bills NAV be sacrificed to the Force