Southern Standard

FORTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS.

In the Senate, on the 30th, Mr. Edmunds, from the Judiciary Committee, reported favorably with an amendment the bill re-establishing the Court of Commissioners of Alabama claims and for the distribution of unappropriated moneys of the Geneva award.

Further discussion on the Sherman funding bill was confined to the merits of the fourth section of the act of 1874, which the amendment of Mr. Vest repeals, and sections 5,159 and 5,160 of Revised Statutes, which it re-enacts......Among bills introduced in the House was one by Mr. Berry proposing a constitutional amendment making a person holding the office of President ineligible for re-election, providing that at the end of his term of office the President shall receive a pension of $6,000 per annum, and declaring Cabinet officers ineligible for election to the Presidency for the term following that during which they held such office.

Messrs. HAWLEY and Ingalls discussed the Sherman funding bill in the Senate on the 31st, Mr. Vest's amendment was rejected—yeas 28, nays 32. Mr. Plumb's amendment was agreed to—33 to 29. It is as follows: "That the Secretary of the Treasury shall use all of the funds now in the Treasury for the redemption of United States notes, in excess of $100,000,000, in redemption of bonds of the United States, such redemption to be made in not less than three installments, and said sum of $100,000,000 so left in the Treasury shall not be increased or diminished, except in redemption of United States notes."......The Speaker of the House stated the regular order to be the question of reference of the joint resolution introduced some weeks ago by Mr. Robeson (N. J.) to declare certain lands heretofore granted to railroad companies forfeited to the United States, and restore the same to the public domain, and open the same to settlers. Mr. Robeson withdrew the resolution, and introduced in lieu of it one which applied to all railroads except the Pacific Railroads, in reference to which bills had already been introduced. Referred to Judiciary Committee.

When the three-per-cent. bond bill was reached in the Senate, Feb. 1st, Mr. Morgan advocated, as an additional section, an amendment as follows: That the agreement made with the holders of bonds of the United States since the adjournment of the Forty-sixth Congress by which the rate of interest on such bonds is reduced to 3½ per centum per annum is hereby fully ratified and confirmed according to the terms and intent of said agreement. The amendment was modified and adopted without vote, as also the provision offered by Mr. Davis, of West Virginia, declaring that nothing in the act shall be so construed as to authorize the increase of the public debt. The bill was then reported from Committee of the Whole, and, the question being upon agreeing to the amendments as a whole, Mr. Sherman asked for a separate vote upon Mr. Plumb's amendment applying the surplus revenues over $100,000,000 to the reduction of the public debt. He said if the proposition was not stricken out he and others who had acted with him would be compelled to vote against the bill. House concurrent resolution fixing the 27th of February as the day for the Garfield memorial services was concurred in......The Post-office appropriation bill occupied the House, but no action was taken.

Further discussion of Mr. Plumb's amendment to the three-per-cent bond bill in the Senate, Feb. 2, resulted in its rejection—yeas 25, nays 27. Debate followed on the amendment proposed by Mr. Ingalls and modified by Mr. Hoar, which was adopted—43 to 10. It inserts the words "which are hereby declared valid" in the first section, making the section read "that the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to receive at the Treasury and at the office of any Assistant Treasurer of the United States, and at any postal money order office, lawful-money of the United States to the amount of $50, or any multiple of that sum, on any bonds of the United States bearing 3 per cent. interest, which are hereby declared valid, and to issue in exchange therefor an equal amount of registered or coupon bonds."......In the House, Mr. Bingham (Pa.) advocated an amendment to the Post office bill increasing by $100,000 the appropriation for expenses of the free delivery system, urging its extension and an increase of salary to letter carriers.
FEB. 8. the Senate took action on the Saunders' bill to extend the northern boundary of the State of Nebraska. Mr. Edmunds thought the act should be subject to all the limitations pertaining to the original act for the admission of Nebraska into the Union. The only point that now occurred to him was in reference to the free navigation of the Missouri River. He offered an amendment putting his suggestion into effect. Adopted.

The bill then passed.

Mr. Hawley's amendment to the funding bill, limiting withdrawals of bank circulation, under the fourth section of the act of 1874, to $5,000,000 per month, and requiring thirty days' previous notice thereof, was adopted, and the bill was passed by vote of 38 to 18.

The bill appropriating $200,000 for a site for a War Department building, as amended in committee, was also passed. Adjourned till Monday, 6th....The bill releasing the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company from the tax assessed on wages certificates heretofore issued was reported back unfavorably and tabled—109 to 49. A motion to adjourn till Monday was rejected—yeas 104, nays 105.