Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-04-28
XXXIXthC Congress.
WASHINGTON, April q.
rrnr1H


Mr.. KASS0N offered resolution, whiel
was adopted, requesting the President t
| cause to be comm unicated to the House
collation. of the provisions in reference +
the freedmen. contained in the amended
constitutions of the Southern States, and il
| the laws passed by those States since tht
overthrow of the rebellion. so far as informa
tion on that subject nay be in his posses
sion.
Mr.. WASHBURNE, from the Committe,
on Commerce, reported bill for the relic
of Chas. Bremens & Co. for the passage OF
board the Hawaiian bark Kamehameha II
of sixty-eight destitute seamen of American
vessels burned by the Shenandoah, from
Ascension Island to Honolulu.
The morning hour having expired, the
bill went over till next Friday.
Mr.. MORRILL, gave notice that the bill
to amend the Internal Revenue act would
not be called up until Monday week.
The House then resumed the considera-
ton of the Northern Pacific Railroad bill
and the Clerk read the substitute offered by
Mr. Stevens, as modified by him. The
notifications consist OF the following:
Strike out Sect. and insert in place Of II
an addition to Sect. 2, as follows: And
when upon failure on part of the Compsn y
for period Of ninety days to pay the in
terest on said stock as the same may mature
and become due, the Treasurer Of the uni
ted States may have power to sell so much
of the said lands so reserved as aforesaid, as
will reimburse the Government for the pay
ment Of the said interest; provided said
lands shall not be sold for less than 81 50
per acre.
Mr.. ASC0NA, of Pa, reported back ad-
versely a large number Of petitions from
army officers, which were laid on the table.
The House then proceeded, as the regular
business Of the morning hour, to the consid-
sideration Of committee reports on bills
Of G. private character.
Messrs. .WASHBURNE,o of Mass, THORN
TON, DELANO, WARD, MCKEE, and
WASHBURNE, of Ill, reported a number
Of cases from the Committee on Claims.
The following bills, reported by them,
were considered and passed
For the relief of Monroe Young; for the
relief Of Ed. P. Mckinney, of Binghamton,
n. Y; for the reliefof Rev. Liston H. Piercsi
for the relief of the owners of the bark Maria
Henry, of Portland, Ne; to amend the act
of June 25th, 1864, to provide for the pay
ment for horses and other property destroyed
in the military service of the United States;
for the relief of Francis A. Gibbons the
Senate joint resolution authoring the Sec
rotary of the Treasury to adjust the claims
of Bealls and Dixon against the United
States; for the relief of Elisha J. House, As
SCISSOR of Internal Revenue for the second
district of Mich; referring the claim Of
Swain & Howard, for damages from collision
of their vessel with O vessel belonging to
the United States, to the Court of Claims;
for the benefit of Henry Horne; for the re-
lief of Nathan Noyes.
The Senate bill for the relief of Goldsmith
Bros, of San Francisco, Cal, and Portland,
Oregon, was reported back and referred to
the Committee of the Whole.
The Senate Joint resolution referring the
petition and papers in the case Of James
Crutchell to the Court of Claims, was in
definitely postponed.
Provided, That at least three-fourths Of
the Board Of Directors shall always be ci;i-
gems of the United States, and, provided
further, that the government shall not be
called upon to pay interest on the cost Of
construction of more than so miles of said
road for the first year, nor more than 100
miles additional, for the second year, nor
more than 200 miles additional for the
third year, nor for more than 300 miles ad-
for the fourth year, and after that
time no more than 800 additional miles per
year till such road is completed.
Mr.. BINGHAM addressed the House in
support of the bill. He said the substitute
ust read removed and silenced the Objec-
lion, urged by the gentlemen who had spo-
ken against the adoption of the measure.
The bill should receive the vote of every
member of the House. 1t was the duty of
to dsvelope all the resources
1f the nation; and enable the nation to lay
ts hand on the great West by becoming the
carrier of that immense trade by the short
est possible route.
Mr.. ROGERS next made an argument in
support of the bill. He declared that there
was no fraud or taint of fraud upon the
bill, and there should be no imputation on
he character Of the gentlemen who were
here urging its passage. The two gentle
men from Ohio (Delano and Shelabarger)
had told him that they had been informed
that the original owners of the charter had
sold out, and he would like to know how
hey happened to have go much informa
lion, unless they had come in close contact
with the powerful lobby, which was en-
Dloyed in attempts to defeat the passage of
this bill. He hurled back the insinuation
into the teeth OF those who had charged
lobby influence in favor OF the bill, and
that at most the lobby influence was at
work to defeat the gentleman from Illinois,
Mr.. Washburne, who was very anxious at
ibis time to defend the treasury, and had not
talked about the depletion of the Treasury,
when that most obnoxious, wicked and
pernicious measure, the Freedmen's Bureau
bill, which would cost the Government
5O,000,000 a year was before the House
Mr.. briggs next addressed the House in
support Of the bill. He regarded the mat
ter as a national work of great importance,
! L Ill
Of the country should sustain.
Mr.. GRINNELL followed on the same
side. Immense grants OF land, he said,
owned by the company, were not worth
more than so much moonshine or clear sky,
not worth penny an acre. Without access
70 it By railroad no man was able to own 1t
and pay taxes on it. Although the Central
Pacific Railroad passed his door, he was
willing to have the Northern road con-
structed, and as many others to the Pacific
as could be built.
Mr.. WRIGHT addressed the House in
opposition to the measure, which ne denom-
mated sort of gift enterprise, where much
was promised and little performed. He
thought it was extremely dangerous for the
government to become godfathers to all
these railroad enterprises. He contended
that Congress had no right to give away
national domain and hkened the attempt
to the occasion when the devil brought the
Savior to the top of an exceeding high
from which he showed him
much property, and offered him a very
largo tract Of land, but our Savior
knew that the devil did not own
it and said - him sect thee behind me
Satan" He did not expect much conscien-
tiousness, however, from this Railroad Com
pany, which would take all the land
offered, although Congress had no right to
give it away. He thought the soldiers
were far better entitled to bounty on Con-
gress than this Railroad Company, and he
intimated that he had some idea of inviting
the Camden & Amboy Railroad Company
to come and get its share Of the public
lands.
Mr.. BROOMALL said, GAS we found the
taxes too heavy to equalizs the soldiers
bounties, they were too heavy for this grant
Of money"
Mr.. HARDING was unwilling to add
another dollar to the debt, except for works
Of great national importance, which this
was now. "Owe no man anything" "Go
not security for Others" were good scrip
ture maxims.
Mr.. STEVENS said the question ought to
be discussed with gravity. This was