Congressional Proceedings

Tuesday, Jan. 21.- Senate.- Mr. Morrill, from the Gommittee on Finalice, reporied, without amen dra ent, the House bilí pasaed by 'he House on thti KHh inst., to facilítate the refunding of the national debt. Placed on the calendar Mr. MatfhewB presented a bilí to prevent the iutroduction of contagiaus or infecí ious diseaaes in the Uuited States, and to establish a Bureau of Public Health, Referred Mr. Chaffne introduced a joint resolufcUro direeting the cancellatiou of $1 and $g United States notes. Laid on the table, to be called up by Mr. Chaffee hereafter The Senate bilí to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to deposit certain funde held by him aa trustee for the Imlian tribes in the treasury of the United States in lien ot investinent, led to a long discusKion, without action. House. - Mr. Potter offered a resolution izing an investigaron into the cipher dispatchea, i which led to a protracted debate. Mr. Potter i Inded to the hÍHtory connected with the formation , of the Potter Coramittee, and lus rfnfial at that j time to aliow an amendment to the resolution eo I that the Oregon dispatehes should be inquired i iuto. He deniad that he had ever been controlled by Tilden In any way. Mr. Butler cpposed the resolution. He thought the House had no jurisdictioo over the subject, and ', said it would be better to .?ive the $10 000 aithed for to the fainiliOK oL poor men, instead of wastIng it in lnvestig&ting prfvatu diepatches Mr. Hale followed in a brief Kpwh, earuetly f ing the investigatinn. He th&nght it wás duo to I the simple oíd man in New Vork who was dragfjed out aa a Democratie candidato, and vraose pood name was imperiled by bis tru&ted friénds. Mr. Conger qaid. tliat the BepubHcahn carne here in Decemier, expectins the Dvmocracy to runh forward with a resolntion for i Ra-ting-, but hc had been amazed at the long ' Hilrnee. The Republicana kept quiet, but it m as i hard work. and he vas glad now, at thia latö hour, that Mr. Potter had been mored. Mr. Hewltt favored the resolution, saying tlmf. aa Chairraan of the Dtmooratie National Committee, ho hnd never sent a diupatch which ivould not bear the lilit. Ii ■ never beurd nf these cipher I diapatche untiï they wen in print. Ttie i tion was dc-manded by justice to aaontraged leader of the Democratie party, and by the party ltself. : Au investitíatinn wrmld vindieate TUdeo from mnny heaped apon him by the Repnbilcans. The í resolution was tnen adopted by a vote of 123 veas to 190 naya. Wkdnesdat, Jan. 2:.'.- Senate. -Mr. I land, from OOBimitteon Public Lande, mitted a ininority rpnrt on the claim cf Mr. McOarrahan, toerr-ther with a bilí ulacinj; all rlaimitntH to the Kancho Panoche Grañd. iu California, in th' Oiurt of Claims, with the rifrht ' of appeal to tïie Rnpreme Court. l.aid on the table. th bill and report to be print -d The Hou e bilí to tarjlitatc the reftindinc of the ua tional debt was paBed unnnimouely. Tltebill now goett to the lresident Mr. Davis (Ill.i iutrodneed a bilí to prevent and puniHh counterfeitiuii. within I the United Staten, of notes, bonds, wid other ' curitlee of foreign Gtovernments, lteferred. Houkk. - The bill was pnssed appropriatiiiK : I for the tranwportation of eoin and bulliem, j and - 10. 000 for the miscëllaneotiö expenses of the House.. ..The Senate amendments to the Indian Appropriation bill were non-concurrcd in. ...Mr. Btephens introduced a bill defming and ! íuíí the dutiCH of the Secretary of tht ; Ti-eamiry in certain cases. Iteferred Quito a stormy debate aróse in regard to the 8oulhern Claim bill, in thé conrse of which Mr. Bragg, ■ of Wisconsin, stated that. if the South was solid for the Democratie party simply for thn purpose of getÜnK money out of the treasury, it would be l well for the Northern Democracy if the Soutliern ; Democrats went over to the Hepublican party, and ! he hoped they WOUld do BO. Mr. Elliw, OÍ Ix)Ui iana. replied to Mr. lírags. He said the Southern j people were as trne to the Democratie party as the gentleman from Wisconein (Bragtf), and it waf in obedieiK'e to Democratie tachiBgS, as the Southern people had underatood them, that they had gone into the war. Thurbday, Jat. 23.- Senate.- Mr. Morrill, from the special committee in regard to lalt ing the I census, i !■}-.(. rtt-d a bill. which ffu placed on the ! calendar. ...Mr. Buvuaidc raported favorably tlie l House bill to promote the t-ducatio of the blind . . . .The report uf thfi conference committee on the I Conuular and Diplomatic Appropriation bill waa agreed to, and the Til 1 paaöed. The total amonnt appropriated In 1.! ■TM.OS The bill to amend the ; patent lawe wan diácuB&Bda HoutiE. - The conference report on the Consular and Diplomatic Appropriation bill was agreed to. i ....The Postofnce Appropriation bill was then , ported The Hoiise, in QOiamltte ot the whole, debatéd ut length the bill tq apply the proceeds of j the aal'1 of public lamia to the education of the i pie Mr. Cox (N. Y.), Chairman of the ('uiinnittec on Qantna, reported a bilí for taklog. the federal censns. Ordered printed aiul n-connniited. ir. Ilyan, trom the name coraraíttee, sulmnttcd the ! views nf rhe minority. Ordered i)rinto] and : commltted. . . . An eveñing sesaion waa held tor the ' consideratfon of the bill for the classification of ' mail matter, and to regálate the rate of postage ' thereon. It dividen the mail matter into I Eour classes: Fint, writtext matter; t-"7o])d, ' periódica! publieations undor registraron; tliird, misceUaneotifl printttd matter; nnj fourth, merehaiiLlÍKt'; and makes the rute.í of postage uniform on all perlodieala, whethor daily. weekly, nionthly or quarterly. ïlie bilí was Hatí&factory to he publishérs of the country. A nuinber of amenamente were offeren!, and, after debate, rejected, when Mr. Waddell, Cbairman of the committee, toniarked that the bill had tbe approral oE all tlie entúnate pubÜBhors of tbe country, and that it ras bciutí " talked to death by chln-nmsic," aud be hereforo moved to adjouvn. Ají reed to. Fridat, Jan. 34.- Senate.- There was little or nothlng done. Mr. Edmunds rnade another unsuccesHful attempt to take up tbe resolutions recently submitted by him, declarlng the validity oí the Thirtecnth, Fourtcenth and Fiftecnth aniendments to the constitution. House.- Mr. Fuller submitted a resolution directing the Committee on Ways and Meana to considef tbe feasibility óf cnactin a lfcw to eqnallze the internal-revenue tai among all r1.-: States. Adoptod The House wentinto commïtlee of tlie whole, Mr. Bell in the chair, on tlie prívate calendar. Almowt all the the war-claira billa were objerted to by Mr. BraRf?. Th commiitee rose, and twclve private bilJft reported were passed by ttie House... .Mr. Bannlng presented a substttnte for the Ariny rjraiiization bilí, and askcd to have it priuted. So ordered. Satuiíday, Jan. 25.- Senate.- Not ia sesbíoii. HotlfiE. - Tlie House devoted the entire day, ín committee of the whole, to the consideraron of the Postoffl.ce Apju-ojiriation bilí, no other business being tranaacted. Mondat, Jan. 27.- Senate.- Tbo credcntiala of Senator Shields, of Missouri, were presented, aud he took the oath of office A large number of billa were referred, includinp one by Mr. Ferry, to rcorganize and discipline the militiíi of the United States Tlie bilí to abolisU the volanteer navy of the United States was paesed. .Mr. Edmunds, from the Judiciary Committoa, reported back the House joint resolution proposinsf an ameuduient to the constitntion prohlbiting the payment of claims of disloyai persons for property injured or destroyed ín the War of ihe Kclx'llion. witli an aimudment in the nature of a subfttitute. Haced on the calendar... .The cliiini of wacren Mitchell, amounting to 1138,000, for cot Ion JEBizod dortng tb. trac gave rise to conidora ble debate. Beu Hill. of tíi'nrgia, uiade the priB cipa] npeccli. in which he took vigorous grouud against war claims of every description. . . The New York nominatioiiB engroshed the attentioi of tlie 8enate in exeeutive sension. The time was ehietiy devoted to the reaúing oí Arthnr'9 re pi y to Becretary Bherman. Mr. Conklini? coniented hiniself with maklng n. forma report of tUt acilun of J I vnifbi which was adverse ín the case of Merritt for Col lector and Burt for Naval Offlcer, but in öïö api oí Graliam. nominatcd Cor Surveyor iu pl;uc of Merritt, as luis wa.s the filïing of a vacaney. the conaiüittee reported in favor of confirmiition. After considerable discussion it was cieriried by the ÖMiate to remove the injunctiou of eecrecy from all the papers. Hotisfi.- Mr'. Wrighl's bill loaning $50) to etery man who is not wórth $300, who döslres to fcake adrantage of the provisions of the Homestead law, was taken up. After discuesion, the bill was defcatfd- yeas, 123; nays, 13 .. Mr. Haokell movr-d te suspend the rules and pass the bill authorizing the Scentary of War to reet headstones over the graves of Un-ion soldiers intarred in private, viUagfl oi city cemeteries. Agreed to.