, 1859-03-18
CHICAGO M.aRBOR.
How mr. Fsnswo.th got our Appro-
u, prtRtlon.


!: The Miscellaneous Appropriation Dill being |
under consideration in Committee Of the Whole,
Bocock, Of Va, in the Chair, Nr. Farnsworth' I
offered the following amendment:
For repairing the works and piers in order to |
preserve and secure the lighthouse ut Chicago, |
illinois, ss7,ooo.
Mr. Phelps, Of Missouri. ! rise to question
ternal improvement in the harbor Of Chicago, !
and is not in order.
Mr. Farnsworth.- It provides for preserving |
tho lighthouse. / suppose that if you destroy |
the foundations Of the lighthouse, you destroy
y IT, Phelps, of Missouri. l make the ques:.
ton Of order. It is for the repair Of pier, and
not Of lig Clubhouse.
At this point, Mr.. Bocock left the Chair to
Mr. Hopkins, also Of Val =. j..
The Chairman, tMr. Hopkins.) THE amend
ment purports to be for the preservation Of
lighthouse, and the Chair thinks it is in order.
Mr. Farnsworth. have fixed the amount in
this amendment Mt $s7 900, as the Senate. at the
last session, pa:sed bill pEosiding for t the re-
Fhat bill is now upon tie Calendar here 1hold
in my hand a letter from Colonel Graham, the
superintendent Of the harbor and coast surveys
of Luke Michigan, which will askto have read
CHICAGO, Feb. 4, l659.
DkAn SIR: May ask you to call the attention
the bill which passed the Senate last session up.
propriating sum Of money for the repair Of
Chicago hnrbor-piers with view to get it
acted on by tue House. The piers are
in so. badn. condition that the larbor
S' 70 wsou. IT, nsi further delay: @ Moreover, % the
new lighthouse, now nearly. finished, cannot
stand, when it is erected, against the collision
of vessels in the north pier falls. which it assur
redly will, in a short time, if not repaired
Ny annual report gires information on the sub
ject, which ask you to refer to. ! also address,
ed, yesterday, special report to the topograph-
ical bureau on the subject, containing full par
ticutars.
Very respectfully yours, &c.,
J. d. GRAHAx, Lieut.: Colonel, DC.
Mr: Washburnc, of Illinois. With the per-
mission If my colleague, I will say TINT, upon
receiving that letter from Colonel Graham, /
presented it to the Committee on Commerce,
und they unanimously directed me to nsk the
unanimous consent Of tile House, and if objec-
in order to take up the Senate bill for this pur-
pose, and pass II. ! trust there will he no Oh.
lection On the part Of any member.
Mir. burnett. 1t seems, from the statement
of the gentleman from Illinois last up, that there
is I'LL now pending before the com nittec upon
this subject aud, under the ruling Of the Chnir,
it cannot be offered as in amendment to this
bill.
Mr.. Farnswort1. The ecntle,nnn does not
understand correctly. The bill upon tile Cal
endar is merely f"r thu purpose of preserving
tue harbor' This is for the purpose Of prcsery-
ing and protecting Tic lighthouse. 1t a diff
fereut object. Tie money may be expended in
tic same way. But the object Of this amend
mcnt is the protcctiun Of tile light house. while
the object Of the bill is the protection Of the
| pier. If you destroy the pier OIL which the
lighthouse stands, You destroy the lighthouse:
1 D.,-. I hn- t11n1n fftn IF
order IN tie amendment; nild ask that it shall
! be decided.
Mr.. Washburne. Of 1llinni*. The Chair has
decided the amendment to be in order:
Mr.. Farnsworth. 1T il rtx aljHdicafa.
Mr.. Wnshburne, Of Illinois. The temporary
chairman [,ir. Hopkins] tlccidedthe amendment
| TO be in order. My colleague made little
speech upon it, and also made little speech.
Mr.. Burnett. The punt make is, t!tat this
| amendment cannot properly be attached to this
bill, for the reason that it provides for the iul-
provenlent Of the piers in the harbor, and not
| for the improvement Of alight-housc. The SEC
ond point is this
Mr. Waslburnc, Of Illinois. l call the gen.
tlcman to order. The temporary chairman, de-
cidctl the amendment to be in order, and no a[-
peal was taken from his decision. The gentle
| nlan frosn Kentucky is too 1atc.
Mr.. Burnett. Tie other point that make is
| this
Mr. Lovejor. insist that The gentleman
| from Kentucky cannot make two points Of or
der ut oile time.
[lIcre Mr. Bocock, having got l4is drink, re-
turned to the Chair; but Mr. Hopkins had
made thc decision necessary to the success Of
the amcndment,]
Alr. Burnett. II the gentleman from Illinois
would not be quite 50 excited about this matter.
l should have been through by this time.
1t was st::cd by the gentleman from Illinois
(Mr. Wcshburnc sitting behind the gentleman
| Tno nov occupies the floor, that there was a
/ ttlorizcd TO 6c reported, and which, l suppose,
is nnw on the Calendar. for this identical appro-
priation: aud submit that under the ruling Of
| the gentleman now occupying the cla:T, Mr..
| nococK, this amendment cun'd not be received
| in an appropriation bit.
Tile Cllairmsn, The Chair will sny to the
gentleman TINT under the rules Of the House it
| is nnt in order to move to amend IL bill hy in
| cooperating in it another bill upon the Catcn-
dar.
Mr. Washbnrnc, of Illinois. stated that the
amendment Of my colleague; wa. substantially
on Commerce; but that las nothing to do with
this arncndnlcnt- merely stated the fact for
the purpose nf showing the action taken by the
Committee OH Commerce on the subject.
The Chairman. If the amendment is not pre-
cisclr the bill pending upon the Calendar. al
| AAAS bC ltsC SAl1E Ill sAUEtAHCe% AuE
Chair will hold that that point Of order dues not
npply. As to the other point, raised by the
gentleman from Kentucky, it having been de-
cidca by the occupant Of the chair 4 few mo-
mc,lts since. {slr. Hopkins. the present occu-
pant Of tue chair will make no ruling in refer
cnce to it.
Nr. burnett. | understood the gentleman
from Illinois to state distinctly that the Coln-
mittec on Commerce had unanimously author
lied him to report bill containing the cxact
provisions Of this amendment based upon 4 let
Ter which lie sent to the Clerks desk.
Mr.. Washburnc Of Illinois. The gentleman,
then certainly misunderstood me. That hill is
now upon the Calendar in the Committee If the
Whole I'll the Stute Of the Union. 1t is mi the
salnc in language with the amendment Of my
colleague, although, the appropriation is tile
same i'll amount, aud for the san,e object
The Chairman. The language Of the rulc is
ths t. antea Sulc1 colSr u s, sena nd.
II II fa IL e:S ~ v aat, asl
bill or resolution pending l,efofc lie House"
Mr.. Burnett. Well, sir, although the amend
ment may not be in the exact language Of the
BILL it is substantially the same it contains, as
us the bill now on the Calender Of the Commit
tee Of the Whole on the state of the Union
The Chairman. The Chair will hold that the
amendment, although the same in substance, if
not the same in language is still in order, so far
49, &tlC 'tlkll Is C1nEef1c4. INA tue fUli3N-
1ngnotc appended to the rules:
Ths attyr clause th's rc sas aoptc, At the fit s.
tNy The Committee the following wors were conlI,cd Al
staa, II Whole oI ii lat, .ihcr i'm esouti"
9a s sss @ # T. a.sa xSq III III s t. f ,ss . x ss
Il IT, & tn: ueS snasi L. :hsi
ral rr=rtcc Of the lo,st."
The Chair decides the amendment to be in
order.
MIR. Farnsworth. The lighthouse nj Chicago
stands ut the end Of what il known rs the North
42'ier. As stated By tue letter Of Colonel GrA-
ham, which las been read By the Clerk, that pcr
| lsln great danger Of being entirely demolished
and destroyed. He says in his report made to
the Secretary Of War. mud by the Secretary of
War transmitted to Congress, tlIat he does not
believe it will stand another season. By this let
lighthouse will necessarily fall. This estimate
if for sustaining and repairing the pier 1or the
purpose Of preserving and maintaing the light
house. The work is absolutely necessary mn
III taSor OF economy as much as anybody on this
| aoor. believe we should adopt the same rule
| that nny prudent man should adopt in the ad-
| m1nlstration Of his own affairs. When in debt
we should cease building costly and extravagant
works: but, sir. it is not the part Of economy to
allow a these works already built to 60 to decay
| and destruction. The commerce Of the lakes, VIC
oil know, is very great. In the llarbor of Chica-
| 70 alone, during more than six months of the
| year, there Is an average arrival and departure
Of more than 25 loaded vessels day. with
| tonnage, during the season Of navigation. of
near million aud half tons, and employing
force Of some sixty thousand men, Now, II is
absolutely necessary for the protection Of this
commercc, tint the lighthouse should be contin-
n nj NC r,Nyf1$ n +ntn A.