Show c AtJrtf tf Qrq j I J J U The Doings in Congress on l j Thursday 2 I ffiEIAJT OF HUM AM ETCHERS if T VJ rrjrj Y > fJ i V s V JAn iAn i-An Interesting Batch of Mlscollnn l I x eouBf Telegraphic News jltems from Various Quarters 1 J 1 FORXTfflNTfl CONGRESS I I83K I n I i1 < Ai J < j SENATE WASHINGTON N tDecember iofl After the reading of the journal Mr Ed munds introduced bill to provide for I the establishment of a postal telegraph Referred to the committee on post offices apd post roads In introducing the bill MrEdmunds said it was the same bill he had introduced at the last I sessionoffCongress which went to the committee on postoffices and pst roads and sported upon bY hat corn J mittee so late in the session that the subject could nol be considered by the Senate before the expiration of the session ses-sion Ha hoped the committee would now lake the earliest opportunity to report it A resolution offered by Morrell was agreed itO ordering the payment from the contingent fund of the Senate of the actual and necessary expenses of pth Senate committee appointed to attend at-tend the funeral oLGeneral l Grant A resolution offered by Mr Dolph was agreed to calling on the Secretary of War to transmit to the Senate copy of the report of Captain W H Bixby of the United States Engineer Corps relating to the sea ooast fortification in Europe in 1881 and 1862 McPherson presented a joint resolution resolu-tion of the Legislature of New Jersey recohihf ding a Congressional inquiry into hefitness of a portion of the Territory Ter-ritory of Alalska l fo r tHe purpose of a penal colony for a long term or life term convicts Referred to the committee com-mittee on Territories A joint resolution introduced by Mr Morrell was read three times and passed j e ippoining as members of the board regents of the Smithsonian Institute John MacLean of New Jersey Asa Gray of Massachusetts and Henry I Coppe of Pennsylvania and also appointing on the same board General Meigs of Washington in place of General Sherman rendered ineligible by the removal of his residence from Washington Wash-ington Dolph introduced a bill to repeal the law of last session providing for the settlement of claims of officers and enlist en-list d men of the army for loss of private pri-vate property destroyed in the military service of the United States Thisis the law to which the President calls attention at-tention in hL v message as indefinite I in its terms and to which he says If it is to remain on the statute books it needs amendment In moving the reference re-ference of the bill to the committee on military affairs Dolph cited the Presidents Presi-dents comments ana had the clerk read from the reportjof the Secretary of War the statements of that officer with regard re-gard to the Jaw in question ana the difficulty dif-ficulty expressed in its interpretation From these statements it appeared that onejof the claims presentea was for indemnity in-demnity for the loss of the clothing of a family of six Another for the household house-hold furniture destroyed in the great fire in Chicago and another for the loss of two gold watches Mr Dolph said he saw no reason why the government should act as an insurer of the property of oncers and soldiers in its army anymore any-more than the property of many more of its servants and agents He objected to the law also upon the ground that it established no limit to the amount of property that should be l paid for and that jf did not sufficiently define the character of the articles that were to be covered bY its provisions Cockrell saw no reason fr any difficulty in the interpretation of the lawLogan was opposed to the government govern-ment becoming an insurer but the act complainedof admitted of no doubt as to its interpretation The bill was referred to the committee commit-tee on military affairs By Mr GeorgeTo establish agrii cultural experiment station n nconnec thin with the agricultural colleges In the several States i j Bv Mr PlumbT open tohomestead settlement certain portions of Indian Territory This is the Oklahama bill of last Congress The Senate wen tin to executive session and when the doors reopened adjourned nntil Monday |