By Mr. Sherman: The memorial of citizens of the State of Ohio, praying pensions to soldiers of the war of 1812. By Mr. Covode: The petition of Letta Thompson, widow of Nelson Thompson, praying pension under act of March 3, 1837. By Mr. Vance: The memorial of citizens of the State of North Carolina, praying an amendment of the invalid pension laws in certain particulars. By Mr. Brabson: The petition of William B. McCamy, praying pension for services in the Mexican war. By Mr. Fenton: Three petitions of citizens of the State of New York, praying pensions to soldiers of the war of 1812; Also, the petition of James Alexander, praying pension for services in the Mexican war. Ordered, That the said petitions and memorials be referred to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. By Mr. Carter: The memorial of the East Washington Library Association, praying Congress to incorporate said association; which was referred to the Committee for the District of Columbia. By Mr. Covode: The petition of Samuel Hamilton-heretofore referred February 27, 1856; which was referred to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. By Mr. Fenton: The memorial of Professor Russell Comstock, praying an appropriation to enable him to furnish certain information in relation to the vegetable kingdom; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture. By Mr. Carter: The petition of Sally Rowley, praying a pension for services of her father in the war of the revolution. By Mr. Hardeman: The petition of Joel Thomas and others, heirs of John Thomas, praying pensions under the act of June 7, 1832; Also, the petition of Lewis G. Hickman and others, heirs of Eliza beth and William Hickman, praying pensions under the act of July 7, 1838. By Mr. Fenton: The petition of Eliza J. Rodgers and Sarah Ann De Wolf, praying half pay for life under the resolves of October 21, 1780, and May 8, 1781. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions. By Mr. Bonham: The petition of Caroline M. Golding, heir of Jacob R. Brown, praying bounty land for services rendered by her father in the war of the revolution. By Mr. Maynard: The petition of William Balltrip, praying the redemption of continental money. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Claims. By Mr. Junkin: The petition of citizens of the State of Pennsyl vania, praying for a mail-route from Monleytown to Bassinger's Store. By Mr. Cadwalader C. Washburn: The petition of citizens of the State of Wisconsin, praying the extension of mail-route No. 13184. By Mr. Ellihu B. Washburne: The petition of citizens of the State of Illinois, for a mail-route from Rockland Station to Forksville. By Mr. Vance: The petition of citizens of the State of North Carolina, for a mail-route from Burnsville to Marion. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads. By Mr. Stewart: The petition of Rev. David X. Junkin, heir of Joseph Junkin, praying compensation on account of losses sustai ed and services rendered by his father in the revolutionary war; which was referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions. Also, two petitions of citizens of the State of Pennsylvania, recommending the passage of an act granting pensions to soldiers of the war of 1812; which were referred to the Committee on Invalid Pen sions. By Mr. Elbert S. Martin: The papers in the case of William Humphrey heretofore referred December 16, 1857; which were referred to the Committee on Revolutionary Pensions. By Mr. Fenton: The petition of Patrick Phelon, praying a pension for injuries sustained while a private in the United States army; Also, the petition of citizens of the State of New York, praying for a change in the pension laws. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. By Mr. Maclay: The memorial of C. C. Penniston, relative to the abandonment of his son by Captain D. B. Ridgley, of the United States navy; which was referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs. By Mr. Pendleton: The petition of James Edwards Cox and others, praying authority to purchase certain lands along the Santa Fé road from Indians. By Mr. Pennington: The petition of Russell Austin, praying protection as a settler on the "New York Indian lands" By Mr. Cadwalader C. Washburn: The petition of N. B. Boyden, praying relief. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on Public Lands. By Mr. Stanton: Three petitions of citizens of the State of Ohio, praying the repeal of the fugitive slave law. By Mr. Maynard: The petition of citizens of the State of Tennessee, praying relief for Samson Stanfill. Ordered, That the said petitions be referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. By Mr. Holman: The petition of Henry Barricklow, praying for relief on account of loss of land warrants; which was referred to the Committee on Public Lands. By Mr. Thaddeus Stevens: The memorial of Robert Loag, David King, D. Killinger, James L. Reynolds, Hiram B. Swarr, and Henry M. Phillips, sureties of Daniel B. Vondersmith, praying for relief; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. By Mr. Buffinton: The petition of Eliza A. Merchant, widow of Charles G. Merchant, praying a pension for services of her husband in the Mexican war. By Mr. Larrabee: The memorial of John L. Williams, heir of Rev. Eleazer Williams, praying the allowance to him, as devisee of his father, of the claims of the latter, pending before Congress. Ordered, That the said petition and memorial be referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. By Mr. Anderson: The petition of B. D. Williams, delegate from the proposed Territory of Jefferson, asking for the establishment of an assay office at Denver City; which was referred to the Committee of Ways and Means. The Speaker, by unanimous consent, laid before the House a letter from the Treasurer of the United States, transmitting copies of his accounts of the receipts and disbursements for the service of the Post Office Department for the last two fiscal years; which was laid on the table, and ordered to be printed. A message from the Senate, by Mr. Hickey, their Chief Clerk: Mr. Speaker: The Senate have passed bills of the following titles, viz: S. 73. An act for the relief of Mrs. Anne M. Smith, widow of the late Brevet Major General Persifer F. Smith, Mrs. Harriet B. Macomb, widow of Major General Alexander Macomb, and Mrs. Arabella Reily, widow of Brevet Major General Bennet Reily; S. 258. An act to grant to the parish of Point Coupee, Louisiana, certain tracts of land in said parish; and S. 260. An act for the relief of Mrs. Agatha O'Brien, widow of Brevet Major J. P. J. O'Brien, late of the United States army; in which I am directed to ask the concurrence of this House. I am also directed to notify the House of the order of the Senate to print a certain document. Mr. Cadwalader C. Washburn, by unanimous consent, submitted the following preamble and resolution, viz: Whereas, in a memorial of the legislature of the State of Wisconsin, lately submitted to this House, it is stated that "the most shameful frauds have been practiced upon the Menomonee tribe of Indians by designing men, in consequence of which they are reduced to a state of utter destitution;" and whereas the State legislature has asked Congress to investigate the affairs of said Indian tribe; and whereas, also, by a memorial from said Indians, signed by all the chiefs and most of the headmen and warriors of said tribe, lately submitted to this House, it is further stated that the government officials sent to live among them are faithless and dishonest, and combined together to impose upon and defraud them; that they are immoral men, and set examples to the Indians of the most dangerous character; that they take from them their grain and provisions, and consume them themselves or sell them to strangers; and that for the want of food, of which they are wrongfully thus deprived, seventy-eight aged and infirm persons, members of said tribe, are now in a state of actual starvation, and that some six hundred are nearly destitute of clothing, and reduced to an allowance of four quarts of mill-shorts twice a month; that their agent fraudulently applies their money in the pur chase of supplies, buying of favorites at private sale, and charging them enormous prices; that at the annual payment of their annuities they are suffered to be surrounded and overpowered by desperadoes, and their money taken from them by force; that the persons employed to superintend their work are inexperienced and dishonest; that the government interpreter is a dissolute person, in the interest of their enemies, who falsely interprets to them, by means of which they have been induced to sign papers wholly different from what was represented to them, and under which they have been plundered of large sums of money; that they have heretofore sought to make their wrongs known to the Indian department at Washington, but their complaints have been disregarded, and they have been refused a hearing: Therefore Resolved, That a committee of five persons be appointed by the Speaker to investigate into the causes of complaint named in said memorial, and that they particularly inquire by what authority the sum of $40,000 was paid to R. W. Thompson, of Indiana, in the year 1857, out of moneys belonging to said Menomonee Indians, and whether it was in accordance with any valid contract with said Indians; and that said committee be authorized to send for persons and papers, and that they report at any time. Pending the question on agreeing thereto, Mr. Cadwalader C. Washburn moved the previous question; which was seconded and the main question ordered and put, viz: Will the House agree to the said preamble and resolution? And it was decided in the negative, {eas Two-thirds not voting in favor thereof. Nays 113 60 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. Green Adams Garnett B. Adrain Elijah Babbitt Mr. Thomas D. Eliot William H. English Thomas Hardeman, jr. Mr. De Witt C. Leach So the said preamble and resolution were disagreed to. Mr. Dawes, from the Committee of Elections, to whom was referred the petition of Amor J. Williamson, contesting the seat of Daniel E. Sickles as a representative from the State of New York, made a report thereon, accompanied by the following resolution, viz: Resolved, That A. J. Williamson, contesting the right of Hon. D. E. Sickles to a seat in this House as a representative from the third district of the State of New York, be, and he is hereby, required to serve upon the said Sickles, within ten days after the passage of this resolution, a particular statement of the grounds of said contest, and that the said Sickles be, and he is hereby, required to serve upon the said Williamson his answer thereto in twenty days thereafter; and that both parties be allowed sixty days after the service of said an swer to take testimony in support of their several allegations and denials before some justice of the supreme court of the State of New York, residing in the city of New York, but in all other respects in the manner prescribed in the act of February 19, 1851. Pending which, Mr. Gilmer, by unanimous consent, submitted the views of a minority of the said committee. On motion of Mr. Dawes, Ordered, That the further consideration of the said report and resolution be postponed until Thursday next, at 1 o'clock p. m., and that the same, together with the views of the minority of the said commit tee, be printed. Mr. Dawes, from the same committee, reported the following resolution; which was read, considered, and agreed to, viz: |