The Portland daily press., 1868-01-27
XLth CONaRRSs-Seoond Session.

HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24.-Immediately after
the reading of the journal the House went
into Committee of the Whole on the state of
| the Union for general debate.
Mr.. Sitgreaves of n j., addressed the COM
mttee, prefacing his remarks by saying that
| he proposed to discuss the State of the Union
| from the Christian standpoint. He denied
| that there was any atheism in the Constitution
of the United States. Such an assertion was a
foul libel on the men who had made it, for no
sane man could be an atheist. Among the
fathers OF the republic, as among their decend
ants, there were infdels, but no atheists. He
attributed the rebellion and its fruits to the
accursed spirit of Radicalism which has b en-
allowed TO enter into the sacred portals of the
Union and tempt the people to eat the forbid
den fruit, the result being sorrow, mourning,
desolation and death. He declared that the
Radicals would be held responsible for the
blood of the nations sons.
Mr.. Erice, referring TO an aluson by Mr..
Sit2reaves to the parable of the ProdigI Son,
asked him whether. he understood the rebels
to occupy an analogous position to the Prod-
gal Son.
Mr.. Sitgreaves replied that great mass of
them did.
Mr.. Price remarked that that was all he
wanted TO know.
Subsequently, at the close of Mr.. Sitgreaves'
speech, Mr.. Price referred to the same subject,
and gave his radical friends warning that if
it could be shown that the rebels occupied the
same position as the Prodigal Son in the Scrip
lures he would bid his political friends fare
well, and seek admission into the party which
could prove its doctrine from the Scriptures
He admitted that the parable ran down to the
Prodigal Son going to the field to herd swine,
but he said it ceased at that point for if the
rebels had been in that position they would
have stolen not only the feed intended for the
swine but the whole herd of swine also.
Mr.. Morrill, addressed the COMMITTEES on the
que 3ton of finances. He thought it would be
well to postpone the discussion of the ques-
ton as to the money in which the principal of
the National debt shall be paid and to give all
their energies to wise AMI earnest effort to
make the currency equal in value to gold Be-
fore specie payment could be resumed at home
the eb0 OF precious metals to foreign countries
must be stopped, economy must be substituted
for wastefulness. Home spun and home made
must be substituted for foreign manufactures,
and the country must cease in relation with
other countries to be a debtor. He held that
If such duties were imposed upon imports as
would effect their reduction to point that
must be reached, domestic industry would
bridge over the gulf and the country would
soon return to a specie standard with u bal
ance OF trade in favor of the United States,
and with prosperous industry the resump-
ton OF specie payments would prove easy, 9th
erwise the attempt will prove Bull Run
route. He was opposed to seeing the United
States Treasury become the only bank of is
sue in the country. If the National banks
were dissolved and the country turned back
to the old State bank system, the bonds owned
by those banks would be thrown upon the
market. He held that plentiful currency
was necessary to the interests OF the people,
He favored the conversion as soon as possible
of the six per cent. bonds into four per cent.
bonds, and the fixing of five per cent. as the
uniform rate of bank interest.
Mr., Williams of Indiana addressed the Com
mittee, arguing that the Democratic party
was responsible for the rebellion and its con-
sequences, and claiming that the government
must remain in the hands of loyal men. In
the course of his remarks he spoke of men
returning to the Democratic party "as the dog
to his vomit."
Mr.. Munger asked leave to make remark
upon that point
Mr.. Williams deciined to yield.
Mr.. Munger then rose to question of order.
The gentleman (Williams) he said, was look
ing in his direction when he made that re-
mark, and he desired to ask him whether he
meant to say he (Munger) voted the Demo-
cratic ticket and that he was u dog. Was that
the inference to be drawn?
The chair overruled the point of order and
Mr.. Williams continued his speech.
tie SAID that when an army of 100000 DEM
ocrats had Joined the army Of the Golden Cir
Gle, another army of tthem had shouldered
their knapsacks and marched to Canada to
seek protection under the crinoline OF Queen
Victoria
Mr.. Stone next addressed the Committee
on the reconstruction policy of the radical
party, which he denounced as destructive of
the cardinal principles of the government and
oppressive to the people of the South.
Mr.. Wilson of Ohio addressed the Commit
tee on the question of the finances and the
National debt He declared himself in favor
of paying the principal of the bonds in lawful
money, except where they were specified to be
paid in gold. The opposition doctrine he held
to be not only in violation of the law but also
in violation of the right of tax payers He
thought the policy of the government ought
to be to pay the great bulk of the National in
debtedness before the limitation on the bonds
expired. He held that the worst thing that
cou d be done was to force the country speedi-
ly to specie basis while there was debt of
twenty-five millions hanging over the govern
ment, nearly all of which was contracted at
from forty to sixty cents on dollar of specie.
1t would increase the value of the bonds to
the holders from thirty to forty per cent and
the effect would be to make the debt heavier
by at least one thousand millions. He pro-
posed to issue one hundred million of dollars
in U. 5. notes, to sell at the market price all
the surplus gold in the Treasury, and to add
to this fund from time to time any surplus
that could be spared from the Treasury until
1t would amount to one hundred millions of
dollars. ihe two hundred millions of dollars
thus provided should be applied to the re-
demptlon of an equal amount OF five-twenties
at the option OF the government, the gold in
terest on which would amount semi-annually
to six millions in gold. He showed that such
sinking fund would amount at the end of
nVe years TO $4b4, OOO,0O0, at the end of ten
years to 1855 100000, at the end of fifteen years
to 81 ,434, 100000, and at the end of nineteen
years to 5000, 900, 900, being sum sufficient
within fraction to pay the entire interest
bearing debt.
Mr.. Hawkins next addressed the Committee
on the subject of individual rights and on the
duty of the government to its citizens, partic-
ularly in reference to the claims of citizens of
Tennessee against the government arising out
of the war,
At5P p. M. the Committee rose and the
House adjourned.