Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-04-27

WASHINGTON, April 26
r-s- ANN

| WASHINGTON, April 26.
| SENATE.
| REVENUE EXPENSES.
- Mr.. Sherman reported joint resolution from thu
CNmmlttee on tinanCe, appTOprating 81, GO00 fol
the expenses Of collecting the from customs
| which was passed.
| POSTAL MATTERS. ETC.
The special order heiug the bill TO facilitate postal
| commercla and military communication among TIN
several States was taken up and read.
Mr.. Morrill, said this was one of those bills Wbicl
struck down deep 70 the very foundations Of tbt
| Government. It viii make its mark upon all time
1t proposes TO take by the power of the General Gov
eminent, the entire direction If the internal raiIwa,
system of the United States. If the State of New
Jersey mas been guilty Of one demonstrations mo
Are not the courts open? lie objected to the scOpt
and character Of this bill. He had nothing to Dc
with eW Jersey, or the people o; New Jersey; h,
objected to the broad and comprehensive character
G1 this bill Although it proposed to strike New
Jersey 1t would take in the whole railway system
the United States. We had now 5000 miles Of rail
way.
Mr.. Morrill, gave way to receive message from
the iouSe, announcing the passage of the bill to en-
| courage and facilitate telegraphc communication
between the United States and the est Indies with
amendments.
Mr.. Sherman moved to lay the bill, with the
amendments on the table,
Mr.. Grimes thought that this was a very opportuuc
! time to c9aslder the bill Ihey were now debat ng
whether to abolish monopoly and this bill un.
der the lead of the chairman of the Committee on
commerce lhr. Chandler proposed to establish
The bill was then laid aside end the consideration
of the bill under discussion resumed
Mr.. Morrlu-Ihe people, by the exercise of in
tirely independent Of tho General Government had
erected the present magnificent railway system and
the Government has no constitutional authority for
interfering herewith. The New jersey monopoly OF
which so much complaint was made, expires in iSG9
u had already said that the Congress of the United
state: was not court OF law, before which the con-
stltutOnahty OF said monopoly could be tested That
Is the province of the Judiciary. What could the
GOvornnent do compared with what the people had
dOne To excuse TINS seizure OF the a he
peoples own work?
From every Atlantic cityto the far interior brinqnq
within the reach of almost eyerg individual farmer
the best markets of the nation, this system had out
stripped the visions OF imagination and because
New Jersey IS said to nave granted monopoly, the
product Of the enterprise Of the people which has
effected so nGch Is to pG taken away from them and
the control to be passed to the Government lie
could not agree to SO sweeping bill as this. and
would have to oppose il.
Mr.. McDougall opposed the bill because it was be-
yond the law Of our license, and was not sound policy
Mr.. D0Oittle said If New jersey had never iucor-
porated railroad company, Congress never would
What has New Jersey done? All the old avenues Of
Gonme-co we're open, and New jersey Upeaed a new
aYenae OF commerce 1t was the right of the State
to open and build highways of commerce: was their
floor and maintain that if New Jersey had refused to
charter railway that Congress woul4 have the power
to charter one through hcr limits.
Mr. johnson SAID 1t was singular that none of the
friends OF this BILL which proposed to assume such
vast powers, showed any disposition to debate it f
On former occasion when this bill was here in
another share, he (Xr. had demonstrated the OBJ
jec0ns which it presented to his mind as not being
within the scope Of the Constitution. constitution
Is worth nothing Ii It Is to be interpreted differently
&C ,ordlng 20 the opinions of everying succeeding
Congress. lit Is to be thing to-day and another
t2,moTrow. We might as well have Constitution at
ALL In his Judgment, and he spoke it with all due
Difference, when they sWOre to support the Con
Stuhon. It was the trainers Of that instrument in
terpreted it, and the people by whom ii was
cd odinterpTetedt. Ihad supposed Mr. President untiI
these modern days, that the meaning of the powers
which this bill involves had long and SO uniformly
stp IA lrEt1 nod hot !
further doubt. From the debates in that convention
l am certain that such proposition as this would
not have been entertained. Mr.. j. then entered on
mis- argument against the constituonaiity of the bill
Pending discussion the Senate went into Executive
session, and at its conclusion adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
RELIEF TO IMPORTERS
Mr. Morrill, Of t.. on leave. reported back from tn
Committee on Ways and Means, Senate bill TO remit
and refund certain duties on goods IN trea.siu be-
tween Canada and the United States at the time o,
the repeal of the Reciprocity treaty. The bill re-
leves owners Of goods which were on vessels de-
tanned by the ice. The bill was passed as il came
from the Senate, without amendment.
TREASURY ACCOUNTS.
hr. Morrill,, from the Same Committee reported
back Senate bill TO facilitate the settlement of the
accounts Of the Treasurer Of the United States and
to secure certain monies to tho people of the United
States to persons who are entitled TO receive the
same; which was passed.
STATE PAPERS.
Mr. iayes, OF ONO, from the Joint Committee on
the Library reported joint resolution authori2nr
the Secretary of the interior to disribnts four hT
dred volumes OF the American State papers to libra
RES and members Of Congress Objection being made
the resolution laid over.
WEST INDIA TELEGRAPH.
Mr.. Eliot, of Mass, asked and obtained leave to
report back from the Committee on Commerce Sen
ate bill, with amandnent to encourage telegraphic
communication between the United States and the
West Indies; which was passed without debate
PAYMASTEES.
Mr.. Schcnck. Of Ohio, from tho Committee on
Military Affairs, reported bill for the relief Of pay
masters OF the army which was ordered to be printed
SANITARY PREPARATIONS.
Mr. lngersoll, Of Ill., said he was directed by the
Committee the District of Columbia to introduce
JOINT resolution to place So goo al the disposal of
the Commissioner of Public Buildings for Sanitary
purposes. MIR. L. said this city inviting the
cholera epidemic, and if anything was to be done to
cleanse the city. it ought to be done at once. The
resolution was referred the Committee ofhe Whole
Tor future action.
COURT OF CLAIMS.
Mr.. Ancona, of Pa. called up House bill to extend
jurisdiction of the Court of Claims to the consid-
eratlon OF the claims OF paymasters CT tho army
winch was passed.
PAYMAsTERs.
. Mr.. Schenck, from the Committee on Military Af-
lalfS reported back ouSe bl for the relief of pay
masters OF the army, with substitute which pro-
ylde Tor an adjustment of their vouchers instead Of
paying them commission on their disbursements
during the war; which was passed.
COLORADO.
Mr.. Ashley, of OHIO, asked unanimous consent to
proceed to business on the Speakers table in order
to refer to the Committee on Territories Senate bill
for the admission Of Colorado into the Union.
Mr.. Delano of Ohio, on leave, introduced bill to
declare the obligations of the United States subject
70 State taxation. Referred TO the Committee Oh
SANDY HOOK.
On motion of Mr.. Darling of n. y a resolution
was adopted, instrdcting the Committee on Commerce
to inquire into the eXpediency OF placing one of Da-
bOlls Fog ITumuets at Sandy Hook
NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD.
The House then resumed. as tho unfinished busi-
ness of yesterday the bill to amend the charter of the
N9rthern PaclhG Railroad Company.
Mr. Kelley OF Pa. addressed the House in support
OF the bill. claiming that the great political and com
merclsl interests demanded the building OF this North
ern road.
Mr.. Farnsworth, of Ill opposed the measure and
declared that 1t was being pressed by lobbyists who ELL
ed the galleries, and who had manipulated Western
Boards OF Trade so as TO make it appear tnat they
were urging the passage of this bill, when in fac they
had been imposed upon. le was willing however
to have several railroads built to the Pacific when
the interests OF the country demanded them but he
was not IN favor Of taking sixty or seventy millions
out CT the Treasury IN its present needy condition.
Inns pill amounted Sim9ly to this: Congress had
granted strip OF land, forty miles wide to build
this Northern Pacific Railroad, and presently the
Company comes back to Congress and says, If you
will give us the money to build the road, we will
give you back half Of the land grant"
Mr.. Randall. of Penn, was also opposed to the
bill, and charged the dominant party of this House
already overburdened with taxation. He also
charged that improper influences were at work to Sc
cure the success of the measure.
Mr.. Donney, of Mimi, favored the bill. He re-
garded 1t as a very simple matter. 1t simply pro-
posed that the Government should guarantee a lin
tied amount OF the interest of this road for limited
time. He looked upon the project as tending to de-
Velop the great industrial interests Of the country
and to populate the entire line of the road when il
shall have been constructed. If this COMPANY buir
only three hundred miles of railroad from the head
waters of the Missouri to the head waters of the
Columbia it would place the Atlantic and Pacific In
steam communication, and this Government was
asked to pay Sl3O,OOO per annum to secure this
MIR. Dodge, OF New York, wished to favor the pas-
sage OF this BILL simply as business man. He had
been informed that there danger of the franchise
passing into the hands of British capitalists unless
American capitalists and Congress took some steps in
the matter. He favored the completion of the North
ern and Central Pacific Railroad.
Mr.. Hubbard, Of Connecticut, opposed the bill and
denied the power the right of this Government to
endorse private contract which this bill required
MIR. W Washburne, of Illinois declared that the bill
proposed to vote sixty millions of dollars out of
the treasury, when by the very terms Of the original
charter granted by Congress 1t provided that no
money should be taken out of the U. S. Treasury
Pending vote on the bill, Mr.. Stevens obtained
the floor, and the bill was laid aside.
The Speaker then laid before the House message
from the President, recommending that Congress
extend the time for the. completion of the eastern
division of the Union Pacific Railroad. Ordered to
be printed and referred.
II was ordered that ten thousand copies of the tax
bill should be printed, and the House adjourned.
---Go-N-~rn~
CURIOUS RIVER PHENoMENON.-A few weeks ago
the bed of the river Klamoth in California suddenly
several feet. converting the stream into broad
and shallow torrent. The Yreka Journal explains
the phenomenon as follows
"The river, where the uprising took place. was
very deep. with slate rock bottom, which the eddes
in the river gradually wore through, making an es-
cape for strata of chalk formation, heavily pressed