Year: 1871

The House yesterday made one clean sweep
through the bills upon the Speakers table.
All the land grant bills, of which the Senate
was SO remarkably prolific at last session,
were permitted to remain in the sepulchre to
which they had been consigned, and for which
there is to them, no resurrection. Not one
OF them was passed, nor was any other bill of
public character passed. 1t was only lot
OF pension and other private bills that felt the
vivifying influence of the action of the House.
All the rest were left to sleep the sleep of
death. In the first progress of the House
through the calendar single objection pre-
vented action. 1t was only on recommending
the calendar that the sense of the House
was tested on motions to suspend the
rules and pass bills. The result of
such motions was so uniformly defeat that the
House. convinced that it was only wasting
time upon them, voted to adjourn before four
o'clock-a circumstance perhaps unparalleled
in is history within two days of the termina-
ton of the Congress-


! The conference report on the Indian Appro-
priation bill was presented in both houses and
agreed to. The bill, as it leaves the hands of
the conference committee, puts an eud to the
absurd and corrupt system of Indian treaties,
the Senate agreeing to renoInce its right to
treat with any Indian tribe or nation hereafter
as an independent power capable Of contract
ing with the United States. The bill also con-
tains provisions intended to prevent frauds by
Indian claim agents and Indian contractors,
but we are rather sceptical as to the possi-
blity of doing so.


bill Of much interest to insurance compa-
nies was passed by the House, having pre-
viously passed the Senate. Itprovides that no
tax shall be imposed ON any undstributable
sums added to the contingent fund of insurance
companies or on any unearned premiums. An
effort to get up the Apportionment bill failed


The session OF the Senate was occupied by
the Army and Navy Appropriation bills. An
amendment was put upon the Army bill which
opens the Treasury of the United States to the
attacks of new hordes of claimants, and which
will drain the public Golfers of untold millions
for the benefit of claim agents, sharpers and
spectators. We refer to provision allowing
| payments to be made for quartermaster and
commissary stores supplied to the United
States army during the rebellion by loyal citi-
zens in the Southern States. The effect of it
will be to make the government responsible,
| not only for all the horses, cattle, fodder
and provisions taken by our troops while
raiding in the South and while marching with
Sherman from Atlanta to the sea- but will re-
suit eventually in making us pay not only for
what we got ourselves but also for what the
rebel armies got, and for what was destroyed
by both armies aud for the cotton, tobacco
and other products seized by the army and
navy and made prize of war. The idea of
confning it to.claims of loyal citizens of the
South is simply preposterous. There were no
| loyal citizens there after the rebellion spread
and the war became general; but yet, when it
comes to making good their claims against the
government they will all turn ont to have
been perfectly loyal and to have been all the
time offering up earnest vows for the success
of the Union arms. We presume that the next
move which the Senate will make in that
direction, and against the national Trea-
sury, will bs to provide for the
payment of Confederate bonds and scrip and
the pensioning Of wounded rebels. We might
as well come to that at once. And yet the
Senate, while making such raids upon the
Treasury for the benefit of spectators, who
will buy up and fabricate claims and for the
enrichment of such great corporations as the
| Pacific Railroad companies, does not lose
sight Of its political aims in the South, but has
/ oufh ITO Al ~
sit during the first session of the next Con-
gress, in order to collect ridiculous tales Of
midnight masquerading and outrage in the
Southern States, most Of which are the merest
Munchausenisms, only calculated to frighten
aged negroes and children. A motion to
make the testimony public as it goes along, so
that the people Of the South might know what
was testified to, and might have a chance of
contradicting or explaining it, was made yes
terday by Senator Casserly, of California,
but was rejected by the Senate


The House bill repeating the duty on coal
was presented yesterday in the Senate by the
Vice President, but its second reading was
prevented by an objection from Senator
vickers, Of Maryland the rule in the Senate
being that bill cannot have its first and
second reading on the same day if objected to.
We hope that it will be brought up again to-
day and passed.


A resolution calling for detailed state
ment as to the financial management of the
Union Pacific Railroad Company was offered,
but objection being made it was laid aside.


The Army Appropriation bill was passed,
after trade from Senator Salisbury, of
Delaware in which he declared the determi-
nation of the democratic party, if it should
succeed in the next Presidential election, to
inaugurate its President, even though 1t had to