Show THE CONGRESSIONAL RUSH The Senate WASHINGTON March 20n motion oJ Dawes the House bill to grant a right of way through the Indian Territory to the Chicago Kansas Nebraska railway was taken from the calendar and passed On motion of Platt the House bill tc annex a portion of Idaho to Washington Territory was taken from the calendar and passed with amendments A conference was asked on the amendments Senator Platt inquired of Senator Hoar the meaning and purport of the report made this morning from the Committee on Privileges Privi-leges and Elections in the case of Senator eleot Turpie of Indiana Mr Hoar replied that under the general rule of the Senate the functions of that committee expjre with the Congress and all its papers are returned to the Senate and placed on file The credentials of Tur pie had to be returned by the committee without action They had until noon of the fourth day of March Acting under the operation of that general rule the same thing would have then happened which had happened this morning tbat is the papers would have gone on the files of the Senate and the committee would have been discharged dis-charged from their further consideration TheonlyaUernatiya that course would have boon an assumption by the committee or by the Senate at the present session to deal with the credentials of the gentleman claiming to be the Senatorelect before the time had arrived for the beginning of his term and before he had presented himself The Senate was a continuing body and it was therefore possible that it might be within its Constitutional power to determine deter-mine in advance the rignt of a Senator to his seat but it would be a violation of all Constitutional precedents and it would ben be-n his judgment a violation of the sense of justice and propriety of the Senate and the American people The conference report was then agreed to without division A recess was then taken until 8 oclock EVENING SESSION When tho Senate resumed its session the Deficiency bill was reported from the House read a first and second time Mr Edmunds not being present and referred to the Committee Com-mittee on Appropriations The bill for ascertaining and settling pri vate land claims in New Mexico Arizona and Colorado which waspending when the recess was taken was again taken up After a long disoussion the bill was amended so as to make it applicable to other States and Territories and was passed without division A conference was asked THE OLD CLAIMS BILL The Senate then took up the House bill for the allowance for claims reported by the ooounting officers of the United States treasury Department The bill was ordered printed There are ninetythree pages giving the names of the several claimants and the amount due to each the majority being for quite small sums They are chiefly for quartermasters and commissaries stores taken by the army during the war in Missouri Mis-souri West Virginia Kentucky Maryland and some portions of Tennessee There having been some 58000 such claims filed under the act of July 418G4 Mr Sherman denounced the law which required re-quired these small claims after being allowed al-lowed by the Treasury to be passed upon by Congress necessitating tho employment of attorneys who exacted fees of 30 40 and 50 per cent He argued that they should be paid not to the attorneys but directly to strike from the claimants He moved to the amendment reported by the committee the clause which makes the drafts payable the order of claimants but deliverable to to he attorneys or agents who have filed powers of attorney Mr Harris moved to amend that provISion provis-ion so as to leave the Treasury Department matter of payment under its to act in the oWn rules and regulations t Sherman assented to that position and the bill was so amended The bill was then passed without division and a conference was asked Appropriation bill was The Legislative first and reoeived from the House read n second time Edmunds not being present and referred to the Committee on Appropri ations Resolutions in memory of Messrs Arnold I I Representatives from Beach and Dowdney the State of New York were presented Miller addressed the Senate in memory of the deceased Blackburn also eulogized Arnold Like resolutions referring to the death of the late Representative Price of Wisconsin were presented Spooner who addressed I the Senate The resolutions were severally adopted I I I I The nousa The Conference report on the River I I and Harbor bill was agreed to yeas 177 nays 89 1 I Peel of Arkansas submitted a conference report on the Indian Appropriation bill and I I it was agreed to f Burnes of Missouri moved to suspend the rules and pass the Deficiency Appropriation I I Appropria-tion bill I I read Another hour was consumed in the ing of this measure of Illinois said if the bill were Cannon I I consideration in the ordinary way up for to recommit it It was not he would move a report that was before the House upon courteous to the minority either the proper committee or Yesterday for the first I I of it had never been I the report time he saw committee but if it to the submitted emanated from any person but the gentle Burnes he was Missouri man ignorant from of that fact The bill appropriated about 3500000 In the main he concurred in its recommendations It was conspicuous for what was not in it It omitted an arc propriation of 2000000 for service rendered by the Central Pacific Railroa Company over the 2000 miles of its lease line The Supreme Court had held that that sum was due and payable by the Government Gov-ernment He was not here to make a plea for the Central Pacific but only to call attention at-tention to the fact that notwithstandin this decision of the highest tribunal in tho land the Committee on Appropriation exercising sovereign power to repudiate the obligations of the Government had refuse to make the appropriation The report of the committee stated tha in the suit upon which judgment was rendered ren-dered the equities were not presented rhe case had been i repared by a Demoorati AttorneyGeneral and if that officer by fraud collusion or ignorance failed to do his duty the gentleman from Missour should have moved articles of impeachment Burnes of Missouri in response to Cannons Can-nons criticism said that while the repor had not been formally presented to tho committee it had been approve 1informaly by the members of the majority and hac been printed for one week As far as the obligations of the Government were concerned con-cerned he would never vote to repudiate them but he contended that while the Central Pacific owed the Government 60 000000 the Government had a right to take 2000000 and hold it in the Treasury tc the credit of the company until the day of settlement came Patent fraud had beer committed by the company and it was easy to turn to facts and circumstances that before be-fore a jury would convict every member of that corporation who had participated in its management for the last ten years of conduct that would make him better fitted for the cell of a prison house than for the chamber of statesmen The motion to suspend the rules was agreed to and the bill was passed with an amendment appropriating 27000 for printing print-ing and finishing additional silver certificates certifi-cates and legal tender notes of the denomination denomi-nation of land i2 Holman moved to suspend the rules and put upon its passage the Legislative Appropriation Appro-priation bill The House passed the Legislative Executive Execu-tive and Judicial Appropriation bills under n suspension of the rules The Legislative Appropriation bill passed by a vote of 138 to 44 Mr Morrison of Illinois called up the conference reoort on the fractional gallon tax bill Mr Butterwortb of Ohio raised a question ques-tion of consideration and the House refused yeas 101 nays 142 to consider the confer mce report Mr Belmont of Now York presented a conference report on the Fisheries Retaliatory Retalia-tory bill announcing a disagreement Mr Rice of Massachusetts called upon he members of the House to rise above arty considerations and take action which would sustain the Administration in the manly and able American position that it tad taken on this subject He moved that he House recede from its amendments to he Senate bill Pending action the House took a recess tillS oclock the evening session to be devoted oted to the consideration of the bridge tills EVENING SESSION A large number of bills were passed an horizing the construction of bridges THE NAVAL APPBOPB1ATION The aggregate increase to the Naval Appropriation Ap-propriation bill by the Senate Committee on Appropriations is between twenty and twentytwo millions but inasmuch as the largest expenditure covers a period of five years it is estimated that the additional appropriation ap-propriation for the next fiscal year will not exceed six millions which will raise the aggregate expenditure for the year to between be-tween 31000000 and 32000000 The Senate Sen-ate Committee strikes out the House provision pro-vision of 2740000 for two steel cruisers and substitutes an appropriation of 9000 000 for six protected steel cruisers and 1200000 to pay premiums for extra speed of the same It also appropriated 2880000 for the armament of these vessels An appropriation ap-propriation 6000000 is made for the construction con-struction of heavily armed vessels floating batteries and rams and of 2000000 for their armament 800000 is appropriated for tho construction of lightdraft gunboats gun-boats 720000 for torpedo boats 600000 for torpedoes and torpedo appliances 112 000 for the purchase of the Destroyer and 10000 for her care and operation Provision Pro-vision for the equipment of vessels is increased in-creased 100000 thatfor the purchase of a proving ground is increased 20000 and that for rebuilding wharves at the Boston Bos-ton Navy Yard is increased 25000 The appropriation for the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing is decreased 30000 NOMINATIONS The President sent the following nominations nomina-tions today to the Senate To be Assistant AdjutantsGeneral with the rank of Colonel William D Whipple and Chaunoey MoKeever To be Assistant AdjutantsGeneral with the rank of LieutenantsColonel Major Oliver D Greene Major Samuel Breek Major Henry C Wood and Major James P Martin Navy Captain James H iillis to be Commodore Com-modore Commander James O Knne to be Captain Cap-tain LieutenantCommander John McGowan to be Commander BILLS APPROVED The President has approved the following acts of Congress Granting a right of way to the Presoott Arizona Central Railway Company across the Whipple Barracks Reservation in Arizona Ari-zona to authorize the Fremont Elkhorn ii Missouri Valley Railway to build its road across Fort Meade Military Reservation BIVEB AND HABBOR DILL The changes made in the River and Harbor Har-bor Appropriation bill as compared with the measure passed by the Senate are with two exceptions reductions The principal items changed stand as follows in the bill accepted by the House Harbors 225000 Buffalo New York 75000 Humboldt California 70000 Ya anina Bay Oregon 125000 Cascades of the Columbia Oregon 223000 Columbia Oregon 50000 Lower Willamette Oregon 275 000 Missouri River 175000 the Mississippi Mis-sissippi from the mouth of the Illinois River tothe mouth of the Ohio 1400000 the Mississippi River below the mouth of the Ohio THE CEIPPAWA INDIANS The result of the negotiations between the Interior Department and the Chippewa Indians of Minnesota looking to a modifioa tion of existing treaties and changes of reservation was today submitted to the House by the Secretary of the Interior The Secretary says he has no doubt the Commission made the best terms possible with the Indians and while the agreements not be entirely satisfactory the inter may est of the Indians seem to have been well considered and cared for Therefore he thinks the treaties should be ratified and if this is done it will in his opinion afford the means for opening up a large tract of country in a way which will enable the Indians In-dians as well as the United States to benefit bene-fit therefrom THE WElL LABBA CLAIM Senator Morgan yesterday introduced resolutions re-solutions requesting the Presidentto suspend sus-pend further payments in the Weil and LAbra claims against Mexico until the question of fraud in obtainingawards shall have been fully investigated BITER AND HABBOB DILL and The conference report on the River Harbor bill has been adopted by the Senate The bill now goes to the President for signature I nature I i natureTHE HAVE BEACHED AN AGBEEMENT and the Diplomatic The conferees on Consular bill haye reached an agreement I The bill stands practically us it was passed by the Senate |