The Week In Congress

Washington City, July 19.- Bills were reported to the senate yesterday to establish a bureau of harbors and waterways in the war department ; reducing postage on third and fourth class matter to one cent for two ounces, and Spooner's bill plaeing the telegraph service under the supervisión of the inter-state commerce commission. Cullom offered a resolution instructing the interstate commerce committee to inquire into the p-opriety of extending the inter-state law to telegraph and express companies, and to all railways. Blair's resolution to give thé Craig telegraph system a test in the capítol was agreed to. The bill to admit Washington territory and part of Idaho as a state was debated without action, and the senate, af ter an executive sessiou, adjourned. The house continued the considoration of the Mills bill. The first paragraph discussed as that putting on the free list iron and steel hoops used for b.iling cotton, not thinner than No. 20 wire guage. It was amended to read "all iron and steel hoops," etc., and then adoptod. The existing rate of duty on cement, whiting and Paris white were restored, and the pottery section was taken up. The duty on decorated china porcelain, parían, earthen, stone or crocker ware, was increased from 45 to 50 per cent ad valorem. Buchanan failed in an effor to restore existing rates on all pottery, an the glass section being reached the duty on glass bottles, cylinder, crown and window glass was slightly increased. This section was adopted, and in the tobáceo section Mills proposed the reatoration of. present ratea on ïeaf tobáceo. A dispute as to how much tim should be allowed to debate this motion resulteil in filibustering by the Republican leaving the house without a quorum, and an adjournmeut was carried at 4 :0ñ p. m. Washington City, July 20.- The senate yesterday passed the bill amending the "Ba( Debt" envelope law, making such envelope unmailable ; also the house bill requiring th Pacific railways operating telegrapn lines t take all business on the same terms. At 2 p m. an exeeutive session was begun, whic lasted until 5:30, when the senate adjourned Justice Fuller's nomination was not taken up, but the nomination of Samuel J. Bigelow to be district attorn ey of New Jersey was rejected. Evarts, Edmunds and others vigorously opposed it. The house refused to pass the bill for a public building at Aliento wn, Pa., over the president's yeto, and then resumed the Mills bill in committee of the whole. The amendment restoring the present duty on leaf tobacco and one doing the same thing for pipes and smokers' articles were agreed to, and speeches in favor and against the bill by Springer, Dingley and Reod closed the consideration of the same in committee. It was then reported to the house amid bearty applause by the Demoerats, and further consideration postponed until Saturday at 11 :30 a. m. A recess was then taken to S p. m. , at which session a bill was passed providing for monthly payments to the army at the discretion of the war office. A point of no quorum stopped considuratiou of a bU to appropriate 100,000 for a monument to the memory of the victims of British prison ships in the days of '70, and the house, at 12:50, adiourned. Washington City, July 21. - The uaval appropriatioii b 11 was reported in the senate yesterday. The senate went into executire session at 12:30 and continued therein unt 3:15, during which time the nomination oí M. TV". Fuller, of Chicago, to be chief justice of the United States supreme court, was conflrraed. Chandler offered a resolution declaring that the president has no constitutional right to appoint plenipotentiaries to negotiate treaties without the concurrence of the senate. The bilí to prohibit Chinese laborers entering this country was calied up and debated until 5:05, when, without action, the aenate adjourned. The house passed the senate bilí atíng $250,000 to aid the States in maintaining homes íor disabled soldiers, and then adopted the conference report on the river and harbor bill. The bill asagreed to appropriates $32,277,116, or $2,374,333 more than the house originally put into it, and carrles the provisión for surveys between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi river- the Hennepin scheme. Bills for the retirement oí Gen. W. F. Smith and A. J. Suiith, with the rank of colonel and Gen. W. YT. Averill, with the rank of captain, were passed. A bill for the relief of Samuel Noble, for the loss of 800 bales of cotton, wasdebated without action uutil 4:30 p. m., when the house took recess until 8 p. m. At the night session tweuty-four private pension bilis were passed, and at 10:30 the house adjourned. Washington City, July 23.- The senate Saturday h?ld a short executive session of no special importanco, and than passed the bill to reimburse the depositors in the Freedmeu's Savings and Trust eorapany for losses incurred in the failure of the company. Teller then made a speech against the fisheries treaty. A bill was passed appropriating $300,000 for an appraiser's building at Chicago, and bilis were passed for bridges across the Missouri, near Winona and est City, D. T., and Sioux City, Iowa, and across the Mississippi at Burlington, Iowa. The senate then adjourned. The house occupied Saturday in listening to Mills cióse the debate on the tariff bill and in voting on that measure, whioh was passed by the following vote: Yeas, 162; nays, 141. After this business was completed au attempt was made to adjourn unti[ Wednesday, but f ailed, and instead the house took a recess until 8 p. ra., at which session a bill was passed providing for the payment of claims arising from Indian depredations, such claims to be adjudicated by three commissioners to be appointed by the president, and to be knowu as the court of Indian depredations. The house at 10 o'clock adjourned. Washington City. July 24.- The senate yesterday agreed to the conference report on the river and harbor bilL Consideratiou of the fisheries treaty was then resumed and Dawes made an extended speech against the treaty. The report of the committee on judiciary on the matter of the Jackson, Miss., election, was reoeived an 1 crdered printed. A presidential message on the subject of civil service reform was read and referred. The house bill for the relief of the Southern Illinois Normal university was passed and the ssuate adjourned. Barely a quorum was present in the house and little business was transactsd. Many j requests for leave of absence were granted. I The seuate bill to perfect the quarantine service and some bilis for the benuiit of tho District wero passed. The conference report on the bill to compel the Paciüc railways to do all telegraph business on equal terms was agreed to and the house adjourned. Washington City, July 35.- A sharp debate took place in the senate yesterday over a motion to print 5.000 extra copies of the pension committee's report on vetoes. Au ameuduieut was otïered to print 100,000 oop ies of thí president's veto messages, but the whole matter went over and tbe sundry civi bill was reported with an amendment to re luud the "direct tax" to the states. The same measure cau.wd t'.ie dead-lock in the early days of the house this session. The uava bill was toen tuke'i up, and au amendmenl adopted to substitute three 3,0ü0-tou cruisers in place of a 7,500-ioa armoret cruiser. The bill was reported to the senate frora committee of the vvhole and provides for two steel i', ton cruisers, one 5,300-ton steel cruiser. and three 2,000-ton armored cruisers - all to cost not more than $8,100,000. The bill then went over and Hoar offered a resolution to appoint a com mittee to consider questions of business in Canada and the United States and the claims we have against Great Britain on aceount o! treaty violations, etc. Without actioa the senate adjourned. The house did not have a quorum present. The senate bilis for a $200,000 appraiser's building at Chicago and prohibiting the use of transparent envelopes in the mails were passed; also the bill to forfeit the lands granted the Hastings & Dakota railway. The Oklahoma bill was taken up ia committee of the whole, but without action the committee rose and a night session was ordered, at which session several bilis were pa&ied relating to lands in the west, of no general importance