840 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. JANUARY 31, 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 

TUESDAY, January 31, 1888. 

The House met at 12 o'clock m. Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. W. 

H. MILBURN, D. D. 

The Clerk proceeded to read the Journal of yesterday's proceedings. 

Mr. PAYSON. . I ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of so much of the Journal as relates to the introduction and refer- ence of bills. 

There was no objection. 

The remainder of the -Journal was read and approved. 

SUPPORT OF CONVICTS. 

The SPEAKER lYrO tem_pore laid before the House a letter from the 

Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting anestimate from theAttorneyGeneral of a deficiency in the appropriations for the support of convicts • for the current :fiscal year; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and ordered to be printed. 

INSIDE DOORS, PENSION BUILDING. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore also laid before the Honse a letter from 

the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting an estimate from the Commissioner of Pensions of an appropriation, to be immediately a-m liable, 

for inside doors of the Pension Office building; which was referred to 

the Committee on Appropriations, and ordered to be printed. 

INDIAN AGENT, MACKINAC AGENCY. 

The SPEAKER pro tempo1'e also laid before the House a letter from 

the Secretary of the Interior, transmitting a letter from the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, recommending that the compensation of tb.e 

agent at the Mackinac agency be increased; which was refeiTed to 

the Committee on Indian Affairs, and ordered to be printed. • 

PUBLIC-LAND SURVEYS. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore also laid before the House a letter from 

the Acting Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting additional estimates 

from the Secretary of the Interior for the public-land surveys for the 

next fiscal year; which was referred to the Committee on Appropria- tion~, and ordered to be printed. 

REVETMENT WORK 0.~: WILLA:METTE RIVER. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore also laid before the House a letter from 

the Secretary of War, transmitting reports fi·om the Chief of Engineers 

in relation to the proposed revetment of the WillametteRiver, Oregon; 

which was referred to the Committee on Rivers and Harbors, and ordered 

to be printed. 

CONTINGENT FUND, INTERIOR DEPART:MlLNT. 

The SPEAKER pt·o tempore also laid before the Honse a letter from 

the Secretary of the Interior, ti:ansmitting a statement of expenditures 

from the contingent fund of that Department for the :fis<'.al year ended 

June 30, 1887; which was referred to the Committee on Expenditures 

in the Interior Department, and ordered to he printed. -

REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS. 

The SPEAKER pro temp01·e also laid before the House a letter from 

the Commissioner of Patents, transmitting his annual report for 1887; 

which was referred to the Committee on Patents, and ordered to be 

printed. 

Il'tiPROVEMENT KENNEBEC AND PENOBSCOT RIVERS, UAINE. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore also laid before the House a letter from 

the Secretary of War, transmitting, with a letter from the Chief of Engineers, reports of examinations and surveys of the Kennebec and 

Penobscot Rivers, in Maine; which was referred to the Committee on Rivers and Harbors, and ordered to be printed. 

SENATE BILLS, ETC,, REFERRED. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore, under the rule, laid before the House 

Senate bills and a concurrent resolution: which were referred as follows, namely; · 

The bill (S. 191) to make an additional appropriation for the printing 

of the eulogies delivered in Congress on the late John A. Logan-to the 

Committee on Printing; 

The bill (S. 455) for the relief of Andrew J. Lindsay-to the Committee on the Judiciary; and · 

Concurrent resolution providing for the printing of 20,000 copies -of 

the first annual report of the Interstate Commerce Commission, with appendices-to the Committee on Printing. 

I~~ESTIGATION OF THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair desires to state to the House 

that the resolution in relation to the investigation of the Printing department of the Government, passed on yesterday, seems to be in the 

form of a standing committee with two additions, which the Chair 

thinks is anomalous. It should be denominated a special committee, 

consisting of the Committee on Printing and two additional members; 

and in order to make the matter formal, the Chair would suggest that 

the comElittee be known as a special committee. _ It can not be a standing committee, and must be something else. Therefore. if there be no objection, the Chair will cause it to be entered upon the record as such. 

The Chair will name the two additional members to constitute the 

special committee; and appoints the gentleman from New York [Mr. 

CuMMINGS] and the gentleman from New Hampshire [Mr. GALLINGER]. -

LEAVE OF ABSENCE. 

By unanimous consent, leave of absence was granted as follows: 

To 1\Ir. BACON, indefinitely, on account of sickness. 

To l\fr. BARRY, for this day, on account of sickness. 

To Mr. WooDBURN, indefinitely, on account of sickness in his family. 

BRIDGE ACROSS THE MISSOURI RIVER AT JEFFERSON. 

1\fr. BLAND. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to discharge 

the Committee of tho Whole HoT!se on the Private Calendar from the 

further consideration of the bill I send to the desk, and put it upon its 

passage. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the title of the 

bill subject to objection. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

A bill (H. R. 2-606) authorizing the construction of U· bridge over the Missouri 

River at or near the city of Jefferson, 1\Io. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the present con- sideration of the bill? 

There was no o~jection. 

1\Ir. BLAND. Unless the reading of this bill is called for I will state 

that it is in the usual form, and is identical with the bills which the 

House has been passing heretofore without objection. It covers all the 

points insisted upon by the War Department, and I ask consent. to dispense with its reading. . Mr. ANDERSON, of Kansas. What is the bill? 

Mr. BLAND. It provides for building a bridge across the Missouri 

at or near J e:fferson. 

1\Ir. HOL~fAN. Has this bill been reported by the Committee on Commerce? 

1\Ir. BLAND. It has been favorably reported by the committee, and 

is now on the Private Calendar. 

There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading; and being engrossed, it was accordingly read the third 

time, and passed. 

Mr. BLAND moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the 

table. 

The latter motion was agre·ed to. 

JAMES BAR-NEt AND OTHERS. 

Mr. DORSEY. I ask unanimous consent that the bill (H. R.. 436) 

for the relief of James Barnes, Joab Williams, and William Titus be 

taken from the Private Calendar and be put upon its pa.s3age. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it enacted, etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, au- thorized and directed to pay, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 

appropriated, to the following-named persons the sums hereinafter mentioned: To James Barnes, of Ogalalla, Keith County, Nebraska, the sum of $20. To Joab Williams, of Ogalalla, Keith County, Nebraska, the sum of $.!0. To 'Villiam Titus, of Ogalalla, Keith County, Nebraska, the sum of $20. 

The above-named to receive the sums mentioned in full compensation for dam- ages sustained by reason of the destruction of crops by mules belonging to the 

command of Colonel Forsythe, Seventh United States Cavalry, in August, 1877 •. 

The SPEAKER p1·o tempore. Is there objection to the present consideration of this bill? 

Mr. HOLMAN. I hope a word of explanation will be given in re- gard to it. · · 

Mr. DORSEY. When Colonel Forsythe, in command of the Seventh 

Cavalry, was moving fmm Fort Meade, Dak., to Fort Riley, Nebr., he 

stopped over night at Ogalalla, Nebr., August 15, 1877. The mules 

of his command were being herded on the prairie. A passing train 

frightened them and they broke away and destroyed the crops belonging to the men w bose names appear in the bill. 

Under our State law the owner of the crops might have impounded the 

mules and held them for such damage as might be ascerli.'lined by three men until paid by the Government. Colonel Forsythe gave the neces- sary papers to these gentlemen to prosecute their claims before the Treasury Department. The Comptroller reports that while the claim is just 

and valid he can not pay it to these parties. So we come here for relief. 

It is a mat.ter of about $65. That is all the sum that is invol vecl in 

this bill. 

Mr. DOCKERY. That is all right. 

The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time; and being 

engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

1\fr. DORSEY moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was passed; and aJso moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the 

table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

SURVEY BY COL. W. E. MERRILL. 

~ 1\fr. HOLMAN, by unanimous consent, submitted the following res- olution; which was read, considered, and agreed to: 

Resolved, That the Secretaryof,Varbe. and he is hereby, directed to transmit _ 
1888. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 841 

to the House a suryey, or copy thereof, made by Col. William E. Merrill, of the 

Engineer Corps of the Army, or under his direction, of the harbor of the city of 

1\Iadison, Ind., and portions of the Ohio River connected therewith, and plat 

thereof, if such survey and the plat thereof have been completed. 

Mr. HOLMAN moved to reconsider the vote by which the resolution 

was agreed to; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

REGISTER TO BARK NORDSTJERNEN. 

Mr. DUNN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill which I send to 

the desk be considered and passed. • The Clerk read as follows: 

A bill (H. R. 5352) to grant an American register to the foreign-built bark N ordstj ern en. 

Be it.enacled, etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby,authorized and directed to issue an American register to the foreign-built bark 

Nordstjernen, wrecked or disabled in or near the waters of the United States 

and towed into n. port thereof; said vessel having been condemned and ordered to be sold, and bought by citizens of the United States, by whom said vessel has 

been repaired at an expense of more than five-sixt~of the present cost thereof. 

Mr. BUCHANAN. I ask the chairman of the Committee on Mer- · 

chant Marine and Fisheries whether the report in this case has been 

printed? 

~Ir. DUNN. I have asked unanimous consent for the consideration 

of this bill. _ The report is at the Clerk's desk. If the gentleman from 

New Jersey desires it to be read, I will ask the Clerk to read it. 

Mr. BUCHANAN. That is satisfactory. 

The bill \'ms ordered to be engrossed and read a third time; and being 

engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time. 

Mr. BREWER. I desire to ask the gentleman from Arkansas a qnestion. I ask if the statute does not alr~dy cover this case? I un· 

derstand the statute allows such vessels to receive an .American register 

where the expenditure is two-thirds of the value of the vessel. 

.Mr. DUNN. That is, provided the wreck occurred Within Ameri· can waters. In-this case there was a doubt whether it was within the · jurisdiction of the United States or not, and the Treasury Department re~olved that doubt against the vessel instead of in its favor. 

. \fr. DINGLEY. The bill is aJl right. It simply covers a technical 

point. 

Mr. BREWER. That is satisfactory. 

The bill was passed. 

Mr. DUNN moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was 

passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the 

table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

I PENSIONS. 

Mr. BREWER, by unanimous consent, introduced a bill (H. R. 6363) 

regulating the granting of pensions to certain disabled soldiers; which 

was read a :first and second time, referred to the Committee on Invalid 

Pensions, and orde!'ed to be printed. 

MARY EVERINGHAM BROWN. 

· Mr. FORD. I ask unanimous consent to take up for immediate con· sideration the bill {H. R. 880) granting a pension to Mary Everingham 

Brown. This is a bill to pension an army nurse who is now old, poor, 

and helpless, and liable to become a public charge. The bill has been · considered by the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

A ME~IBER. Has the committee reported favorably? 

~fr. FORD. The committee has made a unanimous report in its 

faYor. This is a meritorious case and I hope the bill will be passed at once. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill is not at the Clerk's desk. 

1\Ir. FORD. I find upon examination that although recomm~nded 

by the Committee on Invalid Pensions yesterday it has not been reported to the House. I ask unanimous consent, however, to put the 

bill on its passage. 

Mr. SPRINGER. That can not be done, since the bill is not here. 

Mr. FORD. Then I withdraw my request for the present. 

TARIFF ON IRON, ETC. 

:Mr. BUTLER presented the petition of citizens of Johnson City, 

Tenn., of both political parties, protesting against the reduction of the 

tariff on iron, coke, ores, etc.; which was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD. The petition is as follows: 

Resolutions unanimously adopted at a meeting of citizens in Johnson City, 

January 25, 1888. 

'Vhereas the development of the iron industries of Tennessee is the only hope 

that we have in the future for the growth and prosperity of this section; and 

Whereas a bill is now being prepared, with the approval of the Ways and Means Committee in Congress, by which it is proposed to remoYe the duties on soft coal, coke, iron, and ores, and to reduce the duties ·on manufactured articles 

x·elating to that great industry; and 

\Vhereas the passage of that bill will inevitably result in the destruction of our great and growing iron and coal interests: It is therefore, 

Resolved, That we do most earnestly protest against the passage of such bill 

and earnestly urge upon the Representatives in Congress from the State of Ten: nessee that they use their every effort to prevent the passage of such bill. 

And be itfU!·the~· 1·esolved, That the sentiments of this meeting be taken in the 

form of petitions, and these resolutions, together with such petitions, shall be forwarded to the Representatives in Congress from the State of 'l'ennessee, to tl1e 

Speaker of the House of Representatives, and to the chairman of the Ways and Means Oommi~tee. J. C. HARDIN, Chairman. 

J .. J. WEILER, SeCJ·etm-y. 

JoHNSON CITY, TENN., January 25, 1888. 

To the Honorable Representatives and Senators of the Fiftiel.h Oongress: 

We, the undersigned, citizens of Johnson City; Tenn., in mass-meeting assem· bled, without regard to party affiliations, do petition your honorable body that no measures shall be passed effecting a reduction of the p1·esent existing tariff upon iron, iron ore, or coal. 

[Signed by 72 Democrats and 77 Republicans.) 

CHANGE OF REFERENCE. 

On motion of Mr. RICHARDSON, the Qommittee on Printing was 

discharged from the further consideration of the bill (H. R. 4985) to 

prohibit certain printing by authority of t-he United States, and it was 

referred to the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads. 

ORDER OF BUSINESS. 

1\Ir. STEELE. I caU for the regular order. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The regular order is the call of committees for reports. 

· GEORGE W. HARRISON. 

Mr. CULBERSON, from the Committee on the Judiciary, reported 

back with a favorable recommendation the bill (H. R. 4842) to remove the political disabilities of George W. Harrison, of Hoboken, N. J.; 

which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and, with theaccompanyingreport, ordered to be printed. 

ORRIS A. BROWNE. 

Mr. CULBERSON also, from the Committee on the Judiciary, re· ported back with a favorable recommendation the bill (H. R. 5859) to remo•e the political disabilities of Orris A. Browne, of Virginia; w hkh was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and, with the accompanying report, or~ered to be printed. 

PAUL F. FAISON. 

Mr. CULBERSON also, from the Committee on the Judiciary, re· ported back with a favorable recommendation the bill (H. R. 4694) to remove the political disabilities of Paul F. Faison; which was referred to 

the Committee of the Whole Honse on the Private Calendar, and, with 

the accompanying report, ordered to be printed. 

MARTA SYPHAX . 

Mr. STEWART, ofVermont,from the Committee on the Judiciary, 

reported back with a favorable ·recommendation the ~"bill (H. R. 3441) 

declaratory of the meaning of·the act entitled "An;. act for the relief 

of MariaSyphax;" which wasTeferred to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the Private Calendar, and, with the accompanying report, ordered to be printed. 

UNITED STA1lli8 DISTRICT COURTS, ALABAMA. 

Mr. OATES, from the Committee on the udiciary, reported back 

with a favorable recommendation the bill (H. R. 4470) to regulate the 

jurisdiction of the United States district judges of the courts over which 

they preside in the State of Alabama; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole H9use on the Private Calendar, and, with the accompanying report, ordered to be printed. 

NATIONAL-BANK DEPOSITS IN THE TREASURY. 

Mr. DINGLEY, from the Committee on Banking and Currency, re- ported baek with a favorable recommendation the bill (H. R. 2012) 

authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to invest the lawful money 

deposited in the Treasury in trust by national banking associations for 

the retirement of their circulating notes; which was referred tO> the 

Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and, with 

the accompanying report, ordered to be printed. 

READING RAILROAD TROUBLES. f 

Mr. CLARDY, from the Committee on Commerce, reported a substitute for the resolution offered by Mr. ANDERSON, of Kansas, on the 

16th of January, and referred to the Committee on Commerce, providing for an investigation by that committee of the Reading Rrtilroad 

troubles with reference to their effect upon interstate commerce; and 

moYed that the substitute be referred to the House Calendar. 

Mr. RAYNER. Mr. Speaker, there is a statement of the views of 

the minority of the Committee on Commerce in regard to the Reading 

lock-out which they desire to submit. One of the members of the com· mit tee who unites with the minority has not yet signed the statement, 

but he will do so, and I want to give notice now that I propose to call 

the matter up later in the day. 

Mr. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I desire to ask the Chair whether 

this proposition coming from the Committee on Commerce is in the 

nature of an inquiry under the rule so as to be entitled to a privileged 

status here. I ask the Chair to rule whether it is an inquiry of that 

nature, or whether it is outside of the range of privileged resolutions 

of inquiry. _ 

The SPEAKER pro tenipore. The resolutions of inquiry contemplated by the rule are directed to the President, or to beads of Depart· 

ments, and have a certain privilege, but this is not a privileged reso· 

lntion. 

Mr. RANDALL. What I ask is that the Chair will rule on that 

very point, whether this is or is not privileged. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. So far as the Chair understands it, this 

resolution is not privileged; and the gentleman repo1·ting itdoes not so 
I. 

842 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-' HOUSE. JANUARY 31, 

claim. The gentleman from Maryland [Mr. RAYNER] asks that the 

views of the minority may be printed with the report of the committee. 

Mr. RAYNER. Ur. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the report of the committee and the views of the minority be read. 

The SPEAKER pro· te-rnpore. That is not in order. Even unanimous 

consent would not make it in order in this hour. 

The substitute was referred to the House Calendar. 

CHANGES OF REFERENCE. 

On motion of Mr. CL~DY, by unanimous consent, the Committee on Commerce was discharged from the fllither consideration of bills of 

the following titles; and they were severally referred as indicated: 

The bill (H. R. 1373) prohibiting the purchase of goods which are in 

whole or in part manufuctnred by convict labor-t-o the Committee on Labor. 

Tte bill (H. R.. 4458) for the construction of a bridge across the Big 

Wind River, on the Shoshone Indian reservation, in the Territory of 

Wyoming-to the Committee on Indian Affairs. · 

The bill (H. R. 5671) to reimburse the depositors of the Freedman's 

Savin~ and Trust Company for losses incurred by the failure of said 

company-to the Committee on Banking and Currency. 

BRIDGES OVER MUSKINGUM RIVER, OHIO. 

Mi:. AJ\TDERSON, of Iowa., from the Committee on Commerce, reported back with an amendmant the bill (H. R. 4327) regulating the construction of bridges over the MuskingumRiver, in Ohio; which was re- ferred to the House Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be "'~' printed. 

PORT OF LAMBERTON, N. J. 

:Mr. ANDERSON, of Kansas, from the Committee on Commerce, re- ported back favorably the bill (H. R. 1640) to change the name of the 

port .of Lamberton, in the district of Burlington, N. J., to the port of 

Trenton, in said district; which was referred to the Honse Calendar, and 

the accompanying report ordered t~ be printed. 

1\IARY E. HOPKINS. 

1\Ir. WISE, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 4002) for the relief of Mary E. Hopkins; which 

was referred to the Committee of the Whole Honse on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be printed. 

LAND IN AUSTIN, TEX., FOR EDUCATION. 

Ur. LAIRD, from the Committee on Milita.ry Affairs, reported back 

with an amendment the bill (H. R. ·2993)toauthorizetheSecretary of 

War to convey to the city of Austin, Tex., a tract of land in said city 

for educational purposes; which was referred to the Colllll}ittee of the 

Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report 

ordered to be printed. POSTAL LAWS. 

Mr. BLOUNT, from the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads, 

reported back adversely the bill (H. R. 4304) to amend thepostallaws; 

which was laid on the table, and the accompanying report ordered to 

be printed. 

POSTAGE ON SECOND-cLASS MATTER. 

Mr. BLOUNT. I am dire.cted by the Committee on the Post-Office 

and Post-Roads to report back adversely the bill (H. R. 4336) regulating rates of postage on second-class mail matter at letter-carrier offices. 

Th~ gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. BINGHAM] desires to submit a minority report on this subject; I therefore ask that the bill be placed 

on the House Calendar. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. If there be no objection, leave will be 

granted for the filing of a minority report, and the bill will be referred 

to the House Calendar. 

There was no objection; and it was ordered accordingly. 

1\Ir. BLOUNT also, from the Committee on the Post-Office and PostRoads, reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 4910) to amend section 

14 of the act approved March 3, 1879, entitled "An act making appropriations for the service of the Post-Office Department for the fiscal year 

ending .June 30, 1880, and for other purposes," and relating to secondclass mail matter; which was referred to the House Calendar, and the 

a.ccompanying report ordered to be printed. 

PACIFIC RAILROAD. 

1\Ir. DOCKERY, from the Committee on the Post-Office and PostRoads, reported back with amendment the bill (H. R. 1426) supplementary to the act of July 1: 1862, entitled "An act to aid in the con- struction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River to 

the Pacific Ocean, and to se~u.re to the Government the use of the same 

for postal, military, ancl other purposes," also of the act af July 2, 1864, 

and other acts amendatory of said first-named act; which was referred 

to the House Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to he 

printed. 

Mr. DOCKERY. The gentleman from New York [Mr. WHITE], not now present, desires to present hereafter the views of a minority of the 

committee on this subject. I ask that this privilege may be allowed, 

and that the minority views, when presented, be printed with thereport of the majority. 

There being no objection, it was ordered accordingly. 

PROCEEDS OF PUBLIC LANDS IN CALIFORNIA .• 

J.\.Ir. McKENNA, from the Committee on the Public Lands, reported 

back fuvora.bly t.he bill (S. 418) granting to the State of California 5 per 

cent. of the net proceeds of the cash sales of public lands in said State; 

which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the state 

of the Union, and tbe accompanying report ordered to be printed. ' 

Mr. JACKSON. I desire permission to file a minority report in this 

ca£e. \ , 

The SPEAKER JJ1"0 iempo?·e. If there be no objection, that ltmve 

will be granted. • There was no objection. 

LAND DISTRICIS IN OREGON. 

Mr. HERMANN, from the Committee on the Public Lands, reported 

back with am en dmen t the bill (H. R. 1762) to establish an addi tionalland 

district in the State of Oregon; which was referred to the Committee 

of the Whole House on the state of the Union, and the accorppanying 

report ordered to be printed. 

BLACK BOB llAND OF SHAWNEE INDIANS. 

Mr. PERKINS, from the Committee on the Public Lands, reported a bill ·(H. R. 6364) to provide for the sale of land allotted and patented to 

certain members of the Black Bob band of Shawnee Indians, and for 

other purposes; which was read a first and second time, ·referred to the 

Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and, with the 

accompanying report, ordered to be printed. 

l\Ir. PERKINS. There was no bill on this subject referred to this 

committee, but the attention of the committee was c.:1.lled to the subject 

by an executive document, and on that executive document this bill 

has been reported to the House. 

CHOCTAW COAL AND RAILWAY CmtiP.ANY. 

Mr. ALLEN, of Mississippi, from the Committee on Indian Affairs, 

reported back with amendments the bill (H. R. 4643) to authorize the 

Choctaw Coal and Rail way Company t-o construct and operate a rail way 

through the Indian Territ.ory, and for other purposes; which WflS re- ferred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be printed. 

JOEL J. GOSS. 

1\fr. BANKHEAD, from the Committee on Public Buildings and 

Grounds, reported a bill for the relief of Joel J. Goss; which was read a first and second time, referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and, with theaccompanyingreport, ordered to 

be printed. 

WILLIAM H. BROKENSHA W. 

Ur. CHIPMAN, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, reported 

back favorably the bill (H. R. 418) granting a pension to William H. 

Brokenshaw; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered t-o be 

printed. MARY EVERINGHAM BROWN. 

Mr. CHIPMAN also, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 880) granting a pension to M:ary 

Everingham Brown; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered 

to be printed. 

1\HSS CAPPIE HARSH. 

Mr. MORRILL, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, reported 

back with amendments 1he bill (H. R. 5766) granting a pension to Miss 

Cappie Harsh, daughter of Daniel Harsh; which was referred to the 

Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be printed. 

JOHN C. JOHNSTO~-. 

Mr. MORRILL also, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, re- ported back favorably the bill (H. R. 221) increasing the pension of John 

C. Johnston; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole Honse on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be 

print.ed . 1\IARY S. LOGAN. 

~lr. MORRILL also, from the Committee on Jn·mlid Pensions, re- ported back with amendments the bill (H. R. 3191) granting a pension 

to Uary S. Logan; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered 

to be printed. 

1'1t:r . .MORRILL. I ask, by unanimous consent, that the minority ot 

the committee in the two cases just reported be allowed to file their 

views, and also that their views be ordered to be printed with the majority reports. 

There was no objection, and it was ordered accordingly. 

APOLLL'ifE A. BLAIR. 

.Mr. MORRILL also, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions: reported back with amendments the bill (S. 574) to increase the pension 

of Mrs. Apolline A. Blair; which was referred to the Committee of the 
1888. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 843 

Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report 

ordered to be printed. 

Mr. MORRILL. I ask, by unanimous consent, that the minority ·of 

the committee be allowed to file their viewsin that case and that they 

be ordered to be printed with the report of the majority. 

There was no objection, and it was ordered accordingly. 

ELIZA. J". CURRIER. 

Mr. GALLINGER, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, re- pOited backfavorablythebill (H. R. 441) granting a pension to ElizaJ. 

Currier; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on 

the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be printed. 

EVERARD FLYNN. 

Mr. GALLINGER also, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, 

reported back with amend!:flents the bill (H. R. 4835) for the relief of 

Everard Flynn; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be 

printed. 

HANNAH C. DE WITT. 

Mr. GALLINGER also, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, 

reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 823) granting a pension to Hannah C. De Witt; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered 

to be printed. 

MRS. ESTHER n. HAYFORD. 

Ur. GALLINGER also, from the Commit.tee on Invalid Pensions, 

reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 369) granting a pension t-o Mrs. 

Esther B. Hayford; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered 

to be printed. 

1\IARY IIIORFORD. 

Mr. GAI,LINGER also, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, 

reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 806) for the relief of .Mary Morford; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be printed. 

JULIETTE STONE. 

Mr. SAWYER, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions (by Mr. 

GALLINGER), reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 628) granting a 

pension to Juliette Stone; which was referred to the Committee of the 

Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report 

ordered to be printed. 

HARRIET V. STOCKTON. 

Mr. HUNTER, from the Committee on Invalid Pensions, reported 

back with amendments the bill {H. R. 3711) granting a pension to 

Harriet V. Stockton; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered 

to be printed. 

J"Ali-IES WOODY. 

Mr. SCULL, from the Committee on Pensions, reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 2806) to increase the pension of Jam~ "\~oody; 

which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered t-o be printed. 

J"ACOB CRAMER. 

Ur. HENDERSON, of North Carolina, from the -eommitt-ee on Pensions, reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 855) for the relief of the 

heirs of Jacob Cramer; which was referred to the Committee of the 

Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report 

ordered to be printed. 

CHANGES OF REFERENCE. 

Mr. BLISS. A number of bills have been referred to the Committee on Pensions which I am instructed by that committee to report back 

for reference to the Committee on Invalid Pensions, to which they belong. 

1\'Ir. SPRINGER. Let the change of reference be made through the 

petition-box. If made in open House it puts them in a position to 

which they are not entitled. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The changes will be made through 

the _petition-box. 

.... WASHINGTON L. PARVIN AND OTHERS. 

Mr. illEST AND, from the Committee on War Claims, reported back 

favorably the bill {H. R. 4900) for the relief of Washington L. Parvin 

and H~nry A. Green; which was referred to the Committee of the 

Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report 

ordered to be printed. 

CLAIMS OF :MISSOURI MILITIA. 

listed men of her militia forces, for military services rendered to the -

United States in the suppression of the rebellion, as evidenced by the 

proper pay-rolls heretofore filed with, examined, and accepted by the 

Government of the United States, and to report to Congress; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and, with the accompanying report, ordered to be printed. 

ORDER OF BUSINESS. 

:Mr. STONE, of Kentucky. I am also instmcted by the committee 

to submit a resolution for reference to the Committee on Accounts. 

The resolution was read. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would ask if this resolution was referred to the gentleman's committee? 

1\Ir. STONE, of Kentucky. It is a resolution which I am instructed 

by the committee to report to the House and ask its reference to the 

Committee on Appropriations. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman can niake that request 

at another time, but not in this hour, as it is not a resolution which was 

originally referred to the committee and now reported back. 

Mr. STONE, of Kentucky. Very well; I will withhold the resolution for the present. 

It will be remembered, Ur. Speaker, thatonFridayln.stthe consideration of private bills on the Calendar was objected to. Two ofthose 

bills were referred, by the action of the House, to the Committee on War Claims. The committee now finds i tseU' in possession of a bill in 

one of these cases, and have instructed me to report jt back to the 

House favorably, and ask that it be allowed to take the place upon the 

Calendar that it occupied before its reference to the committee. 

Mr. SPRINGER. I think that would be a very dangerous precedent in this hour. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair could not entertain that 

proposition in this hour. It would probably lead to debate and would 

not be in order. However, the Chair will ask if there be consent to 

the request, as the Chair can not regulate the Calendar of the House. 

:Mr. STONE, of -Kentucky. I suppose the House could fix the order 

of its business on the Calendars. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 

gentleman from Kentucky? ' 

Mr. BLOUNT and others objected. 

Mr. STONE, of Kentucky. Then I will withdraw the report for the 

present. ' 

FIDUS LIVERMORE. 

Mr. THO~IAS, of Wisconsin, from the Committee on War Claims, 

reported back favorably the bill (H. R. 3758) for the relief of the legal 

heirs of Fidus Livermore, decease::! ; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and, -with the ac- companying report, ordered to be printed. 

N. C. PERK .. 1•Ns. 

Mr. CROUSE, from the Committee on War Claims, reported back 

with an adverse recommendation the bill (H. R. 2917) for the relief of 

N.C. Perkins, administrator; which, on motion of Mr. WHITTHORNE, was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and, with the accompanying report, ordered to be printed. 

J" AJ:\.IES 1\IILI,I.l\GER. 

Mr. PENINGTON, from the Committee on War Claims, reported back 

favorably the bill (H. R. 31) for the relief of James Millinger; which 

was referred to the Conimittee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be printed. 

B. M. l\1. P .ARISH. 

Mr. PENINGTON also, from the Committee on War Claims, re- ported back, with amendments, the bill (H. R. 322) for the relief of 

B. :M. M. Parish; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the Private Calendar, and the acccmpanying report ordered 

to be printed. 

LA UEA E. MADDOX .AND OTHERS. 

Mr. BLISS, from the Committee on War Claims, reported a bill (H. 

R. 6365) for the relief of Laura E. Maddox, widow and executrix, and 

Robert Morrison, executor of Joseph H . .1\Iaddox, deceased; which was read a first and second time, referred to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the Private Calendar, and, with the accompanying report, or- dered to be printed. 

NEW MADRID, 1\IO., LAND CLAIMS. 

Mr. LATHAM, from the Committee on Private Land Claims, re- ported back favorably the bill (H. R. 4556) to confirm the New Madrid 

location surrey, No. 2889, and t{) provide 1or the issue of patent therefor; which Wa.5 referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

Private Calendar, and the accompanying report ordered to be printed. 

Mr. STONE, of Kentucky, from the Committee on War Claims, re- REPORT OF CO::iDIISSIONER OF LABOR. 

ported back favorably the bill (8. 473) to authorize the Secretary of .Mr. RICHARDSON, from the Committee on Printing, reported back 

the Treasury to cause t? be e~amined certain vouchers filed, or to he the joint resolution (H. J?.:s. 62) providing for printing the annual re- filed, by the State of :M:ISSoun, or her agent or agents, for sums claimed port of the Commissioner of Labor with the recommendation that it 

to be due from th~ Governn;tent oft~ United States on account of pay-~lie on the table, and that there be adopted a concurrent resolution as ments made by sa1d State smce April 22, 1882, to the officers and en- a substitute therefor. 
.' 

844 CONGRESHION.AL· RECORD-HOUSE. JANUARY 31, 

The proposed substitute was read, and referred to the Committee of 

the Whole House on the state of the Union, and the accompanying re- port ordered to be printed. 

S:U:ITHSONIAN REPORT FOR 1886 AND 1887. 

Mr. HIESTAND, from the Committee on Printing, reported back 

with a fhvorable recommendation the concurrent resolution to authorize the publication of the Smithsonian repor~ for the years 1886 and 

1887; which was referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

state of the Union, and the accompanying report ordered to be printed. 

INVESTIGATION OF READING RAILROAD. 

:M:r. WILSON, of 1\iinnesot..'ll, filed his individual views as a minority 

report on the proposed investigation touching the alleged interference 

Of the Reading Railroad with interstate commerce; which was ordered 

to be printed with the report of the majority of the Committee on Com- merce. · 

ORDER OF BUSINESS. 

The SPEAKER pro temp01·e. The Chair will now call committees 

for one hour for the consideration of bills. 

COMl\UTTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I desire under instructions of the' committee to call 

up the Hous~ resolution in relation to fixing a day for the consideration of business of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. 

The resolution was read, as follows: 

Resolved, That Tuesday, February 21,1888, aft.erthe hour for the consideration of bills reported from committees, be fixed for the consideration of such bills as may be indko.ted by the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds of the bills reported by said committee, and that this order shall continue from day to day until the House shall otherwise order, not to interfere with 1·evenue or general appropriation bills or prior special orders. 

Mr. SPRINGER. I rise to a question of order. 

Mr. MILLS. I desire to offer a substitute for the resolution. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I yield to the gentleman from Texas [Mr. MILLS] 

for that purpose. · Mr. SPRINGER. But before the gentleman from Texas offers the 

substitute, I make the point of order that this resolution is an amendment to the rules of the Rouse, and should have been referred originally 

to the Committee on Rules, and that it comes here without the jurisdiction of the committee that has jurisdiction of the su~ject; and that 

it can only be considered by unanimous consent in the House. 

Mr. MILLS. That point of order is made too late. 

Mr. SPRINGER. No, sir; this is the first time the resolution has 

been called up for consideration. 

Mr. RANDALL. I suggest that there may perhaps be an arrangement made as to this. 

Mr. SPRINGER. I do not want to yield the point of order on these 

matters, because it is very important. Here we are beginning what we 

did last session thro.ngh the Committee on Rules always. Now weare advancing another step and allowing a committee to make a proposi- -tion to amend the rules and then come in d nring the consideration hour 

and get the resolution passed by a majority vote when it ought to have 

gone to the Committee on Rules, which has charge of this thing. · If we allow such resolutions to be referred to committees on Monday 

during the call for resolutions, and then let such a resolution be called 

up in the consideration hour, committees by a majority vote can fix all 

the time of this House from now until the middle of summer for the 

consideration of bills out of their order. Why have we a code of rules 

at all, if each committee can come through this channel and ask the 

Honse to change the rules and assign special orders for the consideration of busineEs? 

Mr. MILLS. I think the objection might have been good if it had 

been made in time. But the House has already spent some time in 

the consideration of this subject, and I think we have reached a point 

when an understanding may be arrived at. 

Mr. RANDALL. Inconfirmationofwhathasjustbeenstated by the 

gentleman from Texas, I desire to say that the point made by the gentleman from Illinois, to my mind, is properly made. But this matter was discussed fully. There was a controversy over it; and I ask the 

gentleman from Illinois not to embarrass the Chair by making this point on this particular occasion. I will co-operate with him and be as watchful as I know how on all future occasions in like cases, and see that 

all such propositions go to the Committee on Rules. 

Mr. REED. I hope the consideration for any trafficking that is going on upon the other side of the House may be stated more distinctly. 

Mr. RANDALL. IamunabletohearwhatthegentlemanfromMaine 

is saying. 

The SPEAKER p1·o tempore. The Chair is ready to rule on the point 

of order. 

Mr. SPRINGER. If I could get the consensus of the Committee on Rules, "I would be glad to have it. I should like to have the co-operation of the gentleman from Maine. 

Mr. REED. I do not know what the consensus would be under such 

circumstances. 

The SPEAKER pro temp01·e. The Chair desires to ask the gentle- man from South Carolina if the resolution was referred to the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds by the House. 

Mr. DIBBLE. It was referred to the committee, was reported back, 

and is now in possession of the Honse. .,. 1t'lr. SPRINGER. Was not that reference made during the call of 

Slia.tes on Monday for the introduction of r~olutions? 

Mr. DIBBLE. It was not, sir; but it was on the House Calendar. 

Mr. SPRINGER. I mean when it was introduced into the House. 

M:r. DIBBLE. It was introduced Tegularly on the call of States. 

Mr. O'NEILL, of .Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I call for the regular order, 

whatever it is. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. This resolution was referred to the com- mittee by the House, and they have a right to report it back. The only 

exceptions under the new rule are as to petitions and private bills. The 

Chair will have read the rule which applies. 

The Clerk read as follows, from clause 2 of Rule XXII: 

.And an erroneous reference of a petition or private bill under this clause shall not confer jurisdiction upon the committee to consider or report the same . . 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. That refers to private bills only, in the 

opinion of the Chair. ~ 

Ur. SPRINGER. I want to ask whether, in the judgment of the 

Chair, this is not changing the rules of the House 't 

The SPEAKER pro temp01·e. The Chair would not consider it a change of the mles. The rules require a reference to a committee; that 

reference has been made, and the resolution is now reported back in 

pursuance of that reference. 

Mr. SPRINGER. I am speaking of the effect of the resolution itself; 

I ask the Chair whether the resolution does not change the rules of the 

Honse? 

The APEAKER pro tempore. The Chair repeats what he has already 

said. This resolution was referred by the Honse, under the rules, to 

the Committee on Public Buildings and Grot;~nds. It is not a private 

petition or memorial or a private bill, and therefore it can be reported 

back by the committee, as it has been, and the Chair thinks it is now in order. -

M:r. SPRINGER. The Chair has not answered my question. 

The SPEAKER p1·o tempore. What the Chair has said implies an 

answer to the gentleman's question. 

M:r. SPRINGER. M:y question is whether this resolution does not 

work a change in the rules of the Ho'use? 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair has decided the point. 

Mr. MILLS. l\1r. Speaker, I ask that the substitute which I have 

offered be read. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will read the proposed substitute. 

The Clerk read as fo1lows: 

Resolt:ed, That Tuesday the 21st; Wednesday the 22d, Thursday the 23d, Saturday the 25th, and Tuesday the 28th days of February, after the hour for the consideration of bills, be set apart for the consideration of bills reported from the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds; that during said days at 5 o'clock p. m. the House shall adjourn; that no dilatory motions shall be enter- tained by the Chair while the House is considering any of said bills, and that thirty minutes' debate shall be allowed on each bill, fifteen minutes of which shall be given to those supporting, and fifteen minutes to those opposing the bill. 

Mr. DIBBLE. Mr. Speaker, I simply wish to sa.y that the substitn te offered by the gentleman from Texas will be accepted by the com- mittee in place of the resolution which they have reported. 

The substitute was adopted. 

The resolution as amended was then agreed to. 

Ur. REED. Mr. Speaker--

Mr. DIBBLE moved to reconsider the vote by which the resolution as amended was agreed to; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

The SPEAKER pro tentpore. The gentleman from Maine [Ur. REED] 

addressed the Chair. 

1\Ir. REED. I think, M:r. Speaker, that perhaps the time for observation has passed, only I am glad to see the Democratic House change 

the rules in the same manner that seemed so violent to them in election cases. It shows that they progress. 

ORDER OF BUSINESS. 

Mr. DIBBLE. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House go into Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union for the purpose of con- sidering bills reported from the Committee on Public Buildings and 

Grounds. 

The motion was agreed to. 

The House accordingly resolved itself into Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, Mr. HATCH in the chair. 

The CHAIRMAN. The House is now in Committee of the Whole 

for the purpose of considering bilJs reported fmm the Committee on 

Public Buildings and Grounds. 

PUBLIC BUILDING, GREENVILLE, S. C. 

Mr. DIBBLE. Mr. Spea.ker, I call up for consideration Honse bill 

No. 1805, .to provide for a public building at Greenville, S.C. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it ena.Cted, etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and l1e hereby is, au- thorized and directed to put:chase, or otherwise procure, a suitable site, and cause to be erected thereon, at the city of Greenville, in the State of South Car- olina, a substantial and commodious public building, with fire-proof vaults, for 
1888. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 845 

• the use an d accommodation of the United States courts, post-office, internal- revenue office, and for other Government uses. The site and building thereon, 

when completed, upon plans and specifications to be previously made and ap- proved by the Secretary of the. Treasury, shall not exceed in cost the sum of 100,000; nor shall any site be purchased until estimates for the ere<;tion of a. building which will furnish sufficient accommodations for the transactiOn of the 

public business_, and which shall not exceed in cost the balance of the sum herein limited after the site shall have been purchased and paid for, shall have 

been approved ·by the Secretary of the Treasury; and no purchase of site nor plan for said buil~ing shall be.approve4 by the Secretary of ~he Treas~n~ involving an expenditure exceedmg the said sum of $100,000 for site and bmldmg: P1·o•ided That no money to be appropriated for said bUilding shall be used 

until a v;_lid title to the site selected, which site shall leave the building unex- posed to da!1ger from fire in adjacent buildings b~ an open. space of at least 5.0 

feet includmg streets and alleys, shall be vested m the Umted States, nor until 

the State of South Carolina shall have ceded jurisdiction over the same for all purposes, during the time the United States shall be or remain the owner thereof, except for the enforcement of t-he criminal laws of the State and the 

service of civil process therein. 

Mr. DIBBLE. Now, Ur. Chauman, I yield :five minutes to my colleague from South Carolina [Mr. PERRY]. 

Mr. PERRY. A similar bill to this has passed the House some half 

dozen times, and has failed to become a law only for want of time. 

The report of the committee states the facts upon which the appropriation is asked for. A term of court is held at Greenville, and has 

been held there for several years; the district attorney, the district 

judge, the circuit judge, the grand jury ateverytermofthecourthave 

all reported that a building is absolutely necessary. There is a deputy 

collector there; tbere are two United States commissioners and a United 

States marshal, and a very large amount of business is done in the 

United States courts at every term. The-regular term of the court is 

held in August, and it has been necessary to hold an extra term every 

year in February. All these facts are stated in the report of the com- mittee, and unless some gentleman desires to make some further inquiry in regard to the matter, I ask that the bill be put upon its passage. [Cries of "Vote!" "Vote!"] 

A MEMBER. What is the population of the town? 

Mr. PERRY. About 10,000. 

Mr. BUCHANAN. I ask for the reading of the report. 

The report (by Mr. DIBBLE) was read, as follows: 

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to which was referred the 

bill (H. R. 1805) for a public building at Greenville, S.C., having bad the same under consideration, begs leave to report as follows: 

That similar bills were introduced in the Forty-sixth, Forty-seventh, Fortyeighth, and Forty-ninth Congresses, and in each instance were reportea f>lYOrably; in the Forty-sixth Congress the bill was reported favorably by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, and had passed the Senate, and in each Congress failed to become a law only from t.be crowded state of the Calendars. 

The grounds in favor of this bill are briefly as follows: 

The city of Greenville is the third city in population and importance in the 

State of South Carolina, and is rapidly increasing in both particulars, an official census, recently t-aken, showing an increase of population when compared with• 

the census 1880 of over 25 per cent. It is the largest city in the western district 

of South Carolina, and is in the center of said district and in easy railroad com- munication with. every section of it, by lines converging to and crossing each 

other at that point. 

The United States court, exercising district court and circuit com·t powers, is held there regularly, and at no other point in the west-ern district, em bracing one- half of the State. So large is the amount of business there transacted that its 

dispatch bas required, dm·ing the last few years, an extra term ofthecourtevery year in addition to the regular terms designated by statute. The late United 

States district attorney, in a letter on the subject, says: "A Government court-house is a necessity. More than two-thirds of the busi- ness of the United States in this State is done in the district court at that place 

(i. e., at Greenville). The dockets contain from four hundred to seven hundred cases for trial. ..-... "The United States courts are now held in the county court-bouse, where 

there are no accommodations-at all suited for the United Stat-es." 

The district judge upon this subject says: "There is next to no accommodation for our officers-marshal and his deputies, clerk and his deputies-and no provision at all for the safe, methodical, 

and decent care of the process and papers of the court.' ' The circuit judge (Judge Bond) says: "It is a disgrace to the country to hold the court there in the way it is now done. And I despair of making any of the court's proceedings effective or impressive while it is held in a hired building not under its own control." 

The present United States district attorney says: "Should the South Carolina Legislature change the time for holding the 

State courts for Greenville County so as to conflict with the time fixed by law 

for holding the district court of the United States, the United States Govern- ment would have no place to hold its com·t." - - There is equal necessity for suitable accommodations for the postal ~msiness. 

As far back as 1879, 326,570 packages of mail matter were handled, and smce that 

time the volUllle of mail matter has· largely increased with the growth of the 

city. The post-office at present is kept in a rented building, and rents are con- tinually advancing, increasing the expense of a suitable rented building year after year. The postmaster says: "It is inadequate to the increasing business." In view of the foregoing facts your committee recommends that the sum of 

$100,000 be fixed as the limit of cost of the site and building provided for by the 

bill under consideration. In the judgment of the committee the sum men- tioned will enable the Secretary of the Treasury to provide a building which 

'vill afford ample room for the present and prospective needs of the Govern- ment without a further appeal to Congress for an extension of the limit of cost. Your committee therefore recommends that the bill do pass. 

The bill was laid aside to be reported to the House with the recom- mendation that it do pass. 

PUBLIC BU~DING AT ASHEVILLE, N.C. 

.Mr. DIBBLE. I call up for consideration the next bill on the Calendar, the bill (H. R. 1697) for the erection of a public building in the 

city of Asheville, N.C. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it enacted, etc., That the Secretary of tho Treasm·y be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to purchase or otherwise provide a suitable site and cause to be erected thereon a substantial and commodious building, with fire-proof 

vaults extending to each story, for the use and accommodation of the court.s of 

the United States, post-office, and other offices of the Government, at A.shevll.le, N. C. The site and building thereon, when completed upon plans and specifications to be previously made and approved by the Secretary of the Treasury, 

shall not exceed in cost the sum of $150,000, which said sum is hereby appro- priated for that purpose ?ut of any money in t"~?-e Tr~asury not olrherwis~ appro- priated; nor shall any s1te be purchased until es~ rmates for the ere<;t10n of a building which will furnish sufficient accommodatwus for the transactiOn of t"~?-e 

public business and which shall not exceed in CQst the balance of the sum heretn 

limited after the site shall have been purchased and paid for, shall have been 

approved by the Secretary of the Treasury; and no purchase of site .nor pl!lce for said building shall be approved by the Secretary of the '.rreasury mvolvmg an expenditure exceeding the said sumof$80,000 for site and building; and the 

site purchased ~hall leave the building independent and unexposed to ?-anger 

from fire in adjacent buildings by an open space of not less than 40 feet, mcluding streets and alleys: Provided, That no part of said sum shall be expende~ un- til a valid title to the said site shall be vested in t-he United States, nor until the 

State of North Carolina shall cede to the United States _exclusive jurisdiction • over the same duringthe time the United States shall be or remain the owner thereof, for all purposes except the administration of the criminal laws of said 

State and the service of civil process therein. 

M:r. DIBBLE. There is an amendment reported by the committee 

to this bill. 

:Mr. RANDALL. If my memory serves me correctly, this is a bill 

which was vetoed at the last session of Congress by the President of 

the United States. 

A MEl\fBER (to Mr. RANDALL). You need not say anything about 

that. 

Mr. RANDALL. A gentleman suggests to me that I need not say 

anything about that. I withdraw my inquiry. (Laughter.] . The report {by Mr. JOHNSTON, of North Carolina) was read, a~ollows: 

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, having had House bill1697 

under careful consideration, submit the following report: A similar bill having been favorably recommended by the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds of the Forty-ninth and prior Congresses, and yom· committee.having, after. careful consideration, arrived a.:t the ~e con- clusion, adopt srud reports, which are hereto annexed, emb?dymg tberem s~ch 

alterations and further statements of facts as the changed Circumstances which 

have been caused by the constant and rapid growth of said city since the adoption of said reports have rendered necessary. · Your committee therefore recommend the passage of the accompanying bill, 

with t.he following amendments: . In line 12 strike out the words" and fifty." In line 23 strike out the word" eighty" and insert the words "one hundred." 

[House Report No. 391, Forty-ninth Congress.] 

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, having bad House bill1697 

under careful consideration, submit the following report: A similar bill providing for the erection of a public building at Asheville, N, 

C., passed the Senate of the Forty-sixth, the Forty-seventh, and the Forty-eighth 

Cono-resses and in each of said Congresses received a favorable report from the 

Hou'Se Co~mittee on Public Buildings and Grounds, but failed to pass because 

it was not reached on the House Calendar. 

As your committee, after careful consideration, have arrived at the same conclusion, t.hey annex herewith a copy of the report of the committee of th.e 

Forty-eighth Congress for infop;nation, and which they adopt as .Part-of ~ 

report, with the followmg add1t10nal statement of facts as ascertamed by thiS 

committ-ee, namely: . . . . That since the date of said report the AsheYille and Spartanburgh Railroad 

therein mentioned baa been completed, and the branch of the Western North 

Carolina Railroad is now running within a short distance of the North Georgia 

line; that the shops and offices of said. ra~lroad company a!e to. be .located i!l 

said city; that among other costly bmldmgs constructed .m said <:•ty ther~ IS now being built a large hotel at a cost· of $100,000 [the capaCity of which has smce been doubled, and a large cotton factory has also recently been completed and 

other factories are to be built]; that the population, business, and wealth of the 

city are rapidly and constantly increasing [the assessed value of the property 

bas nearly quadrupled in the l.ast four years, and the population since 1880 ~as 

increased about same proportiOn. The revenue from the post-office has so m- creased since this report was made as to entitle the city to free delivery under 

the act of 1887]; that the rents of the offices and building~ used by the G?-yern- ment are also increasing; that on account of the establishment of additiOnal 

State courts held in said city it often occurs that the terms of the !Jnite? States 

circuit and district courts conflict with those of the State courts, 1n wh1ch case the United States courts are held in some other nail, at much inconvenience and annoyance; that the business of the United States circuit and district courts has 

increased· that there being no spare rooms in the county court-house, the office 

of the clerk of said courts, together with all their records, have necessarily been 

removed to rooms in the second story of a brick building at a distance fl'om tho 

court-house, where they are without protection, and in case of fire their destruction would be inevitable. · The State court-house, in which the United States comts are at present held, 

has been presented by the grand jury. of that court as being too.small and inc~mvenient to accommodate the court and Its officers, and that the noise and confusiOn 

caused by its bad construction and immediate proximity to one of the principal' thoroughfares of the city constantly interrupt the transaction of the public busi- ness, and at times cause a suspension of court proceedings. 

· " [House Report No. 1298, Forty-eighth Congress, first session.] 

"The Committee on Public Buildings aud Grounds submit the following rcpo!·t upon the bill (H. R.ll25) to provide for a public building at Asheville, N. C. : " By the act of June 4; 1872, the St-ate of North Carolina was divided into two judicial districts, Asheville being situate i about the center of the 'western 

district.' This division divides the State, as to territory and population, about 

equally there being forty-five counties in the western district, comprising an area ab~ut 300 miles in length and about an averageofl50milesin width. The 

business done in the United States courts at Asheville comes from about thil'ty 

counties of the di;> ti·ict, the balance of the district going to Greensborough, 

Statesville, and Charlotte. 

"There is no Government building within this vast territory west of Greensborough, the almost entire body of the western district being west of Greensborough. Iu h the la rgest portion of the business of the district, both criminal and 

civil, is done at Asheville, being the central point .. ThereportoftheAttorney- General shows that the causes pending in the 'western district,' in which the 

Government is a pa1·ty, are largely in excess of those pending in the 'eastern 

district.' It appears that while the court is held in four places in the said west-

. ,.. 
816 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. JANUARY~31, 

ern district, the greater portion is done at Asheville, there being as many as from fonr hundred to five hundred cases on the docket at that place atone time. "The city of Asheville, with its adjacent growing villages, has a population of from 6,000 to 8,000, and now rapidly increasing in consequence of its peculiar 

geographical and commercial position. "Tlie Western North Carolina Rail road reaches Asheville, and there diverges, one branch going north, viaKnoxville,and within eighteenhonrs' run of Louis- ville, Ky., the other going west toward the North Georgia line; while the Ashe- ville and Spartan burgh Railroad only wants the completion of 20 miles to con- nect Asheville with Charleston, S.C., by a travel of twelve hom-s or less. Ashe- ville is, therefore, the center of this great western portion of North Carolina through which the great railroad lines mentioned must pass. Other railroads are in progress destined to reach this point. "Asheville is a great summer resort, having several of the finest hotels in the State, and is easily accessible from all directions. ·'Sixty or seventy mercantile establishments, including several wholesale houses, are being supported in the city. There are four or five large ware- houses for the sale of leaf-tobacco, while several tobacco manufactories are en- gaged in the manufacture of tobacco. It is the center and terminus of nine dif- • ferent mail routes, and the post-office receipts and disbursements, including the money-order business, amount to about $128,000 annually. The Post-Office De- partment, the internal-re·venue department, and the judiciary department all have offices, kept from year to year, in the city, at an estimated cost of$-- for rents. It appears that the district and circuit courts are held twice in each year, and that the State courts have in some instances given way to accommo- date the United States courts. ·• The committee are of the opinion t.hat it would be economy in the Govern- ment to erect a building, and they therefore recommend the passage of the bill." 

l\1r. REED. I would like to know whether the other bills which were vetoed by the President are to be presented. . M1-. DIBBLE. The gentleman from North Carolina [1\fr. JOHNSTON] can probably explain wherein this bill may not be obnoxious to the President's objections, as the other bill was. Desides, since the last session 

of ngress t.be President bas visited Asheville and has seen for himself 

the growth and greatness of that mountain city. ~1r. BUCHAN AN. I would like to know the population of the place. 

l\Ir. JOHNSTON, of North Carolina. Between eight and ten thousand-about the same as Greenville, S. C., for which a bill was just 

passed. · 

The CHAIRUAN. The question is on the amendments reported by 

the committee and just read as a part of the report. 

Mr. JOHNSTON, of North Carolina. The two amendments are to 

the same effect; they limit the expenditure to $100,000; that is all. 

The amendments were agreed to. . 

The bill as amended was Jaid aside to be reported to the House with a recommendation that it do pass. 

PUJ3LIC BUILDING AT SPlUKGFIELD, l\10. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I call up for consideration the bill (H. R. 1611) for 

the erection of a public building at Springfield, Mo. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it enacted. etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to purchase or otherwisep1·ovide a site, and cause to be e1·ected thereon a substantial and commodious building, with fire-proof vaults, for the use and accommodation of the United States com1s, post-office, United States land office, and the United States Signal Service, and for other Govern- ment uses at Springfield, in the Stateofl\1issouri. The site and building thereon, when completed upon plans and specifications to be previously made and ap- pro~ed by the Secretary of the Treasury, shall not exceed in cost the sum of $100,000; nor shall any site be pm·chased until estimates for the erection of a building which will furnish sufficient accommodations for the transaction of the public business, antl which shall not exceed in cost .the balance of the sum herein limited after the site shall have been purchased and paid for, shall have been approved by the Secretary of the Treasury; and no purchase of site, nor plan for said building, shall be approved by the Secretary of the Treasury in- volving an expenditure exceeding the said sum of $100,000 for site and building; and the site purchased shall leave the building unexposed to danger from fire by an open space of at least 4.0 feet, including streets and alleys: Pr(YI)ided, That no part of said sum shall be expended until a valid title to the said site shall be vested in the United States, nor until the State of l\1issouri shall cede to the United States exclusive jurisdiction over the same during the time the United States shall be or remain the owner thereof, for all purposes except the admin- istmtlon of the criminal laws of said State and the service of civil process therein. 

The report (by 1\fr. WADE) is as follows: 

The Committee on Public Buildin~ and Grounds, to whom was referred House bill No. 16ll, beg leave to submit the following report: The city of Springfield is the metropolis of Southwest 1\Iissonri. It is 240 miles from St. Louis, 200 from Kansas City, and 300 from Memphis, Tenn.; has six lines of railroad, which make tributary to it a large territory unsurpassed in agricultural, mineral, stock-raising, and timber resources. Its wholesale trade ex- tends over Southwest 1\Iissonri, Northwest Arkansas, and the Indian Territory, and amounts to several millions yearly. It has four national and three private 

banks, three lines of street railroads, electric 1ights, and gas and water works. Its educational advantages are unsurpassed. Drury College and Lorretta Acad- emy furnish the higher education, while the public schools, with eight large building~~ and a corps of sixty-five teachers,' supply those seeking a common- school education with facilities to that end unsurpassed in the nation. The manufacturing, milling, and lumber interests of Springfield are extensive and rapidly growing. The shops of two great trunk-line railroads, namely, the Kansas City, Springfield and Memphis, and the St. Louis and San Francisco, are located here, which employ over two thousand men. The city of North Springfield was incorporated with Springfield last spring, ~ving the city a popll!ation of more than 20,000, making it the fourth city in population i1;1 the State. Its location and commercial advantages and manufact- ures will, in the near futnre, increase its population to 50,000,and raise it to the rank of third city in the State. · The postnl service ef Springfield employs, since the consolidation of the office of North S_Pringfield with it on 1st of the present month, fifteen persons. The gross receJ~ts of the Springfield post-office for the year 1886 (including North Springfield) were over $"...3,000, an increase of over $4,000 from last report. The rent p!l.id for building for post.-office is Sl,050; for land office, $300; signo.l office,~; United States conrt·room and offices, 1,200 (this item is paid by Greene County), making a total expenditure for rent for buildings in Spring- field for Government use of $2,850. A bill for a Government building a.t Springfield was passed last Congress and 

vetoed by the President on th.e grounds that no rent was paid for the building • used as a post.-office, and that there was no United States conrt there. Since then a United States conrt has been established there, the post-offices of Spring- field and North Springfield consolidated, and rent sufficient is now being paid to warrant the Government in er:ecting a building, leaving out of consideration the better facilities for transacting the business. In view of the facts set forth, and in consideration of the necessity for a building sufficient to meet the wants of the Government, we recommend the passage of the bill. 

The bill was laid aside to be reported to the House with a.recomo~ 

mendation that it do pass. 

PUBLIC BUILDING AT MONROE, LA. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I next call up the bill (H. R. 1483) for the erection 

of a public building at Monroe, La. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it enacted, etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, au- thorized and directed· to purchase or otherwise procure a suitable site, and cause to be erected thereon, at tile city of Monroe, in the State of Louisiana, a suitable, substantial, and commodious public building for the use of the United States courts, post-office, internal-revenue, land, and other Government offices: Provided, That no money appropriated for said building shall be expended until a valid title to the site selected shall be vested in the United States, which site sha1lleave the building unexposed to danger from fire in adjacent buildings by an open spa<:e of at least 50 feet, nor until the State of Louisiana shall have ceded jurisdiction over the same for all purposes during the time the United States shall be or remain the owner thereof, except for the enforcement of the criminal laws of said State, and the service of civil process therein. The plans and estimates for said building shall first be prepared, examined, and approved as required by sec- tion 3731 of the Revised Statutes of the United Stat-es, and the cost shall not ex- ceed $100,000; nor shall any site be purchased unt.il estimates for the erection of a building which will furnish sufficient accommodations for the transaction of the public business, and which shall not exceed in cost the balance of the same herein limited after the site shall have been purchased and paid for, shall have been ap- proved by the Secretary of the 'l'reasury. And no purchase of site nor plan of said building shall be approved by the Secretary of the Treasury involving an expenditure exceeding the said sum of $100,000, which sum is hereby appropri- ated for the same, out of any money in the T.reasury not otherwise appropriated. 

1\Ir. DIBBLE. I will yield five minutestothegentleman from Louisiana [.Air. NEWTO~], if he desires to explain this bill. 

Several MEMBERS. Let us have the report read. 

The report (by Mr. NEWTON) was read, as follows: 

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to whom wa-s referred House billl483, submit the follo"\ving report: 

l\fonroe is the largest and most important town (or cit;y) in t~ State of Louisi- ana north of Red River. It is situated on the Ouachita River at the junction of the Vicksburgh, Shreveport and Texas PacificRaih·oad. It is a large shipping 

port for both, and largely contl:ols the commerce of the same, amounting annu- ally to from fifteen to twenty millions by the river alone. It has several large and extensive industries. Two or three important lines of railroad are projected 

through the city. · There is no public building at 1\Ionroe belonging to the General Government. The necessity for one is great. The importance of having one for the use of the United States courts (which have more busine§s at Monroe than at the other three places whe1·e conrts are held in the western district of Louisiana) is at- tested by the following extract.<; from letters of the judge and chief clerk of the United States court which sits there, the same being on file with yonr committee. In a letter from the judge of said court, he f':ays: "The United States court sessions held at Monroe are the most important in the district; we try more cases there than we do at all the other places in which we have court. The conrt is in session at l'.Ionroe about three months of the year, and is busily engaged dnring the whole time. I do not now remember.the number of suits on the docket at 1\lonroe, but I expect to be engaged there at the April term for six or eight weeks. "Monroe is in a richandpopulouspartof the district, and its proximity to that part of the Mississippi River which divides Mississippi from Louisiana will always induce most of the litigation in the United States conrts for the western district of Louisiana to be disposed of at :Monroe. The Government rents a large room for holding sessions of the court at Monroe, but provides nothing else in the way of accommodations for the officers of the court. The clerk has no of- fice, and the papers filed in the court are at the mercy of all sorts of accidents. The marshal has no office; I do not know how he keeps or takes care of his papers." 

[Extract from letter of chief clerk.] 

"I write to nrge the necessity of an appropriation for the erection of n public 

building (United States court-house) at this place. "The business in the United States courts here is constantly increasing, and as a matter of fact, which can be substantiated by the conrt records, there are a larger number of cases ou the docket at this place than at aU the other points in the district combined. " In the building (Masonic Hall) now rented by the Government for use as a court.-house there are no rooms for use of the judge, officers of the conrt, or the grand and petit juries. In fact, the marshal has been compelled to rent t.wo rooms over a bar-room twQ blocks from the court-house for the use of the juries. "I am compelled for safety to keep the books and rec01·ds of court in my room at my boarding-house." 

A petition signed by all the lawyers and leading citizens~or Monroe and the country adjacent thereto substantially sets forth the above facts also, and asks for a public building at that place. Monroe is also a large mail-distributing 

point and has no suitable post-office, nor has it accommodations for the deput.y internal-revenue or other agencies of the Government. From these evidences it appears: 1. That the business of the courts at .M:onroe is constantly increasing, and that the1·e is a lru:ger number of cases there than at all the other places in the dish·ict combined. 2. That there is no p lace of safety in which t<> keep the papers and records of said courts, in which are involved large amounts and important interests. 3. That the clerk is compelled, for safety, to keep the books and records of 

the coul't in his room at a boarding-house. 4. That the mru·shal has no apartments owned by the Government in which to convene the juries, but is compelled to rent rooms for that purpose at .a distance from the hall in which the court holds its sessions, and has to keep h1s papers and documents as best b e can. 5. The United States courts hold sessions at Monroe twice a year, during which it sits about three months, and it has a large and increasing business. It appears that Monroe is an old and substantial city; that it has a steadily- growing influence and population; several large and important industries; an extensive trade; is located in the heart of a district embracing a population of about 180,000 people, who transact there all the business they have before the 

United States courts. • 
1888 . ..- CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 847 

The Committee on Public Buildings of both Senate and House of the Fortyninth Congress made a favorable report on a similar bill, which bill was finally 

passed by both Houses of said Congress, having finally passed the House in the 

last Clays of the second session, and was not returned by the President by the 

adjournment, and failed to become a law. Your committee, therefore, report favorably on the bill submitted to them, 

and unanimously recommend its passage. 

[Cries of" Vote!" "Vote!"] 

I\Ir. STEELE. I desire to ask whether there is a second or a third 

class post-office at this town? 

Mr. NEWTON. A third-class office. 

Mr. STEELE. The salary of the postmaster is $1,500? 

l\fr. NEWTON. Yes, sir. . Mr. STEELE. I am in favor of the bill. 

The hill was laid aside to be reported to the House with a recom- mendation that it do pass. 

PUBLIC BUILDING AT PORTSMOUTH, OillO. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I call up for consideration the bill (H. R.1712) for 

the erection of a publie building at Portsmouth, Ohio. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it enacted, etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, au- thorized and directed to purchase or otherwise provide a site, and cause to be 

erected thereon a substantial and commodious building, with fire-proof vaults, 

for the use and accommodation of the post-office and for other Government uses, at Portsmouth, Ohio; the site and building thereon, when completed upon plans and specifications to be previously made and approved by the Secretary 

of the Treasury, shall not exceed in cost the sum of $60,000; nor shall any site 

be purchased until estimates for the erection of a building which will fw·nish 

sufficient accommodations for· the transaction of the public business,. and which 

shall not exceed in cost the balance of the sum herein limited aftet· the site shall 

have been purchased and paid for, shall have been approved by the Secretary of the Treasury; and no purchase of site nor plan for said building shall be 

approved by the Secretary of the Treasury involving an expenditure exceeding 

the said sum of $60,000 for sit.e and building; and the site purchased shall leave 

the building unexposed to danger from fire. by an open space of at least 40 

feet, including streets and-alleys: Provided, That no part of said sum shall be 

expended until a valid title to the said site shall be vested in the United States, nor until the State of Ohio shall cede to the United States exclusive jurisdiction over the same, during the time the United States shall be or remain the owner thereof, for all purposes except the administration of the criminal laws of said 

State and the service of civil process therein. 

Mr. DIBBLE. Unless some debate be desired, I will move that this ·bill be laid aside to be reported favorably to the House. 

Mr. BLAND. We had better have the report read. 

Mr. RANDALL. I call for the reading of the report. 

The report (by Mr. KENNEDY) was read, as follows: 

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to whom was referred House bill1712, submit the following report: 

Portsmouth is situated on the Ohio River, nt the mouth oft.he rich Scioto Val- ley. It is 100 miles from Columbus and n.bout the same distance from Cincinnati. 

There is no public building for the transaction of the business of the General 

Government nearer than these points. It bas a commanding position on the 

Ohio River, and a large portion of Southern Ohio, of Eastern Kentucky, and of West Virginia is, in a business point of view, tributary t-o the-city. North of it 

lies the famous Scioto Valley1 rich in its soil and products and in the enterprise 

and thrift of its citizens. This valley is the natural thoroughfare, by rail and 

canal, from Southern Ohio to the central and northern portions of the State. 

The city stands on the border of the great coal and iron fields of the Hanging 

Rock region, and is in easy access to the rich coal and iron belts immediately across the Ohio River, extending through Northeastern Kentucky. Thus situated in the Ohio Valley, Portsmouth is the center of a fertile region, rich in 

iron, coal, stone, fire-clay, timber, et.c., to all of which it is easily accessible, and 

from which flows to it a large and steady stream of trade and commerce. 

COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE. 

The sales of general merchandise by Portsmouth merchants of goods not manufn.ctured there exceed in amount the sum of $5,000.000 per annum, while 

the amount of wares manufa<ltured at the various factories within the city and 

in its environs will reach a still greater amount, showing that the annual com- merce of Portsmouth is more than $10,000,000. The goods manufactured in 

Portsmouth consist of manufactured iron, steam·engines, stoves, road-scrapers, 

steel springs, wagon stock, wagons, buggies, wheelbarrows, railroad cars, firebrick, sa wed stone, furniture, boots and shoes, paper, soap and candles, brooms, 

saddles and ha1·ness, woolen goods, cooperage, distilled spirits, beer, cigars, etc. 

THE POST-OFFICE. 

The post-office is in a small building,crowded and inconvenient, neither affording the postmaster p1·oper accommodations for the prompt and con\Tenient 

transaction of business nor meeting the wants nor convenience of the public. 

This posfi.office distributes letters over numerous routes, sending out and re- ceiving between twenty and thirty mail-bags daily. It rents 878 boxes and sells 

$9,360 worth of stamps annually. As a money-order office it pays out an average of $26,000 per year, and the average net revenue of the office is more than $7,000 per year. 

INTERNAL-REVENUE OFFICE. 

The office of the United States internal-revenue collector for the Eleventh district of Ohio is located at Portsmouth. During the past twenty years the main 

?ffice has been located in that city with the exception of four years. This might m a measure be accounted for by the fact that Portsmouth, by its mail facilities 

and railroad and river connections, is eligibly situated for the frequent and rapid 

transmission of the public business, but also from the fact that the revenue rec- ords show that, with the exception of Cincinnati, Portsmouth has paid more internal-revenue taxes during the period mentioned than any other city in the 

State. The revenue district is composed of twenty-five counties, the revenues of which now reach in the ~ighborhood of 31,000,000 to $1,200,000. During the 

last revenue year they amounted to $1 058,000. The official records show that 

the distillery of George Davis & Co., of that city, has paid, from the years 1879 ~ 1885, i?clusive, seven years, t?e sum .of $J,l08,418.90 as taxes on distilled spirIts, making an average of$444,0a9.98 pa1d per annum, or about one-third of the revenues collected in the entire district. To this can be added the taxes paid by 

the brewers, cigar manufacturers, etc .• of the city for stamps. 

Ul."ITED STATES COJIIIDSSIONER, ETC. 

The office of United States commissioner is considered an important one at that point. In addition to the ordinary duties of such officer the situation of 

Portsmouth upon the Ohio River, its large steam-boat and maritime interests 

bring to that office much litigation_ under. the marine laws and add to it6 im: 

portance. In addition to this the river and light-house service, which has gTown to be a matter of Government concern, could be greatly accommodated by the 

construction of a public building at that point. 

By act of Congress passed June 16, 1880, Portsmouth was constituted a port of 

delivery within the collection district of New Orleans, and from estimates made 

it is evident that there would be not less than $200,000 worth of various goods 

imported annually, consisting of queensware, leather, books, silk, medical sup- plies, liquors, cigars, and many other articles, in case proper facilities are offered. FACILITJE.S FOR TRANSPORTATION. 

The railroad connections are as follows: The Scioto Valley north· to Colum· 

bus (connecting there with the great· lines east and west) and south to Ashland, 

Ky., connecting there with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, forming a direct 

line to Richmond, Va., and the Southeast; the Oincinnati,Washington and Bal- timore Railroad and its connections norlh; east, west, and south; the Cincin- nati and Efts tern, affording a direct connection with Cincinnati. A belt road is now being built w h!ch will give uneq ua.led facilities to the shipping and manu- facturing interests of the city. Good free turnpikes extend in all directions 

from the city to the county limits, concentrating the trade of the county and 

largely of the adjoining counties in the city. In addition to this the Ohio River, 

that great artery of commerce, affords frequent and cheap means of transportation and exchange. Local daily packets ply from Portsmouth to points above 

and below, while larger steamers touch the wharf daily passing and repassing 

from Cincinnati to points above, t-o Huntington, Gallipolis, Pomeroy, Wheeling, and Pittsburgh. Portsmouth, it might be added, possesses one of the fine~ t 

harbors on the Ohio River. In the lowest stage of water the la1·gest steamers, 

loaded, can float with safety. 

GOVER~""MEXT RENTS. 

The rents now paid by the Government for public offices in Portsmouth, the 

post-office, revenue, etc., now reach nearly $1,000 per annum. But this rent does not provide such offices or accommodations as the Government should provide or the public welfare demands. The post-office rooms and facilities are not at all adequate to the proper discharge of the postal business. If suitable quarters were provided, as they certainly will be in the near future, even if a public building is not erected, the rents will reach from Sl,200to $1,500 per annum. But even this would not secure the Government records and property from the dangers 

of fire. 

The city has a population of 15,000, and is rapidly increasing each year. We recommend that the a<lcompanying {substitute for House) bill (1884) do pass. 

Mr. GALLINGER. Portsmouth, Ohio, is evidently an important 

point; but for information possibly in tlre future I desire to ask 

whether United States courts are held at that place. From the reading of the report I did not understand whether such is the fact. Mr. DIBBLE. The gentleman from Ohio [Mr. KENNEDY] who 

made the repOTt will explain that matter. 

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Chairman, this bill was introduced bymycolleague from Ohio [Mr. THOMPSON). In his absence I will say, in an- swer to the question of the gentleman from New Hampsl;tire [Mr. 

GALLINGER], that the United States courtsarenotheld at Portsmouth. 

But it is a thriving, growing place on the Ohio River, with a population 

ot 15,000. It has a post-office, internal-revenue office, and United States 

commissioner's office. 

Mr. GALLINGER. The gentleman's explanation is satisfactory. 

Mr. KENNEDY. A similar bill was passed in the last Congress. 

A 1\IEMBER. What is the limitation of cost? 

11fr. KENNEDY. It is not to exceed $60,000. 

The bill was laid aside to be reported to the House with a recom- mendation that it do pass. 

BUILDING FOR CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER OF THE ARMY. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I am directed by the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds to cttll up for consideration the bil_l (H. R. 4359) for 

the purchase of a site, including the building thereon, and also for tho 

erection of the necessary store-houses for the use of the office of the 

Chief Signal Officer of the Army, at the city of Washington, D. C., re· ported with an amendment. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it enacted, etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, au- thorized and directed to purchase or otherwise provide a site containing about 

54,000 square feet of ground, and the building thereon, on the northeast quarte:.-

of square numbered 25, corner of Twenty-fourth and l\I streets northwest, Washington, D. C., belonging to David Fergusson, for us~ of the Signal Bureau of the War Department, and•cause to be erected.;on such·portion of the site as is not now occupied by buildings, substantial and commodious buildings, with fire- proof vaults, for use as store-houses for the accommodation of the office of tho 

Chief Signal Officer of the Army, andforotherGovernmentuses, at Was.hington, D. C. The site and building thereon, including the store-houses, when com- pleted upon plans and specifications to be previously made and approved by 

the Secretary of the Treasury, shall not exceed in cost the sum of $150,000; nor shall any site be purchased until estimates for the ·erection or purchase of a bui.lding, including the necessary store-houses, which will furnish sufficient ac- commodations for the transaction of public business, and which shall not exceed iR cost the balance of the sum herein limited after the siSe shall have been pur- chased and paid for, shall have been approved by the Secretary of the Treasury; 

and no site nor plans for said building or buildings shall be approved by the 

Secretary of the Treasury involving an expenditure exceeding the sum of 5150,-

000 for site and buildings; and the site purchased shall leave the building unex- posed to danger from fire by a · space of at least 50 feet, including streets and 

alleys: Provided, That no part of the said sum shall be expencled until a valid 

title to the said site shall be vested in the United States. 

The amendment was read, as follows: 

After the word" dollars," where it first occurs in the bill, insert the following : "Provided, That not more than $112,000 be paid to ?!Ir. Fergusson for the prop- erty herein referred to." · 

Mr. DIBBLE. The members of the Committee on Public Buildings 

and Grounds have thoroughly inspected this building which it is proposed to purchase for the use of the office of the Chief Signal Officer of 

the Army, and they not only think that its purchase is necessary, but 

also that it is a very profitable investment for the Government; besides, 

the Government owns the remainder of the square on which this build-
-. 

848 CONGRESSitlNAL RECORD-HOUSE. JANUARV 31, 

ing is located. The committee agree that the sum of $112,000 is a low price for this property, and thatwith the remaining$38,000 of the 

$150,000 appropriated the Chief Signal Officer of the Army will be able 

to construct necessary store-houses. I ask that the amendment be 

agreed to, and the bill as amended laid aside to be reported to the 

House with the recommendation that it do pass. 

Mr. RANDALL. I ask for the reading of the report. 

Mr. WILKINS. The House should know this is an entirely new 

building, and has never been occupied by anybody. 

Mr. MILLIKEN. By this purchase the Government will save $4,000 

and more of rental for a lot of old buildings which are coming down 

upon the hE>..ads of those who are compelled to occupy them. 

Mr. RANDALL. Does this bill provide for the vacation of those 

buildings which are now rented? Is not thiH to build others? 

Mr. WILKINS. No; this building is already constructed and ready 

for occupancy. 

Mr. RANDALL. But it does not provide for the vacation of the 

rented buildings. 

Mr. MILLIKEN. When the Signal Service moves away from the 

building it now occupies into the new building, then the Government 

will be saved the payment of all the rental it is now under. 

Mr. RANDALL. Why not give notice for its vacation? 

Mr. DIBBLE. That is not in the jurisdiction of our committee, but 

no doubt it will be done. 

Mr. RANDALL. Read the report. 

Mr. DIBBLE. The matter is perfectly clear, and I do not suppose 

the gentleman will insist on his demand for the reading of the report. 

Mr. Mcl\IILLIN. Let us have the report read. 

The report was read, as follows: 

The Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, to whom was referred the 

bill (H. R. 4359) for the purchase of a site, including the building thereon, for 

the erection of the necessary store-houses for the use of the office of the Chief 

Signal Officer of the Army, at the city of Washington, D. C., submit the following report: This bill authorizes the purchase of the northeast corner of square No. 25, bounded on the north by 1\f street, on the east by Twenty-fourth street, and south and west by the groun ds ofthe Columbia Hospital, for the use and occu- pancy of the Signal Service Bureau of the War Department . . The property proposed to be purchased belongs_ to J?avid Ft>rgusson, esq., and 

comprises 54,000 square feet of ground, upon which I S erected a new and com- modious l;Jrick house, built in a most substantial manner, finished in oak, rna- boo-any, and Georgia pine, and nearly 1·eady for occupancy. From its peculiar co~ truction it is admirably suited to the purposes for which it is proposed to be 

purchased. With the erection of store-houses, as is provided for in this bill, this 

bureau will have ample a ccommodations for all its business. The necessity for some provision by Congress for suitable, convenient, and healthful quarters for 

.this branch of the service will be apparent from the following statement., as well as economical for the General Government. 

The Signal Service is now quartered in nine separate buildings, at an expense of $7,500 annually for rental, exclusive of repairs, which probably cover $500 more . These buildings are badly yentilated, illy lighted, and wholly unsuited 

for the needs of the Service. 

The minimum air-space allowed by competent authorities for each man is 

placed at 650 feet; 650 cubic feet per man means a space of only 8! feet high, 

long, and wide. · . No less than 102 officers and men of this Service are in quarters which range from 159 cubic feet to &.10 cubic feet per man. This simply means that office work is performed by these men at the expense not only of their physical strength, but of their vital energies. _ The men of this 

Service are perfect physically, yet in November, 1886, one hundred days' time was lost by sickness. In fourteen rooms light is so deficient that gas is neces- sarily used for a number of days each month. 

The scattered condition of the office force not only seriously diminishes the amount of work done by the clerical force, caused by delays in waiting, but has 

also necessitated an increase of the messenger force to an amount not less than 

$3,000 per year. To this amount should be added at least $1,000 for fuel, gas, heating-stoves, etc., 

caused by the occupancy of nine buildings instead of one, making iri all $12,000. From this subtract the interest upon $150,000 at 3 per cent., which would be 

$4.,500, and a saving of $7,500 annually will be made to the Government by the 

purchase of the Fergusson property. 

Moreover, during the last year the Signal Service has been obliged to remove out of .old buildings, which threatened to fall down upon the heads of the em- ployes, into other buildings, at an expense of more than $1,000. 

The Fergusson building is new, is heated by steam, ha-s 31 rooms, many of 

them very large, and floor surface amounting to 12,198 square feet. It could be 

hardly built by the Government for $100, 000, not reckoning the value of the 54,- 000 feet of land contained in the lot upon which it is situated. 

The committee recommend that the bill/a-ss with an amendment providing that not more than $112,000 shall be pai to Mr. Fergusson for the property 

herein referred to. The following, from the Chief Signal Officer's report, with some slight amend- ments made by himself, is submitted for the information of the House: "The Chief Signal Officer invites attention to the inadequate office and stor- nge accommodations for this Service, and especially invit-es attention to the new structure, which has never been occupied, known as the • Fergusson building,' 

located on the corner of Twenty-fourth and M streets, on square No. 25 (north- east quarter), the remainder ofwhich is already owned by the Government. 

'l'he bill for the purchase of this building was favorably reported at the last ses- sion of Congress, and it is evident that the purchase of this site, or some other one, would be a matter of economy for the Government. The 54,000 square feet 

of land and the new building can be purchased for the sum of $108,000, and about 4 per cent. interest for one year, of $112,000; while the necessary store-houses 

n.nd other out-buildings can be constructed for the additional sum of $38,000; so that the total and final cost of sufficient accommodations for this Service would amount to about $150,000, which at 3 per cent. interest would mean an annual 

1·ental of $4,500. The present rentals amount to $7,500, and about $500 is ex- pended annually from the contingent fund for necessary repairs to the wretched 

and unsuitable buildings now occupied by this bureau. To this sum of $8,000 

should be added another thousand dollars for the excesses in cost of fuel, gas, heating-stoves, etc., caused by the occupancy of nine buildings instead of one; and 

also $3,000 for extra laborers and messengers required owing to the scattered 

offices of the bureau; thus aggregating $12,000 against $4,500, a net annual sav- ing of$7,500. · Enough money has been paid for repairs-and extra services en- tailed by the present methods since the organization of the Service to have pur- chased and completed the necessary buildings." 

The amendment wa.s agreed to; and the bill as amended was laid 

aside to be reported to the House with the recommendation that it do 

pass. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I now move that the committee rise. 

The motion was agreed to. 

The committee accordingly rose; and the Speaker pro tempore having resumed the chair, Mr. HATCH reported that the Committee of the 

Whole House on the state on the Union had bad under consideiation, 

under the special order, sundry bills, and had directed him to report the same back to the House with the recommendation that they do pass, some with and some without amendments. 

ENROLLED BILLS SIGNED. 

Mr. FISHER, from the Committee on Enrolled Bills, reported that 

they had examined and found duly enrolled bills of the following 

titles; when the Speaker pro tempore signed the same: 

A bill (H. R. 4271) making appropriations to supply deficiencies in 

the appropriations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887, and for prior 

years, and for other purposes; and 

A bill (H. R. 4881) making an appropriation to carry into effect the 

provisions of an act approved March 2,1887, entitled "An act to establish agricultural experiment stations- in connection with the colleges 

established in the several States under the provisions of an act approved July 2, 1862, and of acts supplementary thereto." 

PUBLIC BUILDING, GREENVILLE, S. C. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the title of the 

first bill reported from the Committee of the Whole House on the state 

of the Union with the recommendation that it do pass. 

The Clerk read as follows: A bill (H. R. 1805) for the erection of a public building at Greenville, S. C. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I demand the previous question. 

The previous question was ordered, and under the operation thereof 

the bill was ordered t.o be engrossed and read a third time; and being 

engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

PUBLIC BUILDING, ASHEVILLE, N. C. 

The next bill reported from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union· with a favorable recommendation was the bill 

(H. R. 1697) for the erection of a public building in the city of Asheville, N. C., reported with an amendment. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I demand the previous question on the bill and amendment. 

The previous question w~ ordered, and under the operation thereof 

the amendment was agreed to, and the bill as amended was ordered to 

be engrossed and read a third .time; and being engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

PUBLIC BUILDING AT SPRINGFIELD, MO. 

The next bill reported from the Committee of the Whole House on the 

state of the Union with a favorable recommendation was the bill (H. R. 

1611) for the erection of a public building at Springfield, 1\Io. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I demand the previous questitm. 

The previous question was ordered; and under the operation thereof 

the bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time; and being 

engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

PUBLIC BUILDING AT MONROE, LA. 

The next bill reported from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union with a favorable recommendation was the bill (H. 

R. 1483) for the erection of a public building at Monroe, La. :Mr. DIBBLE. I demand the previous question. 

The previous question was ordered; and under the oper2.tion thereof 

the bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time; and being 

engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

PUBLIC BUILDING, PORTSMOUTH, OHIO. 

The next bill reported favorably from the Committee of the Whole 

House on the state of the Union was the bill (H. R. 1712) for the erection of a public building at Portsmouth, Ohio. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I demand the previous question. 

The previous question was ordered; and under the operation thereof 

the bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time; and being 

engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

BUILDING FOR THE USE OF CHIEF SIGNAL OFFICER OF THE ARMY. 

The next bill reported from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union with a favorable recommendation was the bill 

(H. R. 4359) for the purchase of a site, including the building thereon, 

and also for the erection of the necessary store-houses for the use of the 

office of the Chief Signal Officer of the Arm;r, at the city of Washing· 

ton, D. C., reported with an amendment. :Mr. DIBBLE. I demand the previous question on the bill and 

amendments. 

The previous question was ordered; and under the operation thereof 

the amendment was agreed to; and the bill as amended was ordered 

to be engrossed and 1·ead a third time; and being engrossed, it was ac- cordingly read the third time, and passed. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I now move to reconsider the several votesj usttaken; 

and also move that the motions to reconsider be laid on the table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 
1888. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 849 

JOEL J. GOSS. 

Mr. DIBBLE. I move that the House now resolve i tselfinto the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar, for the purpose of 

considering the bill (H. R. 2056) for the relief of Joel J. Goss, reported 

from the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. 

Mr. SPRINGER. I make the point of order that it is not in order 

for the gentleman in this second hour to move to go into the Committee of the Whole House on the Private Calendar for the consideration 

of private business. · The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state his point. 

Mr. SPRINGER. It is certainly not in order for the gentleman to 

consider private business to-day in this hour. Rule XXIV says: 

5. After the morning hour shall have been devoted to reports from committees 

(or the call completed), the Speaker shall again call the committees in regular • order for one hour, upon whichcalleachcommiUee, on being named, shall have 

the right to call up for consideration any bill reported by it on a previous day, on either the House or Union Calendar. 

That does not refer to the Private Calendar, but excludes it. 

Mr. CUTCHEON. I ask that the report be read. 

The SPEAKER p1·o tempore. The hour for the consideration of bills 

has expired. 

Ur. DIBBLE. I raise the point that J.;his proceeding is now by unanimous consent. 

Mr. RANDALL. Unanimous consent had not been given to therequest. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The right to object was distinctly-reserved. 

LABOR TROUBLES, PENNSYLVANIA COAL REGION. 

Mr. BRUMM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent of the House 

to present at this time a memorial signed by a committee representing 

82,000 workingmen, and have it read from the Clerk's desk and printed 

in the RECORD, after which I hope the House will allow me a few minutes to make a brief statement. 

The SPEAKER pro tempo1·e. The memorial will be read, in the absence of objection. 

The memorial was read, as follows: 

To the honorable the members of the House of Representatives · of the Jilijtieth Congress of th~ United Slates: 

We, the undersigned officials, representing 82,000 working~n, represent thatWhereas the Philadelphia and Reading Railxoad Company, the Philadelphia 

and Reading Coal and Iron Company, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, 

and other corporations have unlawfully conspired with individuals to raise the 

price of coal to an unreasonable figure, and for this purpose have, by enforcing a lock-out in the entire Lehhrh and Schuylkill anthracite-coal system, p1·evented 

the mining and shipping of coal from these systems to any part of the United 

States: 

We, tb~ undersigned, respectfully ask Congress to appoint a special commit- tee of the House of Representatives to investigate the cause of said lock-outs as promptly as the same can be done. 

.And. we will ever pray, etc. JOHN H. D.A VIS, ChaiJ'Inan of Joint CommiUee •. JOHN L. LEE, 

Chairman of P. and R. R. R. Executit•e Boarcl. H. McGARVEY, Master Workman Dislriet Assemhty 87, K. of L. 

The SPEAKER p1·o tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania asks 

unanimous consent to make a brief statement in reference to the paper 

which has just been read, and which, without objection, will be printed 

in the RECORD. . 

Mr. DUNHAM. The understanding is that the gentleman from 

Pennsylvania is allowed to makehisremarksupon the subject, that the 

Committee on Commerce will call this up in the morning, and no other 

gentleman is to speak upon the subject at this time. 

Mr. RAYNER. Who made that arrangement? 

Mr. BROWNE, oflndiana. What is before the House? 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. There is nothing before the House at ·this time but a request for unanimous consent. 

Ur. BROWNE, of Indiana. I make the point of order that there is 

nothing before the House. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Pennsylvania 

asks leave to make a statement. 

Mr. BRUMM. I ask unanimous consent to make a brief statement. 

1\-Ir. RANDALL. You had better present some proposition on 

which to predicate a statement. 

Mr. WEAVER. He has alTeady presented a petition, or memorial, 

which has been read. 

Mr. SPRINGER. Let the gentleman state how long a time he 

wants. I object, unless it is known what time he will consume. Mr. BRUMM. Not more than fifteen minutes. 

Mr. RANDALL. This matter had better be fairly met, and I hope 

the consideration of the subject in the House will not be evaded by a single objection: • Mr. DAVIS. I wish to state that there aretworeportsfrom the Committee on Comme.rce on this subject, and it will probably come up tomoiTOW for consideration, when the whole matter will be discussed. 

The chairman of the committee is not in his seat at present, and it seems to me the matter had better go over and take that course. Mr. RANDALL. Can the gentleman give an assurance that it will come up to-morrow? 

XIX-54 

Mr. DAVIS. That is my understanding. 

Mr. ANDERSON, of Kansas. I ask unanimous consent that this 

matter be made the special order for c~:msideration at the conclusion of 

the second morning hour to-morrow. 

Mr. DAVIS. I do npt object to that. 

Mr. BRUMM. I hope the gentleman will withdraw that for a moment, until after I have made a short statement. 

Mr. CLARDY. I trnet the gentleman from Pennsylvania will be 

heard. 

Mr. ANDERSON, of Kansas. I make the request for unanimous 

consent that this matter go over until to-m~rrow after the morning hour. 

I refer to the resolution in regard to the Reading Railroad. [Cries of 

"That's right!"] 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, that order will be 

made. 

There was no objection. 

Mr. SPRINGER. What is the exad order? 

The SPEAKER pro_ tempore. That this subject is made the special 

order for consideration immediately after the second morning hour tomorrow. Mr. MACDONALD. Is there no limit as to time? 

FRANCIS I. WHEELER. 

~Ir. SHAW. I ask unanimous consent to discharge the Committee 

of the Whole House on the Private Calendar from the further consideration of the bill (H. R. 5874) for the relief of the heirs of Francis I. 

Wheeler and put it upon its passage. 

Mr. BLOUNT. I hope the bill and report will be read first. 

The bill was read, as follows: Be it enacted, etc., That there be paid to the heirs of Francis I. Wheeler, late of 

Carroll County, 1\Iaryland, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise ap- propriated, the sum of $358, the amount advanced by him to Charles Benton and 

Hale Libby, late privates in the First Regiment of the Potomac Home Briga.de, on their check-books, in April, 1864. 

M:r. HOLMAN. Let the report be read. 

Mr. SPRINGER. And before the right to object is waived. 

The report (by Mr. BROWER) was read, as follows: 

The facts out of which this claim for relief arises will be found stated in House Report No. 2479 of the Committee on War Claims of the Forty-ninth Congress, a copy of which is hereto appended and made a part of this report. Your committee adopt the said report as their own, and report herewith a bill, and t·ecommend its passage. 

[House Report No. 2479, Forty-ninth Congress, first session_] 

The Committee on War Claims, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 6080) for 

the relief of the heirs of the late Francis I. Wheeler, have considered the same, and submit the-following report: 

This_claim was before the House of Representatives of the Forty-eighth Con- gress and wa8 investigated by the Committee on Claims. Your committee find 

that the facts in the case are correctly set forth in the report of that committee, 

regularly submitted, being House Report No. 2013, Forty·eighth Congress, first . session. That report is as follows: 

"Francis I. 'Vheeler, in 1865, was agent of Adams Express Company at l\Iartinsburgh, W. Va. The United States at this time was accustomed to take from 

newly enlisted sol!;}iers their local bounty-money and other private funds in 

their possession and give them instead a check-book for the amount so taken 

from them, proruising payment by the first paymaster who should pay the reg- iment to which the men were assigned. A number of these check-books were in the hands of men of the Potomac Home Brigade, then at 1\Iartinsburgll, but 

the Government was short of funds and the paymaster did not visit the regi- ment. They complained that their families at home were suffering fo1· want of 

the money withheld from them. At the urgent solicitation of officers of the Po- tomac Home Brigade, Mr. Wheeler generously advanced the money due on several of these check-books, at a discount of only 5 per cent. for delay and cost of collection. 

"In1866 he wns repaid the amount he bad advanced on several of the books, 

but payment was withheld on two of them-those in fayor of Charles Benton and Hall Libby,of the First Potomac Home Brigade, amounting to $353, on the 

ground that Benton and Libl:>y afterwards deserted or were absent without 

leave. The regiment was mustered out on the 29th of 1\Iay, 1865, a few days after 

the alleged desertion _ The money was adva.uced by \Vheeler while the men were still with their regiment at 1\Iartinsburgh, and in the presence and at the 

request of their officers. The desertion took place some time after the regiment 

had removed from Martinsburgh. The Judge-.Advocate-Generalhasdecided in 

several similar cases- • "'That the United States was not entitled to appropriate to its own use the amount represented by certain bounty checks, although the soldiers (to who in they were made payable and who had indorsed them) had deserted. Such 

checks "' * * remained thepropertyofthesoldiers,andtheGovernmentwas merely the bailee thereof for their benefit.' (Digest Decisions, p. 2-12, edition 

1866.) . 

"This claim seems to be entirely just, and your committee therefore recom- mend the passage of the bill." Your committee now think this claim should be paid, and recommend the passage of the bill. 

The SPEAKER pro tempot·e. Is there objection to the pre.'lent con- sideration of the bill? 

Mr. SPRINGER. Idesiretoask thegentlemanfroml\faryland about 

what amount this covers? 

Mr. SHAW. About $364. 1\Ir. SPRINGER. All right. 

Mr. STEELE. Letmeask thegentlemanifthisman didnot gointq 

the business of discounting soldiers' claims and got about 30 per cent. 

per annum for the exchange? 

Mr. SHAW. No, sir. 

Mr. STEELE. He got 5 per cent. commission and they were paid everv two months? Mr. SHAW. If the gentleman will permit me, I will answer by stat-

.. 
850 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. ·JANUARY 31, 

ing the facts. This man was the agent of the Adams Express Com- URS. ELIZA L. MACE. 

pany at Martinsburgh, and it was the praCtice of the Government at 1\Ir. DINGLEY~ I ask unanimous consent to take from- the Private 

that time, instead of paying to the .soldiers the bounty due in money, to Calendar for present consideration the bill (H . .R. 363) granting a pengive them a check-book representingtheamountdne. At the solicita- sion to Mrs. Eliza L. Mace. 

tion of certain officers this man Wheeler advanced the money to a num- The bill was read, as follows: 

ber of men at a discount of 5 per cent. to meet the cost of collection. Be it en.acted, etc., That the Secretary of the Interior be, and ishereby,author 

All the checks that he had obtained in this manner were paid except - ized and directed to place on the pension-roll, subject to the laws regulating pen· these two. - sions, the nam.e of Mrs. Eliza. L. 1\Iace, widow of Richard E. 1\Iace, late of Com- parry~. Third .1\Iaine Volunteers, deceased. 

Mr. STEELE. And these men had deserted. The report (by Mr. GALLINGER) was read, a-s follow£: 

Mr. SHAW. These two had deserted and the Government withheld The Committee on Invalid .Pensions, to whom was refened the bill {H. R. 363, 

the money. But the Judge-Advocate-General has decided-and there granting a pension .to Mrs. Eliza. L. Mace, having considered the· same, respect-· 

is a reference to his decision in the report-that the Government has no fully report: right to retain this money, because it; belonged to the soldiers, and havinsr That this claim was fully considered by the Committee on Invalid Pensions ~ of the Forty-ninth Congress and favorably xeported, but was not reached for 

been assigned to the soldiers previons to desertion, ±he Government was corurideration. The report was as follows: 

only the bailee. "Claimant's husband, Richard E. Mace, was a. -p.rivate in Company I, Third • ... ,.. STEELE Wh t" th •tyc th" 1 ·1 t' 9 l\laineRegiment,andwnspensionedat$6rateforinjuryoibflckandspine. Iu .1.ur. · a lS e necess1 . .10r IS egiS a <IOn • surgeon's certificate of disability, upon which he was discharged, his injru:y is 

Mr. SHAW. To enable the claimant te obtain this monev. The described asi.ollows: · 

sta.tute of limitations would now run against him. lt is a just claim. "'Injury of the back from a log falling on him, consequent upon explosion 

Mr. Wheeler is now dead, and this bill is for the benefit o. f his heirs. · of a shell in rifle-pit J\Iay8, 1854, near the Wilderness. Result, partial paraplegia. Has been bedridden in the hospital siuce June last. Unfit for Veteran Reserve Mr. CUTCHEON. Is the money now in the United States Treasury? Corps. Disability total.' 

1tfr. SHAW. Themoneywaspaidintothe bands of the United States fi~~~~~~ner died November ll,lS85. Dr. Linscott, his family physician, certiofficers, and I presume it is there now. "'The immediatecal.!se of his death was congestive apop1exy, but that there-. 

Mr. CUTCHEON. Was it not forfeited by the desertion of the sol- mote or indirect cause of death was disease of back or spine, which said Mace diets? ~;aid was ca.used by injury received while in the service of the United St.ates.' 

"1\lf~. SHAW It ··a b 7" t::'l... ldi a d "Dr. Fl·ancis H. Russell also certifies: • . Ju.l'. · was pal eJore ,ue so ers eserte · "'-That he lmspractice·d insaidMace'sfumily; that he knews:.tid~facetohave Mr. O'NEILL, of Jl.f'ISsouri. How much money is involved in the been in failing health for the past two years, on account of disease of spine. which 

bill? said l\Iace said was caused by injury received while in the service of the United 

M SHAW Tb t · $364 States; that he was not present at the death of said Mace, but that he was know I. • e a moun IS • ing to the fact, and that be bas no doubt it was caused indirectly from disease ot· The question being taken on ordering the bill to be engrossed and spine.' 

read the third time, Dr. Linscott, in answer to the office inquiry, says that he can not state whether 

Th SPEAKER t t:: · d tb t th '' " dt h "t the ·hemorrnage wns in the bead or cord. Widow's cla1mstands rejected upon e · pro empore S :lte a · e ayes seeme 0 · ave 1 · , opinion of medict'.l Teferee that 'soldier's death from congestive apoplexy is 

Mr. STEELE. I call ior a division. not regarded, from a ·medical standpoint, as b~ing due to the injury of (lower 

The House divided; and there were-ayes lOG, noes 2. portion of) spine for which pensioned.' 

S (f th t t b · 11 d r ) h b'll ~ d t b "Bolli the home doctors, in supplemental affidavits filed witb a request for re- O ur er conn no etng ca e iOr t e '1 was oru.ere 0 e en- opening of the claim, reaffirm with emphasis their professional opiniou that 

grossed and read a third time; and b~>ing e11grossed, it was accordingly soldier's death resulted from his injured back. It is a case of disagreement of 

read the third time, and passed. doctors, and we feel justified in giving this needy wiaow the benefit of such 

Mr. SHAw moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was doubt as there may be, by accepting the opinion of the physicians who saw the sold ier, who treated him, and whose opinion is based on personal knowledge passed; and also moved that the motion to .reconsider be 1aid on the and observation." 

table. A.s the facts in the case seem to fully warrant a 'favorable report, your comThe latter motion wa,s a&rreed to. mittee adopt the report of 11J.e committee of"'the Forty-nillth Congress, and ~ recommend that the bill do pass. · 

'PORT OF LAl\IBERTON. 

Mr. BUCHANAN. I ask unanimous consent to call up from the 

House Calendar for consideration at this time the bill H. R. 1640. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

A bill (H. R.l&J.O) changing thenam.e of the port of Lamberton, in the district 

of Burlington, N. J., to the port of Trenton, in said district. 

Whereas after the constituting of the port of .Lam.berton, in the collection district of Burlington, in the State of New Jersey, the borough of lAmberton, where such port is situated, was incorporated into and became a part of the city 

of Trenton, in said State: The~·efore, _ • Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repres.entaUves of the United Sta~ of 

..4.'11wrica in Oong1·ess assem.bled, That the port now known as the port of Lam herton, in the collection district of Burlington, in the State of New Jersey, shall 

hereafter be known and denominated as the port of Trenton, in said district. 

SEC. 2. Th11t nothing in this act contained shall be construed to in any way affect the validity of any act heretofore done by the collect-or or any official of 

said port, nor to in any way affect the official standing of any official of said 

port, or the powers and duties of any such official, the sole intent and purpose of this act being to change the nome of said port. SEc. 3. That this act shall take effect on the 1st day of July, 1888. 

Mr. BLOUNT. 1 ask for the reading of tbe report. 

Mr. BUCHANAN. The report has not yet been printed. I can tell 

in a few words the reason for this bill. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there o~jection to the present consideration of the bill? 

There was no objection. 

:Mr. BUCHANAN. Lamberton 'Was the original settlement on the 

banks of the Delaware, now included in the city of Trenton. The bill 

makes no appropriation. The Treasury Department say they have no 

objection t<J it, and my people want it. 

-:M:r. CUTCHEON. It simply cbauges the ·name of the port? 

1\lr. BUCHANAN. Yes, sir. 

:Mr. SPRINGER. It does not cha.nge the .Place? 

Mr. BUCHANAN. No, sir. 

Mr. SPRINGER. All right. 

The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time; and being 

engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

Mr. BUCHANAN moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill 

was passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid upon 

the table. 

The latter motion waS agreed to. 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, SMITHLAND, KY. 

Mr. STONE, of Kentucky. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee of the Whole House be discharged from the further consideration of the hill (H. R. 300) for the .relief of the trustees of the First 

Baptist Church at Smithland, Ky., and that the same be put upon its 

passage. · 

The bill and report were read. 

Mr. BURROWS. I must object to the con.sideration of this bill. 

There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be engwssed and 

read a third time; and being engrossed, it was accmdingly read the 

third time, and -passed. 

}r'[r. DINGLEY moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill wns 

passed; and also mo>ed'that the motion to "'econsider be Jaid npon the 

table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

UNITED STATES REPORTS. 

l'!Ir. ·LANHAM. I ask unanimous corrsent to take from the House 

Calendar for present consideration the bill (H. R. 1860) to amend section 683 of the Revised Statutes.. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

. Be it enacted, etc.; That section 683 oflhe ReYised Statutes of the United Stutes 

be, ana the same is hereby, so amended as to provide for the distribution, by the 

Secretary of the Interior, of one set of the 1·eportsof the decisions of the Supreme 

Court of the United States, at each of the places wher!3 the circuit and district courts are holden, e-xclusi>e of such places v.·here the judges of said couxts re- side, said reports to be kept by the clerks of said courts and their successors in 

office, for the use of said courts and ihe officers thereof, and the sum of $20,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is )J.ereby approprinted out of any money in the T~;easury not otherwise appropriated, to enable the Secretary of 

the Interior to can~y out this provision. 

Ur. LANHAM. This bill has been favorably reported unanimously 

by the Committee on the Judiciary. 

The SPEAKER pro teiJU101"C. The Clerk will read the report. 

The report (by Ur. CASWELL) was read, us follows: 

The Committee on the Judiciary, to whom was referred Rouse billl860, submit the following report: The committee think that it is quite essential that n. set of the United States 

Reports be kept at every place where a term .of conrt is held. From the best 

information we have been able to obtain, this bill will require-one hundred and 

fourteen sets of the Reports, which cost $160 a. set., or an a.ppro}Jriation of $1.8,240. Your committee recommend the passage of the bill. 

The SPEAKER pm ternpo1·e. Is there objection to the present consideration of the bill? 

There was no objection. :Mr. LANHA L I ask that tbe bill be put upon its passage. 

Mr. McMILLIN. I desire to ask the gentleman from Texas whether 

the hill .makes the appropriation that is recommended by the report. 

I thought there wa.~ a discrepancy, bnt did not distinctly catch the 

amount. · Mr. LANHAM. The bill provides for an appropriation of $20,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary. The object is simply this--

Mr. Mc:MILLIN. The point I was inquiring about was that while 

the report says this will not require $20,000, the bill appropriates that 

amount. 

Mr. LANHAM. From the best estimate the committee could make, 

they thought it would take eighteen thousand and some hundreds of 

dollars. But the bill a.ppropriates only so much of that as may be 
1888. OONGRESSION AL RECORD-HOUSE. 851 

necessary. 

qui red. 

It may be "'thttt the whole appropriation will not be reThe object of the bill is that at eacb place where circuit tmd district 

courts of tl1e United States are holden there shall be a set of decisions 

of the Supreme Court for the use of the ·members and officers of the 

court. 

I suppose that in almost every State in the Union the supreme court 

reports of the State are furnished to the different counties, and this 

will be no more than carrying out the same idea upon the part of the 

United States by providing that the decisions of the Supreme Court 

may be found at these places for the convenience of the officers and 

members of the court. 

The SPEAKER pro tempm·e. The question is on the engrossment 

and third reading of this bill. 

Mr. OATES. Mr. Speaker, I desire· to have the bill read again, be- cause I think there is an omission which needs to be supplied. 

The bill was again read. . Mr. OATES. I move to amend the ill by inserting, aCter the word 

"holden," the words "including the court held at Mobile, Ala." I 

offer that amendment for this reason: The court at Mobile was established by an act of the last session of the Forty-ninth Congress, and it 

would be covered by the language of this bi}l so as to be excluded from 

the benefits ofit, although in fact thejudgetherewouldnot have been 

supplied. with any of these reports. 

Mr. LANHAM. He is entitled to be supplied under a general 

statute. 

Mr. OATES." But this bill excludes the place where the judge resides. Now, the judge there h,as never been supplied with these reports. . Mr. LANRA.M. But he is entitled to be supplied with them. 

Mr. OATES. No; because this bill would exclude him. I simply 

want to put the judge there upon the same footing with the other- judges. 

The amendment ,of 1\fr. OATES -was agreed to. 

1\-fr. LANHAM. 1 now demand the previous question on the en- grossment a.ud third reading of the bill as amended. 

The bill as amended was ordered to be engrossed and read a tliird 

time; and being engrossed, it wns accordingly read the third time, and 

passed. 

Mr. LANHAM moved to reconsider the vote by which the biU was passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider ·be laid on the 

table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, S]UTHLAND, KY. 

Mr. BURROWS. 1\:f:r. Speaker, when the gentleman from Kentucky 

[Mr. STONE] asked awhile ago to call up a certain bill I objected, 

supposing that it would open up an entirely new field. I have since 

examined the matter, and I now withdraw my objection. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under ~be circumstances the gentle- man from Kentucky [Mr. STONE] will be Tecognized. 

Mr. STONE, of Kentucky. My request was, Mr. ·Speaker, that the 

bil1 (H. R. 300) for-the relief of the trustees of the First Baptist Cbu:rch 

at Smithland, Ky., should be taken up and put upon its passage. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill will be te..'ld.. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it £ncicted, etc., That the Secretary of th~ Treasury be, and he is hereby, au- thorized and directed to pay to the trustees oft~ First Baptist Church at Smithland, Ky., out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise n.ppropda.ted, the sum of $500 for the use and occupation of their church building by the Army of 

the United States during the late war. 

The SPEAKER j)ro tempore. The question is upon the engrossment 

and third reading of the bill. 

~lr. SPRINGER. Mr. Speaker, I think before the bill is put upon 

its passn,ge that the report had better be rPad. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The report will be read. 

The report (by Mr. STONE, of Kentucky) was read, as follows: 

The Committee on War Claims, to whom was referred the bill (H. B.. 300) for 

the rel~ef of the trustees of the First Baptist Church at Smithland, Ky., 1·eport as follows: 

Tha t in the yearl861 the properly constituted military o.uthorities of the United 

States took possession of the First Baptist Chw·ch at Smithland, Ky. It wa..'l ~sed as a ~arebouse and hospit~ for the t-roops of the United States, to the en- tire exclusion of the owners, until the war closed; and besides b eirrg thus occu- pied by the United States troops, the property was greatly damaged. It was not the policy OJ: practice of the Government to pay rent for pnbii.c buildings used during the war, but in meritorious cases to rest-ore them to their former 

condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted. 

This property was not taken or held as a belligerent act, nor was its occupation a. casualty of war. War was not flagrant during its occupation in that part of 

the country. 

The trustees of said church only ask that the sum of $500 be paid them for its use and occupancy, which the evidence shows to be a very low rent. Your comwiltee, themore, report back the bill and recommend its passage. 

Mr. SPRINGER. Then, Mr. Speaker, if this bill is now to be put 

upon its passage, I simply want to say this. I do not understand t.hat 

it has been the policy of the Government to pay for the use or occupation of property during_ the war. Early in the history ofthis question we had a case before the Honse involving the use and occupation ofthe 

coll ege of William and Mary, in Virginia. That case was debated at 

considerable length, and after a thorough discussion of the question, 

whether the Government should be liable for the use and occupation 

of ~ducational and religious institutions by the armies during the war, 

this Honse by a large majority rejected the bill. 

Mr. O'FERRALL. When was that? 

Mr.-f:)'PRINGER. Ih the Forty-fourth Congress or the Forty-fifth, 

I do not remember which. Siuce that time I pave never, to my recollection, heard of a similar bill coming before the House. l believe 

every gentleman will bear me out in the statement that during the war wherever the armies were in the South every church and school-house, 

whenever needed, was used for hospital and other army purposes. 

l'lir. BURROWS. If the gentleman will allow me, I will say that I 

withdrew my objection to this bill because I thought there was a distinction between the case of n, State that was in rebellion and one that 

was not . . Mr. SPRINGER. Where was this church? 

Mr. WARNER. In Kentucky, a· loyal State. 

Ur. SPRINGER. Some parts of it. 

Mr. WARNER. As a State it was loyal. 

Mr. SPRINGER. The armies on both sides occupied Kentucky "Very 

extensively, and I believe' it is generally unde-rStood that she furnished 

large q nota.s to both armies. 

Mr. McMILLIN. I believe the Lord is not supposed to mnke any 

distinction between His houses of worship. 

l\Ir. STONE, of Kentucky. I desire to say, for the information o( 

the Honse, that this church is in a section of country where an armed 

Confederate soldier never set his foot, a section as loyal as the territilry 

upon the other bank of the river, where the gentleman from Illinois 

lives. The people there furnished their quota to the Union Army, and 

if there were a. jew who fought upon the other side, that did not make the 

country disloyal. This church never was occupied by the armies, except as it was used for the storage of goods. It was really used as a store-house or warehouse; it was used dnring the entire war -.for that 

pru·pose, and now these people simply ask this pittance in order to eo- able them to get on their feet again. They feel that tbe Government, 

which had the use of their property, is per!ectly able to pa.y, and that 

it is right and just that it should pay. 

Mr. SPRINGER. I n,m very glad to hear the p;entleman's statement 

that this church was not situated in the midst of the war orin the region 

where the armies were fighting, because if it had been the passage o.t 

this bill would be a very bad precedent. The facts being as the gentle- man states, perhaps the bill can be passed without setting a precedent 

for other more objectionable cases. Ur. McMILLIN. After the remarks of the gentleman from Illinois 

[.Mr. SPRINGER], I wish to say it does seem to me that no ,distinction can be drawn, so far as church buildings are concerned, in reference to 

the Joca1ities which they may occupy. They are not the peisonal property of the elders of the church in whom often the title is formally vested; 

but they are dedicated to a commou use-the worship of God; and I 

must protest against n.ny distinction in a matter of this kind, based upon 

the question whether church buildi~s are located in one part of the conn try or another. 

Mr. STONE, of Kentucky, rose. 

1\Ir. Ucl\ULLIN. I do not object to the gentleman's bill at all. I 

simply wished t-o protest against the position of my friend from Illinois, 

who undertakes to make a distinction which I think can not properly be 

drawn a-s to the locality of church huildings which may have been used or occupied by the Army during the war. _ 

1\Ir. WHEELER. Mr. Speaker, I can not allow the remarks of the 

gentleman from Illinois [Mr. SPRINGER] to go to the country without 

expressing the most emphatic dissentfrom the position he has assumed. The gentJeman speaks of precedents, and for that reasorr I am unwilling the impression shonld go to the country that this bill was allowed 

to pass this House simply and solely becausethis church was in a locality 

which had never been occupied by contending forces. ~ 

I hold, Mr. Speaker, that it makes no difference where the church was situated, whether in one part of Kentucky or another, whether in 

one Southern State or another. In fact, I maintain that it should make no difference whether the church was located on the norrhern or the 

southern bank of the Ohio. 

I contend that it is our duty, on every proper occasion, to uphold and 

defend that provision of the Constitution which declar~ that private 

property shall1.10t be taken forpnbUc uses without just compensation. 

I heartily concur in the views of the gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. 

McMILLIN], and hope that a bill so just as this will pass without a dissenting voice. 

Mr. SPRINGER. Notwithstanding the dissent of my friends, it is 

true that loc.:<ttion does make all the difference in the world when war is mging. There is a very great difference between being inside the 

military operations of the Army of the United States and being outside. 

Mr. McMILLIN. Is it possible to suppose the disloyalty of a church 

to the Government? 

Mr. JACKSON. The presumption ought to be the other way. 

Mr. McMILLIN. A political question of that kind can not arise in 

such a case. llfr. SPRINGER. There may arise a presumption as to the a11egiance or want of allegiance of individuals to the Government according to the 

section of country where they may be located. 

Mr. McMILLIN. Oh, the gentleman's J>Oint is too finely drawn. 
852 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-· HOUSE. JANUARY 31, 

We can not suppose the treason of a church on account of a war in -the 

country. 

The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a tbird reading; and being 

engrossed, it was a ccordingly read the third time, and passed. 

Mr. STONE, of Kentucky, moved to reconsider the vote by which 

the bill was passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be 

laid on the table. 

The hltter motion was agreed to. 

J .Al\IES B. MITCHELL. 

Mr. BOWDEN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill (H. R. 615) 

for the relief of James B. :Mitchell be taken from the Private Calendar 

for present consideration. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

B e it enacted, etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby, au,- thorized and d irected to pay , out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise 

appropriated, to James B. Mitchell the sum of $438, for services as surveyor of customs at the port of Yorktown, Va., fTom September 7, 1882, to January 31, 1883. 

. Mr. SPRINGER. Let the report be read. 

The report from the Committee on Claims (by Mr. BowDEN) was 

read, as follows: 

By act of Congress approved ,Tune 15,1832, the lines of the Yorktown customs district, in Virginia, were altered, and Yorktown , where the custom-house had 

theretofore been located, was made a port of deli very and a surveyor authorized 

for the port, but no provision was ma de for his salary, and the custom-house was removed to Newport News, which was rrade the sole port of entry for the 

district. 

On the 4th day of September, 1882, James B. 1\Iitchell, who had theretofore 

been the collector of customs for the d istrict, was ap pointed surveyor for the 

port of Yorktown, and in anticipation, from the representations of the Department, that provision would be made for his salary, performed the duties of the 

position, which required his whole time, uutil the 31st day of January, 1883, on which day he resigned. 

During this period he received for compensation but $59.45 in fees, and he 

nsks that compensation at the 1·ate of S3 per diem be allowed him. 

'l.'his compensation is predicated upon the ordinary compensation of inspect- ors of customs, duties similar to those imposed upon that office he performed, 

together with the duties of surveyor, and your committee, believing the demand to be just and reasonable, r ecommend the pas e.~e of the bill. 

Tbere being no objection, the House proceeded to the comideration 

of the bill; which was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading; and 

b e ing engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

.Mr. BOWDEN moYed to reconsider the vote by which the bill was 

passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the 

table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

REWARDS TO ESQUIMAUX. 

Mr. DAVIS. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee of the 

\Vhole House on the state of the Union be discharged from the further 

cousidera tion of House bill No. l 528, and that the House now proceed 

to consider the same. 

The bill was read, as follow~_,. 

A bill (H. R.1528) to reward the Esquimaux natives of the Asiatic coast o{ the 

Arctic Ocean for acts of humanity to shipwrecked seamen. 

Wh ereas the Esquimaux natives oi the .Asiatic coast of the Arctic Ocean ex- hibited great humanity in rescuing and extending hospitality to the crew of t he 

wrecked whaling bark Napol eon, and especially toward ilssolesurvivor,while 

th E:'m;;elves suffel"ing from famine; and 

'Vhereas it is eminenlly proper and expedient to recognize and reward such m c l"itorious and humane conduct on the part of an uncivilized people: There 

fore, Be it enacted by the Senate an d House of Rep1·esentatives of the United States of A m e1·-

ica i n Congress assembled, 'l'hat there be appropriated and paid out of the 'I'reastlry of the United States, from moneys not otherwise appropriated, a sum not exceeding $1,0:90, to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of the 

Treasury, for the benefit of the Esq uimaux natives of the Asiatic coast of the 

.Arctic Ocean, and in recognition of their hospitality to our shipwrecked seamen. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the present consideration of this bill? · 

Mr. BLOUNT. Let the report be read. 

The report of the Committee on Commerce_{by Mr. D.A VIS) was read, 

as follows: 

The Committee on Commerce, to whom was referred House bill 1528, beg ]eave to report: In the mouth of !.1ay, 1885, the whaling bark Napoleon was wrecked off the 

Siberian coast, near the Arctic Circle. The crew were thirty-six days reaching the land, during which time their only food was t.wo small seals, which they were fortunate enough to catch. Before they effected a landing nine persons, 

one-half the number who had left the wrecked vessel, had died. Captain Healy, in his affecting narrative, states that- .. l\Iany of those who landed were badly frozen, their feet and hands dropping 

oft' at the joints. Five died a few hours after reaching tl1e shore. Three of the 

four survi"vors lingered in all the misery of st~trvation, scurvy, and frozen limbs 

until March, 1886, when they died within one day of eacll other." 

J. B. Vincent, the sole survivor of the crew of eighteen, remained with the 

JJatives until Ju1y?..l887. when he was taken on board the revenue-cutter Bear. 

The message whicn led to his rescue was rudely carved upon a piece of wood 

and carried by one of the tribe several hundred miles and given to Captain Cogan, of the bark Hunter, and by him taken to Port Clarence, on the .American coast. Mr. Vincent remained with the natives more than two years, and was treated 

by them with tile utmost kindness and hospitality, sharing the shelter of their 

rude dwellings and their scanty food, which during the winter of 1885-'87 was barely sufficient to avert starvation. It would seem not only just but expedient to testify our sense of the generous hospitality of those poor and ignorant people, who. while suffering from want and hunger, performed such a signal act of humanity. So long as the enter- prise of our people carries them into this dangerous sea such casualties will 

occur, and the assistance of the inhabitants of tbe .Asiatic and .American coasts will continue to be essential to the escape of our shipwrecked mariners. 

The Secretary of t.he Treasury, in his last annual report, states that- "It is highly advisable that a moderate sum be used in purchasing suitable 

articles, to be sent by the next revenue-cutter visiting those waters, as a reward to the natives who, in a condition very near starvation, sheltered and fed Vin- cent and his tmfortunate companions." ' bl~he co~mittee recomm~.ad the passage of the accompanying bill and preamThere being no objection, the House proceeded to the consideration 

of the bill, which was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading; and 

being engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed. 

Mr. DAVIS moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was 

passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the 

table. 1 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

NATIONAL-BANK CURRENCY. 

Mr. WILKINS. Mr. Speaker, I demand the regular order; and I 

do so for the purpose of asking unanimous consent that the further consideration of House bill No. 1733. known as the currency bill, be postponed for two weeks. · • -

Mr. WEAVER. , I have no objection. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Ohio [Mr. WILKINS] asks unanimous consent that the unfinished business, being 

House bill No. 1733, be postponed for two weeks. Is there objection? 

The Chair hears none, and it is so ordered. 

Mr. WILKINS. I now withdraw the demand for th~ regular order. 

GEORGE W. HARRISON. 

1\Ir. McADOO. I ask unanimous consent for the present consideration of the bill (H. R. 4842) to remove the political disabilities of George 

W. Harrison, of Hoboken·, N. J. The bill is now on the Private Calend:tr. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

B e it enacted, etc.: Thnt all political disabilities imposed by the fourteenth 

amendment to the Constitution of the Unit..ed States be, and the same are hereby, removed from George Vv. Harrison, of Hoboken, !If. J. · 

Tbere being no objection, the House proceeded to the considerat,ion 

of the bill, which was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading; and 

being engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and passed . 

.Mr. McADOO moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was 

passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the 

table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

H. B. WILSON. 

Mr. MANSUR. I ask unanimous consent to take up from the Private 

Calendar·for present consideration the bill (H. R. 19) for the relief of 

H. B. Wilson, administrator of William Tinder, deceased. 

The bill was read, as follows: 

Be it e-nacted, etc., That the Secretary of the Treasury refund and pa.y to H. B. 

'Vilson, administrator of the estate of William Tinder, deceased, out of any 

money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $5,000, in full sat- isfaction of the claim of the estate of the said Tinder for money paid by said estate upon a judgment of forfeiture upon a bond for the appearance of one Evans, "·bo was charged with crime by indictment in the circuit court of the 

United States for the district of "\Vest '.rennessee,and who was afterward cap- tureu by the said administrator nnd returned to the custody of the court, and 

conTicted and punished for the crime with which he was charged. 

:Mr. HOLMAN. I call for the reading of the report. 

:Mr. 1\IANSUR. I havenoobjectio.a. to the reading ofthereport, but 

will state, before the reading is begun, that this bill has been twice 

passed by the Senate, and has been at this session favorably reported 

lor the fourth time to the House. 

The report of the Committee on Claims (by Mr. MANSUR) was read, 

as follows: 

'£he Committee on Claims, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 19) for therelief of H. B. Wilson, administrator of the estate of William Tinder, deceased, 

having considered the same, report thereon as follows: 

That in the year 1876 two indictments in the circuit conrt for the western district of. Tennessee were returned by the grand jury of said court to the said court against one R. L. D. Evans for passing counterfeit money. He was legally arrested under pt·ocess issued from said court, and gave bond for his appearance to the next regular term thereafter of said court-November term,1876. 

Said two causes were continued from term to term until May, 1878, when he was put to trial on one of said causeshthe jury, after a two days' consideration of 

said cause, failing to agree. Bot cases were then continued until the next term of said court, and the defendant was required to give bond in each case in 

the sum of $>,000, which he did, giving William Tinder and W. R. Evans as his 

sureties in each case, conditioned for his appearance at the next November 

term, 1878, of said court . Before the beginning of said term "William Tinder departed this life intestate, 

and of his estate H. B. Wilson was duly appointedadministr~tor by the proper 

probate court of Tennessee on 4th of November, 1878. 

.After the death of said Tinder.gaid two causes against satd R. L. D. Evans were duly called in said United States court, but said Evans failed to appear. 

By regular legal proceedings, then and afterwards taken, the liability of Wil- son, the administrator, to pay the penalty in said bonds, respectively, was fixed 

and determined by judgments legally taken in said court in favor of the United 

States. • Immediately thereupon said Wilson was legally notified by proper officers of 

the United States that the Government claimed a lien upon-and so as to have 

and secure priority in the distribution of-the assets of his intestate in his hands to be administered. By agreement with the proper officers of the Government, 

satisfa.ction of said two judgments was entered upon payment of all costs ac- crued, and the further payment of $5,000 by said administrator to the Govern- ment. All cost.s then and since accrued have been paid by said administrator, as has also said sum of $5,000. 

: 
1888. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 853 

1nd now it further appears tbat said administr~t.or, aided by certain creditors 

of his intestate, instituted search and pursuit of said R. L. D. Evans, and that ultimately they discovered his whereabouts; had him arrested; that under said arrest he was brought to trial under said indictments at May term, 1881, con- victed, and sentenced to the penitentiary n.t Albany for a period of three years and the payment of a .fine of $500. 

The payment of this sum of $5,000 by Adlninistrator Wilson rendered his intestate's estate insolvent. / 

The administrator and creditors claim a return of said sum of S5,000 so paid. 

Judge Hammond, the presiding judge of said court, recommends its return. The 

committee believe that the money ought to be refunded~ The object of the bail 

bond was not to make money, but to secure the appearance of Evans and his 

punishment if guilty. This has been accomplished by theefi·orts and the money of the bail,and all costsduethe United Stateshavebeenpaid. We recommend 

the passage of the bill. 

YoU1· committee submit that they are supp01·ted in their conclusions in favor 

of this bill by fa\·orable reports made thereon by 1\:lr. George in the Forty-seventh Congress, first session -{see report No. 867), and by 1\Ir. Cameron in the 

Forty-eighth Congress, first session (see report No. 145), and the fact that the 

Senate in each Congress passed the bill so recommended. 

.And by Mr. ----in the Forty-ninth Congress (see report No.--). 

There being no o~jection, the House proceeded to the consideration 

of the bill; which was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time; 

and being engrossed, it was accordingly read e third time, and passed. 

M:r. MANSUR moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill was 

passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the 

table. 

The latter motion was agreed to. 

NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERY, PINEVILLE, LA. 

Mr. BLANCHARD. I move, by unani~ous consent, that the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union be discharged 

from the further consideration of a bill (H. R. 1481) making an appropriation for the construction of a road and approaches from Pineville, 

La., to the national military cemetery near that town, and that the 

same be taken up for pTesent consideration. 

There was no objection, a:cd it was ordered accordingly. 

The bill was read as follows: 

Be it enacted, etc., That the sum of $11,000, or so much thereof as may be neces- sary, be, and the same is hereby, appropriated, out of any money in lhe Treas- ury not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of constructin"g a road and ap- proaches from the river at Pineville, La., about 1 mile, to the national military 

cemetery near Pineville. 

SEC. 2. That the sum of money appropriated by this act shall be expended by 

and under the direction of the Secretary of War, either by contract or otherwise, as to him may seem best: Provi-ded, That before said sum, or any part 

thereof, is expended, the corporation of Pineville shall make provision, satisfactory to the Secretary of the Treasury, for the keeping of said road, after con- struction, in repair: And p1·ovidedjurthe1·, That before the commencement of the 

construction of said road said corporation shall secure to the United States, free 

of cost, the right of way for said road. 

SEC. 3. That the Secretary of 'Var shall report to Congress at its next session 

his action under the provisions of this act.. 

The amendment was read, as follows: 

Strike out '• the Treasury " and insert " War; " so it will read, "shall make 

provision satisfactory to the Secretary of War." 

Mr. SPRINGER Let the report be read. 

~e report (by Mr. FoRD) was read, as follows: 

The Committee on Military .Affairs, to whom was referred the bill (H. R.1481) 

making an app1·9priation to construct a road and approaches from Pineville, 

I..a., to the national cemetery near that town, have considered the same, and 

make the following report: 

The village of Pineville is situated on Red River, in the parish of Rap ides, 

Louisiana. Across the river and opposite is the town of .Alexandria, the county seat of said parish of Rapides. During the late war the Red River Va.lley was the scene of extensive military operations. The forces oft he United States on several occasions advanced up the valley by land and water, penetrating in 1864, under General Banks, as far a.s to within 45 miles of the city of Shreveport, 150 miles by land and 300 by water northwest of the town of .Alexandria. .A :tleet 

of the United States, under Admiral Porter, kept pace by the river with the 

forces on land . .Alexandria and Pineville, and the country contiguous thereto, were for several 

months, first and last, occupied by the military and naval forces of the United 

States. 

During these invasions of the Red River Valley many encounter~ with the 

Confederate forces took place, and two important battles were fought, to wit, 

the battle of Mansfield, or Sabine Cross Roads, and the battle of Pleasant Hill. For the interment of the bodies ofthe Union soldiers who fell in these engage- ments in the Red River Valley and those who died in the hospitals a national 

cemetery was established at Pineville. This cemetery is located about l mile 

fmm the river on the hills which border the river for a short distance at that 

point. The cemetery covers S acres of ground, and the number of internien ts is 1,307. It is in charge of a superintendent. and the yearly cost of maint~nance 

$1,250. (The cemetery is surrounded by a substantial brick wall, and the buildings for the accommodation of the superintendent and family are of brick and 

substantial and commodious.) · No proper means of access from the river to the cemetery is provided. From the memorial to Congress, of numerous citizens of that immediate section, call" 

ing attention to the necessity for this road, and praying an appropriation therefor, we make the following extract: "The nationalcemetcry, located in the suburbs of Pineville, opposite Alexandria, La., while naturally possessing many attractive features as to location and 

surroundings, is virtually inaccessible, the only approach being by way of a narrow and rough byway leading from the main thoroughfare. The site is about 1 mile on a straig-ht line from Red River, and a. road opened from a certain point on the river and leading directly to the front or main entrance of the cemetery 

would materially add to the attractiveness of the place, and contribute very greatly to the convenience and pleasure of visitors." 

The memorial, from which the above is taken, is strongly indorsed by the 

superintendent of the cemetery. 

.A similar bill in the Forty-ninth Congress having been referred to the Secretary of War for report on the cemetery and its needs of approach, Mr. W. H. Owens, civil engineer, Quartermaster's Department, was ordered to inspect the 

cemete1·y and .make report, a copy of which, together with a letter from the 

Secretary of War, is among the papers submitted to your committee. 1\lr. 

Owens's report is 'full, and contains a detailed estimate of the cost of the proposed road, which he fixes at 811,000, 

The Quartermaster-General recommended, and the Secretary of War concurs in the same, that the right of way for the road be secured to the United States 

free of cost, and that provision be made in the bill for a satisfactory guaranty by 

the authorities of Pineville of an amount sufficient annually to keep the road 

in repair. 

The bill herewith presented covers both these suggestions, and as showing 

the willingness of the town authorities to provide for the annual repair of the 

road, a certified copy of a formal resolution of the town council giving this as- surance was submitted to the committee. In view of the facts in the case, the committee report the bill favorably with an amendment to strike out the words "the Treasury,'' in the sixth line of the 

section, and insert the word" War," and, ns thus amended, they recommend 

the passage of the bill. 

The amendment was agreed to. 

The bill as amended was ordered to be engrossed and read a third 

time; and being engrossed, it was accordingly read the third time, and 

~~~- ~ Mr. BLANCHARD moved to reconsider the vote by which the bill 

was passed; and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on 

the table. 

The latter motion was agreed to .. ?r1r. MILLS. I move that the House do now anjourn. 

Mr. HOLMAN. I call for a division. 

The House divided; and there were-ayes 42, noes 92. 

Mr. MILLS. I call for tellers. 

Tellers were ordered, and Mr. MILLS and Mr. MoRRILL were appointed. 

The House again divided; and the tellers reported-ayes 95, noes 44. 

So the motion was agreed to; and accordingly (at 3 o'clock n,nd 18 

minutes p. m.) the House adjourned. 

PRIVATE BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS INTRODUCED AND REFERRED. 

Under the rule private bills and joint resolutions of the following 

titles were introduced and referred as indicated below: ' 

By Mr. WHEELER: A bill (H. R. 6366) forthereliefofMahalaH. 

Portlock-to the Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. PEEL: A bill (H. R. 6367) granting a pension to Samuel 

Foster-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. ROGERS: A bill (H. R. 6368) granting a, pension t<> F. H. 

McBride-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. · 

By Mr. VANDEVER: A bill (H. R. 6369) granting a, pension to James 

Ferguson-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. LANE: A bill (H. R. 6370) for the relief of James W. Kinyon-to the Committee on Military Affuirs. 

By Mr. CHEADLE: A bill (H. R. 6371) granting a pension to Jesse 

M. Stilwell-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6372) granting a pension to James Murphy-to 

the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6373) granting a pension to Th<;>mas Ramsey..:_to . 

the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6374) granting a pension to Austin Turner, dependent father of Arthur Turner-to the Committee on Invalid ·Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6~75) granting a pension to Jonathan McLaughlin-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6376) to correct the military record of John T. 

Cambridge-to the Committee on Military Affairs. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6377) for the relief of Samuel Ayers-to the Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. OWE : A bill (H. R. 6378) granting a pension to Samuel 

Stubbs-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. SHIVELY: A bill (H. R. 6379) to increase the pension of 

David M. Rennoe-to the Committee on• Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. J. T. JOHNSTON: A bill (H. R. 6380) for the relief of the 

heirs of David B. Sanders, deceased-to the Committee on War Claims. ' 

By 1\Ir. BYNUM: A bill (H. R. G38l) to remove the charge of desertion against Isaac N. WTight-to the Committee on-Military Affairs. 

By Mr. SYMES: A bill (H. R. 6382) to remove the charge of desertion against Charles Carlisle-to the Committee on Military Affairs. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 63 3) for the relief of Jesse 1\farion-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6384) for the relief of George K. Kirchner-to the 

Committee on War Claims. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6385) granting a pensiqn to Samuel Doolittleto the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6~86) granting a pension to Thomas D. Brittonto the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. CONGER: A bill (H. R. 6387) granting arrears of pension 

to Col. D. M. Fox-to the Com]llittee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. MONTGOMERY: A bill (H. R. 6388) granting a pension to 

John Horn-to the Committee on Pensions. 

By Mr. G. M. THOMAS: A bill (H. R. 6389) to increase the pension of Dr. Mathew H. Young-to theCommitteeon Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6390) for the relief of Catharine Pemberton-to 

the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By:M:r. HUNTER: A bill (H. R. 6391) for the relief of F. F. Lucasto the Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. GAY: A bill (H. R. 6392) for the relief of Victorin Keller-to 

the Committee on War Claims. 
. , 

854 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. -JANUARY 31, 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6393) for the relief of the estate of Henry Lawrence-to the Committee on War Claims. · Also, a bill (H .. R. 6394) for the relief of Hayern & Taylor- to the 

Committee.on Private Land Claims. · · By Mr. REED: A bill (H. R. 6395) for the relief of Thomas S. Hopkins-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. FISHER: A bill (H. R. 6396) for theJ:elief of Robert B. 

Tubbs-to tbe Committee on Military Affairs. 

By Mr. WALKER: A bill (H. R. 6397) granting a pension to Adolph 

Henning-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. . Also, a bill (H. R. 6398) granting a pension to the minor children of 

Daniel Winters, of Laflin, Mo. -to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. HUTTO:N: A bill (H. R. 6399) granting a pension to John 

:McGuire-to the Committee on Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6400) for the relief of H. W. Thurmond-to the 

Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. BLAND: A bill (H. R. 6401) for the relief of John W. Reidto the Committee on Military Affairs. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6402) for the relief of the estate of Thomas L. 

Price, deceased-to the Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. McKINNEY: A bill (H. R. 6403) granting a pension to Ann 

M: Thompson-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. By Mr. S. V. WHITE: A bill (H. R. 6404) for the relief of Charles F. 

Swain, master of bark Philena-to the Committee on Claims. ·~ 

By Mr. SHERMAN: A bill (H. R. 6405) granting a pension to John 

N. Du:ffee-to the Committee on Invalid Pen':lions. By Mr. BLISS: A bill (H. R. 6406) for the relief of Thomas McDonald-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. BELMONT: A bill (H. R. 6407) correcting the military rec- ord of Lieut. James O'Rourke-to the Committee on Military Affairs. 

By Mr. J. S. HENDERSON: A bill (H. R. 64.08) for the relief of J. 

J. Petree and others- to the Committee on Ways and Means. By Mr. CROUSE: A bill (H. R. 6409) for the relief of Perry R. Nyeto the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. McKINLEY: A bill (H. R. 6410) for the relief of Frank W. 

Webster-to the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads. 

By ~Ir. J. D. TAYLOR: A bill (H. R, 6411) granting a pension to 

Sarah Jackson-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. BAYNE: A bill (H. R. 6412) granting a pension to James 

l'lf. Page-to the Committee on Invalid Pension&. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6413) gmntirrg a pension to Allen Simmons-to 

the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. PATTON: A bill (H. R. 6414) for the relief of George W. 

Gates-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. OSBORNE: A bill (H. R. 6415) for the relief of John F. 

J'llahler-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill {H. R. 6416} for the relief of Daniel Young- to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. .Also, a bill (H. R. 6417) to remove the charge of desertion from the 

military record of John W. Terrill-to the Committee on Military Af· 

fairs. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6418) granting a pension to OliverTroop-to the 

Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. BOWDEN: A bill (H. R. 6419) granting a pension to William Shackelford-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

.Also, a bill (H._ R. 6420) granting an increase of pension to Alexander Burton-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6421) granting a. pension to Samuel Sutton-to 

the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. LEE: A bill (H. R., 6422) for the relief of Virginia E. Fick- lin, and her minor son, James W. Ficklin-to the Committee on War 

Claims. 

By Mr. SNYDER: A bill (H. R. 6423) granting a pension to Will- iam Daniel- to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. 0. B. THOMAS: A bill (H. R. 6424) to grant a. pension to 

Catherine Sullivan- to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. T. H. B. BROWNE: A bill (H. R. 6425) for the relief of 

William Tabb- to the Committee on War Claims. 

By M:r. BUTLER: A bill (H. R. 6426) for the relief of Elizabeth 

Bray, of Tennessee-to the Committee on Military Affairs. Also, a bill (H. R. 6427 ) granting a pension to John B. Walker, of 

Tennessee-to the Committee on Inva.lid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6428) granting a pension to Elizabeth Bray, of 

Tennessee-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By l\1r. NEAL: A bill (H. R. 6429) for the relief of Sidney Hender- son, executrix of John Henderson, deceased- to the Committee on 

War Claims. 

By 1\lr. ABBOTT: A bill (H. R. 6430) for the relief of Ulysses Merchant-to the Committee on War Claims. · lly Mr. HOUK: A bill {H. R. 6431) for the relief of V[m Buren 

Brown-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, a bill (H. R. 6432) for the relief of Mrs. Emma Ellis-to the Committee on War Claims. · Also, a bill (H. R. 6433) granting a pension to J. P. Mattock-to 

the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

• 

By Mr. HEMPHILL: A bill (H. R. 6434) granting a pension to 

John F. G. Mittag- to the Committee on Pensions. 

By Mr. HOUK: A bill (H. R. 6435) for the relief of H. T. Cox-to 

the Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. BELMONT: A bill (H. R. 6436) for the relief of Benjamin 

F. Wells, senior-to the Committee on Claims. 

Changes in the 1·eference of bills improperly referred were made in 

the following cases, namely: 

A bill (H. R. 4985) to prohibit certain printing by authority of the 

United States-from the Committee on Printing to the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads. · 

A bill (H. R. 1373) prohibiting the purchase of goods which are in 

whole or in part manufactured by convict labor-from the Committee on Commerce to the Committee on Labor. 

A bill (H. R. 4458) for the construction of a bridge across the Big 

Wind River, on the Shoshone Indian reservation, in the Territory of 

Wyoming-from the Committee on Commerce to the Committee on 

Indian Aftairs. . .. A bill (H. R. 5671) to 1·eimbmse the depositors of the Freedman's 

Savings and Trust Company for losses incurred by the failure of said 

company-from the Committee on Commerce to the Committee on Banking and Currency. A bill (H. R 725) for the relief'of Edmund D. Taylor-from the Committee on Claims to the Committee on War Claims. 

A bill (H. R. 2593) for the relief of James Brice-from the Committee . on Claims to the Select Committee on Indian Depredation Claims. 

A bill (H. R. 4554) for the relief of the heirs of Preston Beck, jr.-

from -the Committee on Claims to the Select Committee on IndJan Dep· 

redation Claims. 

A bill (H. R. 5608) amendatory of the act for the benefit of the States 

of Texas, Colora do, Oregon, N e brask~, California, Kansas, and Nevada, 

and the Territories of Washington and Idaho, and Nevada when a Territory-from the Committee on the Judiciary to the Committee on Claims. - .A bill (H. R. 2641) granting a pension to EmilyW. Ogden-from the 

Committee on Pensions to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. A bill (H. R. 3876) for the relief of Jeremiah Rumsey-from the Com- mittee on Pensions to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

A bill (H. R. 5406) for the relief of John Henry Harrover-from the 

Committee on Pensions to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

A bill (H. R. 2846) granting a pension to Jeremiah T. Reed- from the 

Committee of Pensions to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

A bill (H. R. 2788) granting a pension to Lieut. George T. Russell- from the Committee on Pensions to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

The Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads was diScharged 

from the consideration of the following cases, improperly referred to 

said committee, and the same were severally referred to the Committee on Claims, namely: 

A bill (H. R. 2545) for the relief of John D. Tinney.: A bill (H. R. 2613) for the relief of Moses Pendergrass. A bill (H . .R. 3713) for the benefit of Carter Lawson. A bill (H. R. 4201) for the relief of J . R. Jones. 

A bill (H. R. 4256) for the relief of Leslie E. Brooks . A bill (H. R. 3496) for the relief of W. C. Scanland. A bill' (H. R. 5078) for the relief of Horace A. W. Tabor. 

A bill (H. R. 5244) for the relief of Roswell G. Pettibone. 

A bill (H. R. 5303) for the relief of James H. Smith, late postmaster 

at Memphis, Tenn. 

A bill (H. R. 5536) for the relief of Robert C. Speed. 

PETITIONS, ETC. 

The following petitions and papers were laid on the Clerk's desk, under the rule, and referred as follows: 

By 1\lr. C. H . ALLEN: Petition of the Silent Army of Deaf Soldiers, 

Sailors, and Marines, for equitable rating for pensions-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. . By Mr. A. R. ANDERSON: Evidence in support of bill for relief 

of Green Fields-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. C. L. ANDERSON: A bill for the survey and improvement 

of the Chickasawha River, in Mississippi-to the Committee on Rivers 

and Harbors. 

By Mr. BAYNE: Petition of Allen Simmons, for a special-act pension-to the Committee on Invalid Pe:psions. 

By Mr. BREWER: Resolut.ions of the Detroit Board of Trade relating to a naval reserve corps-to the Committee on Naval Affairs. 

By Mr. BUCHAN AN: Petition of the faculty of the College of New 

Jersey (Princeton, N.J.), in behalf of an international copyright lawto the Committee on Patents. 

By Mr. BUTLER: Petition of James Coffman, and of l\Iary A. 

Grigsby, of Hamblen County; of Isaiah Standifer, of Claiborne County; 

of .Matterson Campbell, heir of John Campbell, of Greene County; of 

James White, of Hawkins County; and of George C. Pangle, of Whites-
1888. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 855 .. 

burgh, Tenn., for reference of their claims to the Court of Claims-to 

the Committee on War Claims. 

By ~Ir. CONGER: Petition of Col. D. M. Fox, late T wenty-seventh 

Regiment Michigan Volunteers, for arrears of pension-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, petition of the governor, officers of the senate and house of 

representatives, and other distinguished citizens of Iowa., for the relief 

of Col. D. M . Fox-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. FITCH: Petition of citizens of New York, f~r some bill to 

promote international arbitration, or for a convention o! American and 

other nations to agree upon a high court of arbitmtion to settle differences-to tlie Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

By Ir. FUNSTON: Petition of John A. Huff, for reference of his 

.claim to the Court of Claims-to the Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. GAY: Papers in the claim of Victoria Reller, of Donaldsonville, La.-to the Committee on War Claims. 

By 1\:Ir. GEAR: Resolutions of the Mississippi River Convention, relative to river improvements, and especially the Mississippi River-to the 

Committee on Rivers and Harbors. 

By Mr. GRANGER (by request): Petition of Rev. Samuel Scoville 

and others, against tbe admission of Utah as a State-to the Committee 

on the Territories. 

Also, memorial of Augustine Jones and others, for arbitration as a 

means of settling national disputes-to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

By Mr. GROUT: Papers in the cL'tim of David Ward, for relief-to 

the Committee on Claims. 

Also, petition of Rufus Averill and 34 others, for a pension to Alonzo 

H. Gregory-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, memorial of the Society of Friends of Richmond, Ind.; for a 

treaty for arbitration of differences with Great Britain----;-to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Also, letters of soldiers in the claim of Martha B. Perry-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Ur. · J. S. HENDERSON: 1\femorial of the Society of Friends in 

conference at Richmond, Ind., in favor of arbitration to settle disputes between the United States and Great B1·itain-to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs. 

Also, resolutions of the North Carolina State G'range, Patrons of Hus-- bandry, for the repeal of the tax: of 10 per cent. on the circulation of 

State banks-to the Committee on Banking and Qurrency. 

Also, papus in the claim of W. D. Howard, and of Lucie D. Douthit, 

widow of E. J. Douthit, of North Carolina-tothe Committ~ on War 

Claims. 

By Mr. HOOKER: Petition of Charles D. Butler, and of Mary C. 

Buel, of Jefferson County, and of Aaron Longley, of Jackson County, 

Mississippi, for reference of thei1· claims to the Court of Claims-to the 

Committee on War Claims. 

By M.r. S. I. HOPKINS: Petition of Thomas Johnson, of Halifax: 

County, Virginia, for reference of his claim to the Court of Claims-to 

the Committee on War Claims. 

By 1\h. HOUK: Petition of James McBee; of Isaac lf. McBee; of 

Noah Nance; of Lydia Peck; of Frank M. Smith; of heirs of James 

Evans; of William Brazelton; of William A. Glenn; of Cyrus Zimmerman, administrator of Thomas Evans; of C. B. C. Hodges; of Calloway 

Hodges, and of Jesse Elmore, of Jefterson County, Tennessee, for reference of their claims to the Com-t of Claims-to the Committee on 

War Cla1ms. 

· By l\1r. JACKSON: Petition of l\1iss Jennie Fullerton and 13 others, 

citizens of North Beaver township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, 

ag-ainst the admission of Utah as a State with polygamy- to the Committee on the Territories. 

By I\Ir LATHAM: Papers in the claims of Joseph Lawrence; of 

James 1\f. Ferebel; of William J. Porter; of Nancy T. M. Tooley and 

William B. Tooley; of Rev. Jacob Utlery; ofW. H. Hyatt, son of J. 

H. Hyatt; of Hugh Murdock; ofl\Irs. Holland Harderly; of Mary E. 

English, executrix of James C. Ballance; of Francis J. and Mary F. 

Morton; of Joseph J. Jordan: of Jarvis 1\f. Williams; of Jasper B. 

Mann; of Joseph R. Franklin; of Josiah L. Bill; of D. W. Martin, 

and of A. 0. Dey, administrator, and of J. S. Davis, of North Carolina- to the Committee ou \Y-ar Claims. 

By Mr. L Y 1\IAN: Petition ru;1."ing fo1· increase of pension for deaf 

soldiers-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. McSHANE: Petition of Evalina Thompson~ for a special-act 

pension-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, petition of citizens of Nebraska, for the enactment of a law for 

issuing fractional currency-to the Committee on Banking and Currency. 

By 1\Ir. MONTGOMERY: Petition of Samuuel B. Merrifield, of 

Charles H. Allen, and of A. 1\1. Cartwell, of Nelson County; of Margaret Carter, of Joseph H. Tucker, assignee of James Crowders, and of 

Joseph H . Tucker, assignee of John Slaughter, of Marion County; of 

Radley & Showers, of George W. Smith, and of Jacob Hubbard, of 

La Rue County; of D. K. Haycraft, of J'lfargaret J. Van ~Ieter, and of C. 

M. Stuart, administrator of David Pevin, of Hardin County; of M. T. 

Branner, of Jefferson County, and of W. E. Forsythe, of Ohio County, 

Kentucky, for reference of their claims to the Court of Claims-to the 

Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. NEAL: Papers iu the daim of Sidney Henderson, executor 

of John Henderson, of Bradley County, Tennessee- to the ·Committee 

on War Claims. 

By Mr. NELSON: Petition of-8. S. Turner, M.D., for increase of 

pay of Army surgeons-to the Committee on Military Affairs. , 

Also, remom;tranee against the bill for a bridge from Rice's Point to 

Minnesota Point, at Duluth, Minn.- to the Committee on Commerce. 

By Mr. NUTTING: · Petition of Union ex-prisoners, of Oswego 

County, New York, in favor of the pension bill recommended by na- tional encampment, Grand Army of the Republic-to the Committee 

on Invalid Pensions. 

By Ur. O'DO NELL: Resolutions of Pomona Grange, of Branch 

County, Michigan, for legisl~tion to protect innocent pmchasers of patented articles from prosecution for infringement-to the Committee on 

Patents. 

By Mr. J. J. O'NEILL: Petition of workingmen of St. Louis, Mo., 

in favor of a Government system of postal telegraphy-to the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads. 

By-1\fr. OS~RNE: Petition of Daniel Young, for a pension-to the 

"Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. PATTON: Petition and other papers relating to bill for relief 

of George W. Gales, late ofCompany H, Fifty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers- to the Committ-ee on Invalid Pensions. 

By 1\h. PEEL: Petition of the faculty of the State University of 

-Arkansas, to remove duty on imported books-to the Committee on Ways 

and Means. 

Also, memorial of the Society of Friends, for international arbitration- to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Also, petition of faculty of State University of Arkansas, for an international copyright-to the Committee on Patents. 

By Mr. PETERS: Letterof United States marshal and United States 

district attorney of Kansas, la voring bill for enlargement of public 

building at Wichita, Kans.-to the Committee on Public Buildings and 

Grounds. 

By Mr. PHELAN: Papers in the claims of Jesse Applewhite; of 

Hugh Davis; of Mary E. Bates; of Caroline H. Renney, executrix of 

Michael W. Renney; of Wiley T. Cal-gill, executor of Wiley Cargill, 

and of Martha C. Cole, of Tennessee-to the Committee on War Claims. 

Also, petition ofCharles Levy, of Shelby County, Tennessee, for payment of his war claim-to the Committee on War Claims. 

Also, petition of heirs of Charles Michil, of Fayette County, Tennessee, for reference of theil· claims to the Court of Claims- to the Committee on War Claims. 

By 1\Ir. PUGSLEY: Petition of soldiers and citizens ofSn.binia, Ohio, 

in favor of -£enn.te bill granting 1 cent per day pension to all soldiers 

of the late war-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. RANDALL: 1\Iemorial of S. S. Turner, l\:1. D., in behalf of 

the acting assistant surgeons ofthe Army-to the Committee on Mili- 1 

tary Affairs. 

By Mr. RICE: Resolutions of State Dairymen's Association, of Minnesota, against the repeal or modification of the oleomargar~ne lawsto the Committee on Agriculture. _ 

By Mr. ROGERS: Papers in the claim of Charles Ayliff, of Pulaski 

County, Arkansas- to the Committee on War Claims. 

By M:r. ROMEIS: Petition and statement of Daniel H. Nye, for relief-to the Committee on War Claims. 

Also, petition of Ellen Scranton and H. S. Stone, of Fremont, Ohio, 

for relief- to the Committee on War Claims. 

Also, petition of James IIaby and 1,108 others, citizen.<; of--- Valley, asking that the battle-grounds and cemeteries be marked and cared 

for-to the Committee on the Library. 

Also, joint resolution of the Legislature of Ohio, for surveys of historical and military grounds-to the Committee on Military Affairs. 

By Mr. SCULL: Papers in the case of Hezekiah L. Hammer- to the 

Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By Mr. SENEY: Memorial of S. S. Turner, acting assistant surgeon, 

United States Army, for increase of pay of surgeons in the Army-to 

the Committee on :Military Affairs. 

By 1\fr. SPRINGER: Petition of citizens of Illinois, against the admission of Utah as a State with polygamy-to the Committee on the 

Territories. 

Also, petition of S. S. Turner, M. D., for increase of pay of surgeons 

of the Army-to the Committee ou Military Affairs. 

Also, memorial of the Society of Friends, of Richmond, Ind., for international arbitration-to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Also, resolutions of the Board of TI·ade of Chicago in favor of retaliatory measures against France and Germany for excluding American 

salted pork-to the Committee on Ways and 1\leuns. 

Also, r esolutions of the Board of TI·ade of Chicago in favor of a naval 

reserve-to the Committee on Naval Affairs. By Mr. STEPHENSON: Petition of the Isaac N. Earl Post, Grand 

Army of the Republic, No. 112, of Wisconsin, and citizens of Cally, 

Wis., for an amendment to the pension laws-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 
85,6 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD~SEN ATE. "FEBRUARY 1, 

Also, a memorial of the American Forestry Congress and other citizens, relative t-o forest lands-to the Committee on Agriculture. 

By Mr. J. D. STEW ART: Papers in the claim of William A. Lewis, 

ofLuther Walters, ofWilkie McHan,execut.or of Solomon Taylor, and 

of George T. Long, of Georgia-to the Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. S~MES: Petition of John Leonard, for removal of charge of 

deserti(\n-to the Committee on Military Affairs. 

Also, petition for removal of the charge of desertion from Hilton 

Springsted, late private of Company E, Ninth Michigan Volunteer 

Cavalry-to the Committee on Military Affairs. 

Also, petition of citizens of Denver, Colo , for intern.ational copyright 

-to the Committee on Patents. · 

. Also, petition of the Grand Lodge of Good Templars of Colorado, officially signed, for a national prohibitory constitutional amendment-to 

the Select Committee on the Alcoholic Liquor Traffic. 

By Mr. TARSNEY: Petition of John Davis and 70others, of Norton 

County, Kansas, for postal telegraphy-to the Committee on the PostOffice and Post-Roads. 

By Mr. J. D. TAYLOR: Memorial of members of the Society of 

Friends, for the introduction of arbitration as a means of ~ettling international disputes-to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

Jjy Mr. G. M. THOMAS: Petition of Margaret Holland, and of 

Charles R. Nealis, for pensions-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, petition of Joseph P. Warden, and of Isaac W. Lykins, fo.r re- lief-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, petition of William J. Meadows, for discharge and pension-to 

the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

Also, petition for pension for Daniel Law horn-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. 

By 1\Ir. WASHINGTON: Petition of T. H. Gardner, of Robertson 

. County, Tennessee, for reference of his claim to the Court of Claimsto the Committee on War Claims. 

By Mr. WHEELER: Petition of Thoma-'l J. Scruggs and of Thomas 

B. Woosley, administrators of William Woosley, of JacksQD. County; 

of W. T. Simmons, and of John V. Dandredge, heir of John T. Dandredge, of Lawrence County, Alabama, for reference of their claims 

to the Court of Claims-to the Committee on War Claims. 

By 1\fr. YOST: Memorial of citizens of Wythe County, Virginia, demanding repeal of the internal revenue, protesting against the removal 

of the duty on iron ore and coal, and asking a hearing before the committee-to the Committee on Ways and Means. 

The following petitions for an increase of compensation of fourth-class 

postmasters were severally relerred to the Committee on the Post-Office 

and Post-Roads: 

By Mr. C. L. ANDERSON: OfP. C. Welborne and other citizens of 

Jasper County, Mississippi. 

By Mr. T. H. B. BROWNE: Of H. A. McGary and others, of Andrews, Spottsylvania County, Virginia. 

By Mr. COWLES: Of J. B. Hopkins and others, of Stony Hill, 

WHkes County; of Mac. Absher and others, of Obids, Ashe County, 

and of S. W. Campbell and others, of Vashti, · Alexander County, North 

Carolina. 

By Mr. GOFF: Of C. H. Ice and others, of Folsom, Wetzel County; 

and of W. H. Churchman and other.s, of Fowler's, Brooke County, West 

Virginia. 

By Mr. HOGG: Of J. Snyder and others, of Speed, Roane County; of 

J. B. Lewis and others, of Porterville, Lincoln County, and of J. W. 

Sias and others of Fourteen, Lincoln County, West Virginia .. 

By Mr. HOOKER: Of J. H. Russell and others, of Palestine, Hinds 

County, Mississippi. 

Also, of A. G. Crook and other citizens of Mississippi. 

By ~fr. HOUK: Of citizens of Hardin Valley, Knox County, Tennessee. By Mr. McCLA.Ml\IY: Of W. M. Tobar and others, of Sherwood, 

Cumberland County, and of Charles S. Tate and others, of Ashton, 

Pender County, North Carolina. 

By Mr. MORRILL: Of Allen Strickler and 37 others, of Lancaster, 

Kans. 

By Mr. PEEL: Of James M. Anderson and others, of Arkansas. 

By Mr. ROGERS: Of W. H. Carey and others, of Leon, Franklin 

County, Arkansas. 

By Mr. ROWLAND: Of Maggie Davis and others, of Kingwood, N.C. 

By Mr. YOST: Of H. W. Massie and others, of Savaunah, Alleghany _ County, Virginia. 

The following petitions, asking for the passage of the bill prohibiting 

the manufacture, sale, and importation of all alcoholic beverages in the 

District of Columbia, were severally referred to the Select Committee on the Alcoholic Liquor Traffic: 

By Mr. GOFF: Of 129 citizens of the First distr~ct of West Virginia. 

By Mr. KERR: Ofthe ministerS of the Methodist Episcopal Church 

of the District of Columbia, 

SEN ..ATE. 

WEDNESDAY, February 1, 1888. 

Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. J. G. BuTI.ER, D. D. 

The Journal of yesterday's proceedings was read and approved. 

HOUSE BILLS REFERRED. 

The following bills, received yesterday from the House of Representatives, were severally read twice by their titles, and referred to the Committee on Commerce: 

· A bill {H. R. 615) for the relief of James B. Mitchell; and 

A bill (H. R. 2606) authorizing the construction of a bridge over the 

Missouri Riv~r at or near the city of Jefferson, Mo. 

The following bills were severally read twice by their titles, and re- fern•d to the Committee on Claims: 

A bill (H. R. 19) for the relief of H. B.. Wilson, administrator of the 

estate of William Tinder, deceased; and 

A bill (H. R. 300) for the relief of the trustees of the First Baptist 

Church at Smithland, Ky. 

The followjng bills were severally read twice by their titles, and re- ferred to the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds: 

A bill (H. R. 1805) for a public building at Greenville, S. C . ..; and 

A bill (H. R. 1712) for the erection of a. public building at Portsmouth, Ohio. 

The bill (H. R. 4842) to remove the political disabilities of George W. 

Harrison, of Hoboken, N. J., was read twice by its title, and referred 

to the Committee on the Judiciary. · _The bill (H. R. 5874) for the relief of the heirs of the late Francis 

I. Wheeler, was read . twice by its title, and referred to the Committee on Military .A.ffairs_ 

'l'he bill (H. R. 363) granting a pension to Mrs. Eliza L .. Mace, was read twice by its title, and referred to the Committee on Pensions . 

PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS. 

Mr. McPHERSON presented the petition of Daniel Wooden, of Washington, 'D. C., praying to be allowed an increase of pension; which was reierred to the Committee on Pensions. 

He also presented a petition of the faculty of the College of New 

Jersey, at Princeton, N.· J., praying for the speedy enactment of an international copyright law; which was referred to the Committee on 

Patents. , - He also presented a petition of the Board of Trade of Newark, N. J., 

praying that a liberal appropriation be made for the repair and enlargement of the public building at Newark; which was referred to the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds." 

He also presented a petition of 168 citizens of the First,. Second, Fourth, 

and Fifth Congressional districts of New Jersey, and a petition of 74 

citizens of the Fifth Congressional district of New Jersey, praying for 

prohibition in the District of Columbia; which were referred to the Committee on the District of Columbia. 

l\ir. COKE. I present a petition signed by a large number of citi- • zeus of El Paso, Tex., engaged in commerce, which represents that the 

recent extension of the Free Zone by the Mexican Govemment along 

the northern frontier of Mexico opens all the Mexican towns along that 

border to the importation, through the United States, of all classes of 

merchandi e from foreign countries, upon which no duty is paid either 

to the American or Mexican Governments; and that the act creates a rendezvous where merchants from forejgn countries can land their free 

goods and take their time and opportunity to smuggle or sell them to 

those who will smuggle them into the United States. 

Referring more particularly to the free port of Paso del Norte, Mexico, directly opposite El Paso, Tex., the petitioners call attention to 

the ample opportunity and great ease with which an extensive smug· 

gling business can be carried on, for the reason that all classes of individuals can go there in the street cars and in other conveyances, or on foot, day or night, purchase any article of wearing apparel and wear 

it ·over to the American side. As well also can merchandise upon 

which the greatest duty is imposed be carried over by men, pack animals, and other conveyances at various places up and down the river. 

The Rio Grande River is fordable the greater part of the time, and there are also bridges and boats in ample supply when the river is not fordable. 

Now that railways are operating to and from all the cities of the 

United States, an extensive amount of smuggling can and will be car· ried on, and these free goods will :find their way throughout our country. 

Merchants from ·vera Cruz and other foreign cities are now opening 

large stocks of foreign merchandise in convenient places in Paso del 

Norte for the purpose of supplying the American trade. They are advertising their advantages in our papers and are pushing their wares into our country. This fact is fast deruoralizing our trade and depreciating our property values. 

All other points in Mexico along this free border, where there are railway facilities, are fast becoming harbors for smugglers, and every 

day's delay works a loss to the commerce of our country and revenues 

of the Government. 

The reasons assigned ~r the act are admitted by the Mexican peo-