Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-18
XxXIxTH CONGRESS.
The appointment of Navy Officers.
TEEE EEABEAS CORPUS gELL.
The Iron Glad Contractors.
REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY.
SENATE.


Mr.. 6rimes introduced hill to define the number
heIerreu TO the Committee on Naval Affairs.
NAMES OF FORTS.
Mr. Sprague introduced joint resolution, author
iz.ng the Secretary of War to change the names of
certain Government works and forts now called after
promInent rebels. Referred to Committee on Mill
tary Affairs.
m SALE OF LIQUORS.
r., The ChalT announced the appointment of Messrs
Sherman, Guthrie and Wilson, as the COMMITTEES of
conference on the part of the Senate on the resou-
ton prohibiting the sale Of liquors in the Capitol
buildings and grounds. the amendment by the House
not being concurred in by the Senate
- PETITION FOR COMPENSATION
Mr.. Wiley presented a petition from the German
Lutherans. OF Martinsburg, West Virginia, asking
% tor tier church Which was destroyed
terred to Committee on Claims.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION.
MI Mr: CQnness made personal explanation in re-
INfr NcDougalD after he IMr had left the Eenate
chamber His colleague had made a statement of
pretended grievances against him (Mr. c., and he
might have Supported Mr.. McDougan in the state
convention OF 1852, had not the chief advocate of
that gentleman been the notorious Governor Smith
Of Virginia. who was endeavorng to carry the State
OF California for the South to gain an outlet
for the future confederacy. Mr.. McDougall, who
was nominated by this man, afterwards voted in the
House OF Representatives for the kansas-N Nebraska
act, which was the beginning of the end which We
have Just seen.
HABEAs CORPUS BILL POSTPONED
The Chair stated that the regular order of the day.
the pl 10 amend the act relating to the habeaS cor
pus, was now before the Senate
Mr.. Nye moved to postpone this and all other prior
orders, and take up the bill to reimburse the losses
sustained by the contractors of certain iron cads
CONTRACTORS FOR IRON CLADs.
Mr.. Clark demanded the yeas and nays, which be-
ing ordered, the motion of Mr.. Nye was decided in
the affirmative, and the bill indicated by him was
taken up; the question being on the amendment Of
fered by Mr.. Nye to the amendment of Mr. Grimes
inserting fifteen per cent instead of twelve per cent
on the contract price as the maximum amount to be
pald 10 the contractors.
Mr.. Nye addressed the Senate in support of the bill
Mr.. Guthrie said, no contractors ever expected To
lose by their contracts. 1t strange that some
contractors could build ships and make money while
Others building the same kind of vessels and allowed
the same amount should lose. and come here and ask
Congress to make large appropriations to indemnify
them lie, (hlr G,) was not in favor of establishing
any such precedent this bill proposed He was on
posed TO establishing the rule that the contract price
should not g0vern that the cost might be sweed to
what they Peased that Uncle Sam could not bear it.
lie begged Senators not to establish such principle
1t would not do IN private life. They would never be
done settling the cost of this if contractors were
to be paid for the depreciation of the currency after
ehelr contracts were made.
Mr.. Sumner said he was happy to agree with the
fundamental principle laid down so clearly by the
senator from KENTUCKY, that the rule must not be
established that contractors should lose but he
parted company with the'Senator in his application
TO the present case. If it had been in peace the Sen
atOr would have been right; but the times were ex-
cepuonal. If these contracts had grown out of a
period of peace. he (r S. should not be here to ad
v0cate them. He had plead on this floor for those
who had contributed to success, the soldiers and
the freedmen, and there was another class which had
contributed as much to oar success the soldiers,
and he almost about to say, as much as the freed
men, the mechanics. They had built and equipped
the vessels which had often turned the tide OF
battle aud it duty to recognize their great
and moment0us services My friend on my right
lMr. Nye) asks you to be magnanmous to these con
tractors.
l shall not ask you to be magnanimous 1 only ask
you to be Just 1t is an old saying that republics
ungrateu hope that this republic will be less
grateful than any monarchy.
Mr.. Henderson did not wish men to suffer who had
done as much as the Senator from Massachusetts (Mr
Sumnerl claimed, but he had evidence that losses
had really been incurred. He did not understand
that any obligation rested on Congress to abide by
the report OF the Committee. lie could not vote to
the bill.
Mr., Sherman said if these claims were recognized
there would be end to the claims presented here
The Senator from Massachusetts (Mr. Sumner) ha(
spoken of the claims of the mechanics There wa
no class IN the whole country that had less claim
than this, because owing to the peculiar circumstau
ces or the war no class was more prosperous. The
had had abundance of work and had been paid hand
somely. Their labor had been in demand on accouu
OF te great Dram ot men TO the Held He (Mr. 5.
was staggered at the results which would upol
us II such a precedent as this was established.
lie knew that some of these contractors had mad
large fortunes by other vessels which they had built
but he was not aware that they proposed to refunc
any of this to the Government. There might b.
mertOrious claims in this report but it is not Ofsuc
character to induce TO sustain it, to vote tw
million and quarter out Of the Treasury. Befor
this session IS over we shall be called upon to vOt
on the claims of the soldiers, those who have sus
tanned the national honor in the field to the amour
| OF over Two nunureU Ul'ilOnS Tor equalization
bountles; We shall be called upon to vote on othe
claims, and 1t is opinion that unless we cease i,
TINS thing, we shall bring up our expenditures t.
what they we're III time OF war, and materially in
PAIR the public credit thereby. If this bill Was to pass
| he proposed to offer an amendment that nothin
shoui be paid to those who had made large profits
| other contracts.
Mr.. McDougaIl said he was happy to agree for one
With the Senator from Mass, tMr Summer, tina
the Republic should not be ungrateul to those wht
had stood by her in the hour of need. These claim
had been carefully audited by a board composed o
| just and right, and should be paid.
Mr.. Hendricks replied to certain statements made
by Messrs. Henderson and Sherman, and proceede,
to argue IN favor OF the right and justice of payinl
| the contractors.
Mr.. TrumbuIl desired to know how much of th,
money would go to mechanics.
MIR. Hendricks said 50 far as he knew it would al
so to mechanics the contractors were mechanics
Mr.. Riddle said he should vote against the bin i,
It's present form, but with either the amendment 0
| the Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grimes or the Senate
| from Nevada (Alr. Nye) he should vote for it. IL
was Tor additional compensation but the mannc
proposed by this bill II knew something about thi
matter. In his city (Wilmington) a firm which baj
built two of the largest monitors had asked no add
tOna compensation, but another firm there had. Ever
one knew that these contractors contracted for the
material predicated upon securing the contract iron
the government, and they obtained it at the pric
stated at the time the contract was made, no matte
how much the material might go up. The only ad
vance to which they were liable was an advance il
the price OF bor and Y per cent ample to con-
penSate them for that.
MIR. Clark opposed the bill.
Pending discussion, on motion of Mr.. Trumbull tn
Senate adjourned
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
HARBORs.
Mr.. Eliot of Massachusetts, from the Committe
on commerce, reported back hill making apprO
priations for the repair and preservation of certa
4aroors. ordered to be printed and referred to tn
REPORTS.
In pursuance of previous order, the House de
voted the remainder of the morning hour report
OF private nature from the Committee InYali,
| Pensions. A number of pension bills were passed
The only bill of public nature which reporec
was making the salary of the Commissioner 0
Pensions four thousand dollars and the salary of thu
Chief Clerk of the Pension Bureau two thousand five
hundred dollars per annum.
Mr.. Perham, of Maine, alluded to the lncreasin!
labor OF the Commissioner of Pensions and his salary
as compared with other heads of Bureaus, and urgcC
Mr.. Wash6urne, of Illinois, opposed this scontinuet
increase OF the salaries of officials in Washington
although he bore testimony to the ability and efici
ency of the head of that Bureau Pending vote th
morning hour expired. and the bill went over unit
tomorrow.
ARMY BILP
The House then resumed the consideration of til,
Pill to Te.orsan7iize and establish the army of th
| United @ States The pending question was on strik
regiments to be raised and otfcered hereinafte
provided for. shall be called the Veteran Reserv
Corps"
Mr.. Schenck. of Ohio chairman of the Militar,
| Committee, took the floor and declared that ther
was misapprehensiOn existing on this question [
not proposed to legslate into the army the TWEEN
tytOur regiments of veteran charged her
and elsewhere. ltWas only proposed to give theS
officers chance by selecting them from the presen
corps, and also to select by appointment from an,
officers and soldiers of volunteers who have beei
wounGsd in the line of their duty, have been dis
abed by disease contracted in the service
Mr. Shellabarger, of Ohio, said that he thought W
would find with these Veteran Reserves large nun
| Der of officers and no enlisted men.
Mr. Schenck replied that the contingency had beer
| duly provided for in the bill.
Mr. Boutwell,, Of Mass, thought we had better hav
able bodied men. on account Of our wide and varie
climate, which IN some places, would have q dele
| terious effect on diseased or disabled men.
| Mr. SteXens, OF Pa suggested that the word
9th section, to allow the selections of officers t.
| be tmade from all officers who have served in tn
/ army.
Mr. Schenck, of Ohio said the bill already covered
| the ground alluded to.
Mr.. Conklin. of n. Y, said he thought it was al
ways questionable to Incorporate invalid corps il
permanent army. He thought that this entire ques
ton had been settled by the convOcation of grea
Generals here who opposed the incorporation into tn
army OF this invalid cOrps-a convocatOn composed
OF the Lieutenant General and General Sherman anC
others He sent to the clerks desk an extract to b.
he claimed that these Veteran Reserve men had beer
Kept IN the rear while other mertOrious and disabled
officers had been compelled to the front in slXt.
| days or be discharged from the service.
| Mr.. Blaine of Maine spoke vindicatinn OF thu
| Veteran Reserve Corps, and doubted if the latte
speaker had read the bill.
Mr.. Rogers. of New jersey, said that we must no
sacrifice the interests of the country in our sympa
thies for these disabled men, for now egisla
ting for thirty millions of people, for army tina
might yet be called upon to meet the combined force
of Europe. After further debate the vote was take
and the House refused by yeas 90 nays ST. to strik
| out the Veteran Reserve Corps provision.
| The next section was on othcering the colore(