Federal Legislation

Representativo Townsend, of New York, ha introduced il bill to abridge tie juriadiction of Federal courts. The bill simply repeals the right now existing to move causes from State to Federal courts, in cases involving questions in reference to the United States revenue, questions arising under the constitutinn or any treaty of the United States. One ■ object of the bill is to remove the inconvenienee arising to litigants in carrying their case6 from State courts to Federal coTirts. Another object is to aid in reducing the number of cases at present on the docket of the Supremo Court, whioh now number over 900, the majority of which are of the class contemplated in Mr. Townsend's bill. The Supreme Court is now threo years behind in its work. Mr. Oliver, of Iowa, offers a bill to abolish capital punishment. It provides that death shall not bo inflicted for nny crime committed against the United States or District of Columbia, nor for any offense hereafter committed by any soldier or mariuer in the service of the United States, and that the punishraent for crimes hereafter committed which are now by law punished by death shall be imprisonment for life. The same gentleman introduces a bill limiting the duration of patenta to five years, and not allowing the entire duration in the case of an extensión to exceed fifteen years ; also a bill providing for a joint convenüon of all civilized nations foi the purposu of establishing a uniform system of weights and measures. Mr. Giddings, of Texas, introduces a bill to authorize the establishment of an ocean-mail steamship service between tho United States and Brazil. It provides that the expense of the line shall be divided between the two Governments, the United States to pay not to exneed 100,000 por annum, during which time there shall be twelve round trips. The termini of the line shall be Galveston, Texas, and Kio Je Janeiro, in Brazil. Mr. Pacheco, of California, wants to regúlate the snrvey and sale of the timber lands of the United States. His bill provides that tho public lands, valuable ehiefly for timber, are declared not to be subject to entiy under the provisions of the Pre-emption or Homestead laws, but shall hereal ter be sold for cash or located with land warrants or scrip issued under the act of June, 1860, said land warrants and scrip to be reoeived at tho value of $1.25 per acre for the number of acres mentioned iu the warrants or scrip certificates. According to the bill these public lands shall remain for sale at $1.25 per acre, or L2.50 per acre where that price is rixed by existiug law. The bill further provides that the public lands, vduablc; cliiefly for timber, whieh have not been offered for sale according to law, returns of the survcy of which havo heretoforo been made and approved at any time befoie the expiration of the fiscal year ending on June 30, 1877, shall before being so offered be subject to sale or location at $2.50 per acre to citizens oi the United States and persons intending to become eitizens. Mr. Joyce, of Vermont, introduces a peculiar bill, which provides for the establishment of a commission of üve members on the subject of liquor traffic, wüose duty it shall be to investígate the subject in its economie, criminal, moral and scientiflc aspects, in connection with pauperism, crime, social vice, the public üealtb, and general welfare of the people; and also to inquire and take testimony as to tbc practical results of liceuse and restrictivo legislation lor the prevention of intemperante in the several States. Tho bill provides that the commission shail ascertain for the information of Congreps, as near as may bc, the number of gallons of wine, beer or distilled liquors annually consumed in different countries, including the United States; tho number of deaths annually i'rom alcoholism; the number and character of crimes caused by drinking; the diseases produccd by drinking, mental as well as physieal; the number of arrests for druukenness; tlie amount of pauperism produced by liquor-driuking; the amouut of revenue received by the Cioveruinent from the liquor traffic and liquor making; tlie amount of foodtransfoirned into alcohol; tho cost of alcohol consumed; the cost of caring for the crimináis and paupers made by such drinking; the amount of capital employed in tlie liquor-making and the traliie in it; the qnantity of spirituous liquors iinuoited and exported. Mr. Frye, of Maine, wants to allow persons charged with crime in tho United otates courts to tcstify in their own behalf. Mr. Banning, of Ohio, proposes to abolish the Inüian Bureau and transfer the care of the Indians to the War Department. Mr. Scales, of Nortn Carolina, offers a bill of the same purport. Mr. Buckner, of Missouri, otters an amendment to the coustitution designed to exclude Chinese from tlie privileges of citizenship. Mr. Pridemore, of Virginia, presente a bill to amend the Patent laws w as to provide that tlie grant to a patentee shall be for a term of sevanteen years, unless the invention be upon an agricultural, horticultmal, or mechanial implement or tooi, in which caso the grant shall be only lor a term of eight years, parmittiug a niissuing of tlie patent upon application at the expiration of that time. Mr. Springer, oi' Illinois, coutributes a bill for tho read justinent of the claims of American citizens against the Goverrmentof Venezuela. Mr. Kiddle, of Tennessee, proposes an amendment to the confttitutioD, providing for the election of Postmasters every four years by the yoters of the district, village, town, or city in which the duties of their oflices are to be pcrformed. Mr. Hartzell wants to divide the State of Illinois hito three judicial districts. Mr. Phillips, of Kansas, wants to create and open at all postotfiees whero the salary of the Postmaster is $1,000 per year aud upward, a savings bank where the people may deposit sums not less than 25 eents and nn amount not to exceed $200 from any one person. The bili further provides that where tlie account of a depositor shall reach the amount of $25 and when tlie depositor phall place it subject to cali on threo months' notico thereof, the depositor siiall receive on any and all such suras so deposited interest at the rato of 3 per cent. per annum. Mr. Hooker, of Mississippi, wants tlie Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Croek and Seminóle Indiana represented in Congres?, and has introduced a measure to that elIVct. Mr.Glover, of Missouri, offers a bill to remove the legal disabilities of women. It provides that auy woman who shall have been a member of the bighest court of any State or Territory, or of the Suprema Court of the District of Columbia, for tho space of three years, and shall have maintained a good standing before such court, and who shall be a person of good moral character, shall, on motion and production of suoh record, bc admitted to practice before the Supremo Court of the United States. Mr. Buckner, of Missouri, wants to provide for the national cducation of women by establishing a National Female University in the District of Columbia. Mr. Willis, of New Yoik, presents a bill for the education of the blind. It proposes an appropriation of $250,000, to be invosted in United Stiltes bonds as a perpetual fuud, the interest on which is to be paid seuiUamiuHlIy U the Trustees of t]io American Priutjog Heust Jq( the Blind at LoutiVÖla, Mt. Vcnng, of Tenneioee, ltefldnoM a bilí for Üie construction of levees along the Mississippi river. It provides for the nppointmont of a Board of Lovee Commissionfrs to take charge of the work. It also authoriaes tho Secretary of the Treasury to issuo thífty-yeaf bonds, beiring interest at '4 per cent, per imnum, to the amount of $45,000,000, tlie proceeils to be appliod to the construction of such works as may be recommended by the board, a tax'to bs levied upon all lands reclaimed from overflow, and upon the tonnage of ail vessels navigatiDg the streara in the levee district; this tax to coistitutc a sinking fund for the payment of the principal and interest of the bond, and the cost and expenses of keeping the levees in repair.