Forty-fourth Congress

Mokday, Dec. i. - Setutte. - The Senate met and wascallod to order proniptly at 12 o'clock.... TUe iiew membere were eworn iu, and tho two f rom Colorado drew for their respective t.rms. Chaffee aecnred the loDg tenn, onding March 4, 1879, and Teller the fthort term, tndiug in 1877 BdmUüdÊ KubxuUted a rceolution instrncting the Commiltee on Privileges d Electionp, when appointed, to inqulre wliether in the recent i lectior in Soulh fauhna, Eotifeiai a and Florida, tbc right of auy oitizen to V"t Jias ben dcui d or abridfied, and also ae to the eligibility of elector; whloh wns rod and ordered priuted, and to lm on tho table lüsaU eubmitted a .joint resol tion reeummcndi í ttmt a convention bc held at Colnnjbnö, O., in Hu to revise and anicud tho couetitiition of the United Statee. Ordcred printed, and to lie on the table. House. -In the House of KepresentaHvca the opening of tho sessiou was witneged by an iinïnenso concourse of apectatere. Thero wero very fow memberB absent. The Speakt-r's chafr was drapcd in mournlug, in reepect to the niemory of the lato Speaker Kerr. Therft bein , threfore, no presiding officer, tho Hotibo was culled to order at noon by Clerk Adainft who tereupou calh-l tho roll of the niembi-re. Thc alJ ehowed 249 merubera preeent, the whole nunib r on tho rollbeinj; 288 As soon as the cali wae flnifihed, Holman rose to offer a resohition for tho elei tion of a Speaker, but Banks interpoed, as a questlon of superior privilege, the right of tho member-elect from Colorado to have nis ñamo placed on the roll so that hf might particípate in the election of Speaker, and sent ui) the c edeutiaUof the member f rom 'olorado. A discusión eumied on the queasion of precedence. Kr. Holman und otter Dnmocrats conteiidiug that thn orfanization of tho Honso was neceesarily iho ftrst 1'UsinesB in order, while Mr. Banks and other Iïepu : licai . s contend ed that all t ho members liad a right to particípate in the ol ction. Mr. Frye claimed the same right for his collcagne, elected in place of Ir. Hlninr. Flually the tUerk decided that tho rcnolution offered by Mr. Holman tcok precedeuce. From that decisión au aypeal was tafeen by Mr. Banfes, whicli apptal Mr. Cox move:i to lay on tlic iitrrc. Agreeu 10 - yuiot io; naya, ö. .iir. noi tnan's rcsohi'ion then camo up for acliou, and it was adopted withont opposition. It was as folIowh : The House beiug inforrarrt tliat tince ita last adjournmeut M. C. Kerr, who at the commencemcnt of the present Cüugrepf? vu oïected Speaktr cf tho Uouse, has departed ibis ifo, ereatinfï a vacaney In the offlee of Speaker; it is Iherefore ordered that the Hunao do now proce f-d to the electiou of a Speaker, viva voce. Mr. Cox nominated S J. Rinctll as Speaker, aud Mr. McOrary, of Iowa, nominated James A. Garlield. I he former was olcteü. Mr. Uiudalï had 161 vofcs; Garflpld, 82; Williams of WiaconRin, 1 ; G.F. Hoar, 1; and Mortion, 1, The Spt aker wa con duoted Uthochairby Mts-ra.CoxaDd McO-ary 01 j 'i tion wa8 made to tho eweariug in of Buttz, of South Cdolina, and Bed ford, of Colorado. In relatioii to tho latter Springer olfered a resolution inatruciipfi the Judiciary Comnii'tee toinqmro anti report at nu early a tlay a posei le wh ther Calorado ia a State in the Uniod, and directin.', utitil auch rnport is reoeived, that lo person claiming to be a Representativo from Colorado Bha.l be pworn in as a memoer. Alter somo disctiflsion the resolution of Springer wa adopted The Houbc proceeded to the con ■■■ i de rat ion of ihe queetion of adiiiitting Bnttz, of South Carolina, to his seat, ihe poiut aa npt hie anmielon beïrg that ho haa been ootinti'-d in by the Return ng Board. Morrison preented a memorial and protest eigned by the citizens of the district agai: st tho admiBBion of Buttz, and moved the referenco of tho queetioa to the Committre on Elctions. MorrionM motion was aüoptod, 142 to 80 .... A resolution was offtrt;d by dewitt, and adopted, for the appoiutment of threa selected coiomittees, one of tifteoa mfmberB to proceed to Louisiana, ont of 8x meuabera to proceed to Florida, and one of niue memberá to proceed to H iiiün.arolinato investiKato the action of tho lteturning or Canvas8iug Boards, as to the recent electinne in thoe 8tntest and report all facts -twcntial to au honest return of th votss of the electora for PrBidcut and Vice Prcsidont, and to a fa-r mderstanding thereo.' by the people, aud whetbtr the electural votes of those States should bc couutt.d.