The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-03-08

proposals to be issued for that purpose and the
contract given to the lowest bidder.
The House concurred in all of the amend.
ments OF the Senate to the emigrant passenger
bill.
The House, at twenty minutes to IL O'Clock,
adjourned.
Saturday, March 3, 1855.
SENATE
The post route bill from the House was
passed without amendment.
second committee of conference was ap-
pointed on the army appropriation BILL
Several private bills were passed.
The civil and diplomatic bill was considered.
and finally passed, with a very large number of
amendments
The naval appropriation bill being taken up,
an amendment submitted by Mr.. Mallory, pro-
viding Tor the construction of seven sloops of
war, was voted down.
MIR. Jones moved an amendment. providing
for contract with Mr.. Vanderbilt. for carving
the mails between Liverpool and New York.
which was rejected.
On motion of Mr.. Seward, an amendne
was agreed to, containing the usual appropria.
ton to the Collins line, and the bill was then
passed.
In the evening session, private bills from the
House were taken up and passed.
motion having been made in reference to
prsntinga certain document, Mr.. johnson, chair
man of the Committee on Printing, in reply to
question, said that the cost of public print
ing for the last two Congresses had amounted
to one and half millions of dollars, and, with
the additional charges for paper, binding, &c.,
would probably reach two millions
Territorial bills from the House, for the con-
nft NJ do NJ
ka, were passed.
Mr.. Douglas pressed on the Senate the pas
sage of the House bill to enable the People of
Oregon to form State Government. Mr..
Brown OF Mississippi, and Mr.. Wilson of Massa-
chusetts, opposed it; and the motion to take it
up was laid upon the table.
The committee of conference on the naval
appropriation bill reported, recommending the
Senate to recede from the amendments making
appropriations for the Memphis navy yard, a
marine hospital near New Orleans, and for the
officers OF the Texan navy. The report was
agreed TO, and the bill of course passed.
The Senate, after sharp struggle, agreed
to the report Of the committee of conference on
the civil and diplomatic BILL recommending it
to recede from its amendments in relation to
the increase of the salaries of the United States
Judges, and compensation to Mr.. Marsh and
WI. iOr extra services as Qlpl0mat-
lists, and the bill was then passed
vote of thanks to Mr.. Bright, the presiding
officer of the body, was passed, and the Senate,
at Il o'clock, Sunday noon, was adjourned, after
protracted session of twenty-six hours, part of
the time having been spent in executive ses-
sion.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
A bill for the removal of distractions in the
Savannah river, appropriating $l6l,O00, was
called up, and passed--yeas IS, nays so. This
seemed to indicate that series of similar bills
was to follow, but the first motion to take up
bill of the same kind subsequently failed.
second committee of conference was ap-
pointed on the army appropriation BILL
Various private bills were passed, from time
to time during the session.
The Presidents veto of the Collins line
appropriation was received by the House with
great excitement. Mr.. Hunt, of Louisiana.
denounced it as tyranny. Mr.. Campbell ex
claimed, this is day of revolution.
After many contradictory motions, and a
great uproar, the question was at last put
Shall the bill pass, the objections of the Pres
ident to the contrary notwithstanding The
vote stood--yeas 10, nays SO. SO the bill was
not passed.
The civil and diplomatic bill, with one hun
ate, was next taken up and considered in
Committee of the Whole on the state of the
Union.
Final reports were made from the committees
OF conference on the army and navy appropria-
ton bills, and they were agreed to.
The House continued the consideration of
the Senate amendments to the civil and diplo-
matte bill; excluding all debate and simply vo-
ting upon them, until at last it completed action
upon it.
The question was then taken by yeas and
nays on concurring in the amendment appro-
priating S250,000 for continuing the work on
the Washington aqueduct, and it was determin
ed in the Acknowledgements 80, nays II.
The amendment of the Committee of the
Whole TO the amendments Of the Senate reduc
ing the proposed increase of the salary of the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court ofthe United
States from $500 to $4,000, and that of his as
sociate judges from $1,000 to $4,000 was con-
Cured in-yeas Ill, nays SO.
The amendment as amended was then agreed
to-yeas Ill, nays Al.
The House also concurred in the Senate's
amendment striking out of the bill the provision
for the reduction of the tariff'-yeas sc nays so.
Mr. Stanton, of Tennessee, submitted reso-
luton that all bills of private character on the
private calendar at the close of the present
session shall be referred to the Court of Claims;
which was considered by unanimous consent,
and agreed to.
The House concurred in the Senate amend
ments to the bill amendatory of the act to re-
duce and modify the rates of postage. 1t re-
quires prepayment in all cases after the com
mencement of the next fiscal year, and author
ICES the Postmaster General to require that
prepayment be made in postage stamps after
the lst day Of January, 1856.
bill introduced by Mr.. Wentworth, of Mas
sachusetts, to exclude insane, idiotic, blind,
criminal, or poor persons, of foreign birth, from
the United States, was laid upon the table.
We shall have something to say of this de-
testably cruel bill hereafter.
The judiciary reform bill for this District, in
troduced originally by Mr.. May, not command
ing the agreement of both Houses, it was at
last so modified as merely to provide for the
codi6cation of the laws of the District, leaving
the question in regard to the reconstruction of
the Courts open for the next Congress.
The report Of the committee of conference on
the civil and diplomatic bill was agreed to, and
the bill was passed.
The House resumed the consideration of the
bill to prevent the importation of criminals,
paupers, insane persons, &C., and motion was
made to lay it upon the table, upon which the
yeas and nays were ordered.
While the Clerk was calling the roll, and just
as the name of Mr.. Benton, of Missouri, was
called-he not having been in his seat since
midnight
Mr.. Benton appeared just within the bar of
the House, at the main entrance, and exclaim-
ed, as the Reporter understood him: am heres
sir. / am not a member of this Congress. l
am an ex-member, sir. This is no Congress at
all, sir. protest against the session of to-day,
as a libel on the Sabbath, sir. Deafening