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Show - FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS. The Senate. Washington, December 10 The following is to-day's Senate proceedings: After the reading of the journal, Mr. Edmunds Ed-munds introduced a bill to provide for the establishment of . a postal telegraph. Referred Re-ferred to the Committee on Postomces and Post-roads. In introducing the bill, Mr. Edmunds said it was the same bill he had introduced at the last session of Congress, which went to the Committee on Poatoffices and Post-roads, and was reported upon by that committee so late in the session that the subject could not be considered by the Senate before the expiration of the session. He hoped the committee would now take the earliest opportunity to reoort it. A resolution offered by Mr. Morrill was agreed to, ordering the payment from the contingent fund of the Senate of the actual and necessary expenses of the Senate committee com-mittee appointed to attend the funeral of fieneral Grant. McPherson presented a joint resolution of the Legislature of New Jersey, recommending recommend-ing a Congressional inquiry into the fitness of a portion of the Territory of Alaska for the purpose of a penal colony for long term or life-term convicts. Bef erred to the committee com-mittee on Territories. A joint resolution, introduced by Mr. Morrill, Mor-rill, was read three times and passed, reappointing reap-pointing as members of the Board of Ke-genta Ke-genta of the Smithsonian Institute, John MacLean of New Jersey, Asa Gray of Massachusetts Massa-chusetts and Henry 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. Dolph introduced a bill to repeal the law of last session, providing for a settlement of the claims of officers and enlisted men of the army for the loss of private property destroyed des-troyed in the military service of the United States. This is the law to which the President Presi-dent calls attention in his message as indefinite indefi-nite in its terms and on which he says: "If it is to remain on the statute books it needs amendment." ' In moving a reference of the bill to the committee on military affairs, Dolph cited the President's comments and had the clerk read from the report of the Secretary of War the statements of that officer offi-cer with regard to the law in question, and to the difficulty experienced in its interpretation. interpre-tation. From these statements it appeared that one of the claims presented was for an indemnity for loss of clothing of a family of six; another for household furniture destroyed des-troyed in the great fire in Chicago, and another an-other for the loss of two gold watches. Mr. Dolph said he saw no reason why the Government Gov-ernment should act as insurer of the property prop-erty of officers and soldiers in its army, any more than of the property of any 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 paid for, and that it did not sufficiently suf-ficiently define the character of the articles that were to be covered by its provisions. Cookrell saw no reason for any difficulty in the interpretation of the law. Logan was opposed to the Government becoming insurer, but the act complained of admitted of no doubt as to its interpretation. interpre-tation. The bill was referred to the committee on military affairs. By Mr. George : To establish agricultural experiment stations in connection with the agricultural colleges in the several States. Iy Mr. Plumb : To open to homestead settlement set-tlement certain portions of the Indian Territory. Ter-ritory. This is t he Oklahoma bill of the last Congress. , - The Senate went into executive . session, and when the doors reopened adjourned until un-til Monday. |