Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-03-04
CONGRESSIONAL.
PrOceedIngs IN the Senafe,


. WASHINGTON, March 3--At o'cloc
this morning the Senate passed the def
a cheney bill and adjourned.
The Senate met to-day at noon Tn
1 joint resolution instructing the Secretar
/ of the Treasury to withhold all payment
{ to Corcoran for the use of property dur
ing the war until he takes the oath, wa
D reported and the yeas and nays ordered
! Pending this vote Sherman reported
} Schenks' bill to strengthen the publ
! credit. Its provisions are substantially
unchanged. Debate ensued and finally
. the reports of the committee agreed to-
, 81 against "a.
The following is the bill as agreed to
Be it enacted, etc., That, il
order to remove any doubt as to thu
purpose of the government to discharge
all just obligations to the public credit.
ors, and settle conflicting questions and
interpretations Of the laws by virtue o
which such obligations have been con.
tracted, it is hereby provided and de,
| clared that the faith of the United States
is solemnly pledged to the payment in
coin or its equivalent, of all the obliga-
lions of the United States not bearing
interest, known as United States notes,
and Of the interest bearing obligations Of
the United States, except in cases where
the law authorizing the issue of any such
obligation has expressly provided, that
the same be paid in lawful money or
other currency than gold and silver. But
none of said Understanding obligations
not already due shall be paid or redeem
ed before maturity, unless at such time
United States notes shall be convertible
into coin at the option Of the holder, or
unless at such time no bonds of the Uni
ted States bearing lower interest than
the bonds to be redeemed can be sold at
par in coin, and the United States also
solemnly pledges its faith to make pro-
vision at the earliest practicable period
for redemption of United States notes in
coin.
Sec. z. That any contract hereafter
made specially payable in coin, and the
consideration Of which may be loan, or
sale OF property, or the rendering of labor
or service Of any kind, the price of which
is carried into the contract, which may
have been adjusted on the basis of the
coin value thereof at the time of such
service or labor, shall be legal and valid,
and may be enforced according to its
terms, and on the trial of suit brought for
the enforcement of any such contract
proof of the real consideration may be
given.
The morning hour expired, and the
appropriation bill came up as unfinished
| business.
After discussion, Summers amend
ment providing for the payment Of
interest on claims, was rejected by a
vote of l6 to Is.
The army bill passed.
The Corcoran joint resolution was
then passed-34 against 3.
The Senate, on motion of Mr.. Sum-
ner from the foreign committee, refused
to concur in the House amendment to
joint resolution expressing sympathy
with Spain.
The executive session then followed.
Resolutions thanking B. f. Wade for
the faithful discharge of duties were
unanimously adopted. rs..
NIL w lkoOilt llOAu lLlC OOluuillOO vi
Conference on the army appropriation
bill, made report, which was concurred
in.
The civil appropriation bill was then
reported and passed.
At 1890 A. NJ, on motion of Mr..
Conklin, the Senate went into executive
session.
Proceedings In the House
The galleries were crowded. A mes
sage was received from the Senate stating
that tho Post Office and Legislative APP
preparation bills had passed The House
non-cOncurred in the Senate amendments
and asked for conference committee
Colfax then delivered his farewell speech.
Wilson, Of Iowa, took the chair of the
Speaker. A complimentary resolution
to Colfax was unanimously adopted
Cameron was then unanimously elected
Speaker, took the oath, returned thanks,
and business proceeded The joint res
olution for printing the medical history
of the war of the rebellion passed. The
deficiency bill, amended by the Senate
was received
The Committee on the Treatment of
Union Prisoners made report Ordered
printed.
The report of the Committee on Acc
counts relative to the contingent fund
was taken up.
The resolution that no carpeting or
| furnishing be done unless authorized by
the Committee on Building, and that the
| Sergeant-at-arms be reimbursed the ex
| penses of summening witnesses and CONS
polling the presence of members in the
House and Milage. Passed. .. A..
A resolution to pay the clerks Of CONS
mites six dollars a day when actually
employed passed.
A motion to suspend the rules and re-
scind the resolution to pay the Louisiana
contestants 81, 500 was made and after
| debate was tabled.
A bill amending the tax on spirits and
tobacco, extending the time of drawing
whisky from warehouses till Goth of
| April was reported and passed
Mr.. Schenck, from the same commit
tee, reported bill repeating the law
which gave the Supreme Court jurisdic-
ton over revenue cases where the sum
involved is less than $1,000, and leaving
the final decision on such cases to Cir
cult Courts. Passed.
Mr.. Schenck, rom the Conference
Committee on the bill to strengthen the
public credit, made report which was
agreed to. The bill goes to the Presi-
dent
A Joint resolution passed allowing Me-
nard and Hunt $500.
Senates amendments to army appro-
priation bill were non-concurTed in.
Mr.. FarnswOrth, from the Committee
of Conference on the bill removing of dis
abilities, made a report which he explain
ed at length, particularly as to the case
of Judge Parker, of Virginia, Shanks
brought out the fact that he was the
Judge who sentenced John Brown to be
hung.
Mr.. Farnsworth was ignorant of any
constitutional amendment disqualifyinG
anybody for trying or hanging JohI
Brown. Report agreed to.
The House will probably remain IL
session all night.
THE OLDEST MASON
A paragraph has been going tn,
| TOunuS vi tne newspapers lOA UhO IL"
week or two noticing the death of Capt
Joseph Metcalf, short time ago, a
Erie, Pennsylvania. 1t says: Capt
Metcalf was in the ninety-fifth year G
: his age, and was the oldest member c
the Masonic Order in the United States
}, We must correct this paragraph Oh
5 as Capt Metcalf was, and he was Ger
tainly very old man, he was not tn