Forty-fourth Congress

TüEaDAY. Jan. 30.- Senate.- Mr. Edmunds flubinitted a resolutíon authoriïiing and directiug the President of the Senate to appoiiit two tellers on the part of the Seuate to perform the dnliee requircd by the Electoral Count bill which recently j panaed. Agreed to Mr. Mitchell, of Oregon, tlelivertd a epeeoh lu oppo&ttiou to the bill to amsnd the Pdciflc Hïilroad acts A large number oí petítions were prííHt'litfld, aekinpr tho adoptioit of thft Bfxteenta ameiidzneut to the constitutiou of tho United State, prohibiting State frum tlipfraiichisiufi persons on account of res. ... Messrs. iviiiHiiutH, Morton and Frelinahuyuon (11-publicanR), and Bayard and Thuriuan (Uetnocratn), were unanïmouely seleuted to represent tho Seiiate ja tho coBiiniaaion. anthorízed by ho Electoral t Gountbill, thoy baving proviously been nominated iu caucue. Bou$e. - Tho Hóuso, by a voto ol' 150 to 78, passcd tho bill abolishing tho Board of Pólice Cominissioners of tho District of Columbia over tlio Presiden t's volo The bili appropriatiug $500,000 to bo pald to &xaos Iï. Kads for tho construction of the 7Iinpissippi river jetties. etc, was paesed .. .Mr. I'ayue offered a ropolution that the House elect ftve members of tho comoilssion on tho Preside n tl al electoral count. Adopted. Mr. L mar nonnnated Pay Hunton, Abbott, Garñeld and Hoar. ve were vntcd for tORCtber, and elccted, loeiviiig 2G3 votos ; llunton, 25'J; Abbott, 'J. Ovflold, 238; Hoar, 261 ...The Speaker also laid bef re tho Iloupe a mcsBago from tho Precldeot etöting that the commision appointod to reorganizo the UXU had reported that ït was not at this tiino proparotT to Riiliiait a plan for lts rcorgauizatiou . . . . The House pasfled tho biil reportad last bcshíoii from tho Oommittee on Judiciary in relation to diimaReB for the infringement of patente. H providow tbat damaea can only be recovored for infringcinpntH wliich Rliaïl havo occurred during the term of one year preceding the notice of infainoment. Wkonesday, Jan. 31. - Senate. - The President pro tempore laid beforo tho Senato a communication Bignod by ARaociato JuBtico CHlTurd, Rtrorg, Miller and Field, of the United BUtoa Supreme Court annouDcmg tbat tiiey had met, in pursiianco of the Electoral Count bill, and sclected Associate Juatice J. P. Bradloy aa tüe lifth AgBOCiate Juetice upon tho commiBBion .... A concurrent reaolution was adopted providiug that no pertiou Bhall be admittcd to tbe touth wing of tho Capítol during the counting of tho votes for President and Vico President, except upon tickets issued by the President pro tempore of the Sonate and tho Speaker of tho House of Repreeentatives, sucta Hekels to be distributeri rqually to o ach Senator aiid Representativo by the Arnis of tho Senate anti Houw of Representativos. [The House coucurred In tho rcsolution.]. . Mr, Thurman addressed the Benftte in rapport of the bill to aniend the Pac ñc llailroad acts. House, - Tho Speaker lnid before the Koubo a communiralion from tho fotlr Apeociate Jnstices deeignated members of the judicial branch of the comtniBsion, announcing that they bad elected Justice Joseph P. lïradley as the flftli member. , . . The Benato'a resolution for the appointüieht of fiftcen men to serve b special pólice at tho Oapitol durlnK the counticg of the eleotoral vote wan agreed to. . . M r. Garneld introduced n bill providiiiR for more thorough inveBtigation of accident on railroada Tiie report of tho raajority of the Judiciary Committee, declaring that Coloraflo is a State, was adopted, and Mr. Belford waB HWorn in as a Representativo. .. Tho House Florida Ir ve&tigation CoturaitteO submitted their reporl They say that the face of the returns of the recent election in that State showed a clea: majority for Tilden and Hendricks....Mr. Knot offered a reBnhition dipcharging "WVBarneB froni ciiBtody, he having delivered to the select commi tee, of which Wüliam R. Morrison is Chairman, a thetelemama in his popsesplon. Adopted.... Thi Speaker laid before tho Kouro the replgnatton o Frank Heroford aa Ropresentativo from tho Thirt District of ffost Virginia. TiroRsCAY, Felx 1.- Senaie.- Mr. Roberteo'j, of South Carolina, presented resoUition adopted by a meeting of citizena of Baruwo county, in that State, denying that Uiere was in timidation on the part of whites towaril blac-ks a the recent olectiou, and aBking OongresB to recognize the Hampton Government. Keferred. Mr. Saujsbury prefented a petition from buBincaa men of New Orleana in regara to the'condition of affairs in LouiBiana, and asking fot: the recognition of Nicholls as the legal Gorernor of tho State.. The Gbair appointed Sargcnt and AUison tellers on the part of the 8onato to count the votes for President and Vice President of the United States. Subacquently Mr. Sargent dcclined, and Mr tngallB was aptx)iuted....A communicacion was recfivrrt from Nathazt Olifford, President of the Electoral Tribunal, announcing tbat the conimission was organized and ready to proceed to business . Mr. Mitehcll, froru the sub-committre of the Corunifttoe on Privileges and Electious.to which wasasflfgned tbo cïuty of iuquiring ínto the eligibüity to ofiiceiinder the consütution of any perron alleged to have been ineligible as Presidential elector, submittpd a report in regard to the laws in New Jersey, Missouri and Virginia. Mr. Kernan, the mlnority of tho coinniittee, dissented froiu the mijority, and made a verbal report, in which ho claimed that both the alleged inoligible electora iu Missouri audNew Jersey werft cleurly eligible nnder the constitution The Senate proceded to the hall of the House to tako part íd the count of the electoral vote. House. - The Chair appointed as tellers on the part of the House, in counting th electoral votes, Meters. Cook and 8tone The House, af ter a brief sesBion, took a recees. Joint Session, - At exactly 10 o'clock the Sonate appeared at tho bar of the House, and was forinally announced. Folio wing the Sorgeant-at-Armscamo four special poKcenieu with tho boxescontainingtho electoral returns, one of those brought by the nies sengers and the otber Ihose received by mul. Jlr, Ferry took the chair; Speaker Raudall nat on mf right, aud the tellers occupied the Olerk'sdesk, each ha ving largo ttreots upon wüich to record the count. Mr. Ferry opened the packages, paeBcd theni to the tellers, and oue Bet of papers was read tlirough from cach State, those holding the duplicates by mail overlooking to see if there was correspondeoce. Alabama, Arkausas, Colorado, California, Conneoticut aud Delaware passed without objection. Then Florida was reached, and Mr. Stone, the teller, proceeded to read the cortlñcates. Tho reading of tho flrst certinca'e shewed four votes of Florida for Hayos aud Wheeler. Thon the presiding officer bandod to the tellers another certifícate received from the same State, whjcb, on being and Hcndr:ckB. The former certifícate was authenticated by tho lftte Gov. Stearns, and tbe latter by Attornev General Cocke. Then the presiding ofïïcer handed down to the tellers still another etrtiticato from Florida, received through a mes penger on ttfc 31st of January, and a correaponding one, received by mail on the 30Lh of January. This third is tho authenti catión of the act of the electora who voted for Tilden and Hendncks, and is made by the present Governor, Drew. Objection to the first certifícate for Hayes and Wheele was stgnod by Sonators Jones of Florida, Cooper, McDonald of Indiana, and by Kepreaettiatives Field, Tucker, Jenks and Springer. Tne Clcrk of the Houro read tbo paper. It astserts that those persons (Pierce, Hunjphreya, Iloldcn and Youug), aseuming to act as Prcsidontial electora, nevar were duiy appoiuted by the State of Florida. or Ín auy manner whatever; that the other four persons had been elccted, and had an irrevocable tïtle to office ; that the certifícate of election of tho flrst four porsons was untruly and corruptly procnred, and made in pursuance of a conspiracy belween thom and M. L. Sioarns, late Governor ; tbat they were usurpers, and that their acts are illegal, nuil aud void. Further objectious betag called for, Senator Sargent sent up to tho Clerk's desk and had read, on behalf of hlmself and Senators Conover, Shormaa and Teller, and Representativos Woodburn, Dutmfll, Kassou and McCrary, tbree several sots of objfetions to tbe votes cast by Cali, Hinton, Bullock and Yonge, Democratie electora, on tho ground that tbo papern are not authenticatod as rt cjuiréd by the constitution and lawa. Senator Jones, cf llorida, madd an objection specially to llumpliroys, as holding an offtce of trust and proflt undêr the United States. Mr. Karson made the additipual obj-ctionto tho tbird set of cerfificate,s becatiso thoy wero not authenticated by the person who held the office of Governor at thn timo that tho functions of the electors were exercised. There being no further objections, the Florida oertiftcatea aud papors accompanyiug them were sent to the tlectoral College Coromission for judgment and decisión, aud the Senate retired from ihe hall. Friday, Feb. 2 - Señale.- i bilí waa pawod relating to public accounts. It debars all claims against the Governmont, unleBs presen tod within six years from the timo tho same accruecl Mr. Ingalls introduced a bilí to enable Indians to become citlzcns of thn tTnited States Sevöral bilis of ininor Importance were passed. Houae. - Tho House devoted a considerable portion ot the session to tho Jgislative Approjriatiou bill. An amendment reduciDg the salarles of moiuberf; from $5,000 to $4,500 waa defeatcd. . . . Mr. Wood introduced a bill ropealing all taxes on bank capital. Satürday, Feb. 3.- Senate.- The credentials of Messrs. Davis, from West Virginia, i.nd Haunders, from Nobraska, were urosonted and flled The joint resolutions of tho Minnosota Lögl8lktur in favor of a law giving a bounty for the deptruction oí grasshoppers and their tsau was referred A resolution instructing the Committee on Appropristions to report a bill making an appropriation for tho support of the (iovernment printiug office was refcrr.d .... rr. Hamlin reported a bill authorizlng tho Post mastor General to pay the reut of prcmiseH occupied by Postmanters of the third class ; ho also Bubmittod an amendnionlt to the Postctnuo Appropriation bill apprnpriating 500,000 for Ptcamnliip mail service 1 ween San Francisco, Japan and China for ono year, and authorizing a contract with tho Pacific Mail Bteamship Corapany for transiiortingamo;tbly xnail betivcen the porta deatgned; he aiso fcul'üiitted an nmendment appropnating $200,000 from the revenues of the postofflee to obtiu proper focilities from the great Irunk lines for railway poötofflco service during the liscal year ending June 3E, 1878. Heuse.-- The Speaker laid before tho Houso a mesnage from tho President on the finaucial queetion, which was referred to the Goiniuittec od Vays and MeauB.... The day ww devotcd, in t:omuiittrc of the whole, to tho Lenislativo, Jmïicial ami Ex, ecutive Appropriation bil!. Tbc action of tbo eommittee iu cuttiug down tho salaries of tho I'n siilimt and Coygressmou to $25,000 aud $4,50 l, r ■- spectively, was uon-concurred in, and alter restoring tho oíd n,'iircH-$S0,000 and $5,(KT- tho Umi-'o passed tho bill. Monday. Fob. 5 - Senate - Mr. Hovre eubmitted a resolution instructitig the Presidont of tho Sfnate to issue hls warrant to arrest and brtng to the bar of the Bínate tho body of J. F. ï. UtJetleM, to show canse why ho shótlid not bo pnuisbod for con tempt, in rcfusing to obey a MUüinon to appi-a. ;in ii witness before tho Sonate (Joutinittco on Elections. Agred to. .. .Several bilis of a irivato nature were passed. UmiM. - The ecssion was exceediuglv brief, anU littlu or no bupimafj was transacted.