Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-09
CONGRESSIONAL.
Proceedings In the senate.

WASHINGTON, Jan. S.-There was q
long debate on the bill relieving Sue
Murphy but no action taken. The Sem
ale then took up and passed the bill for
the relief of K. w. Grist and Samuel
Phillips, and then adjourned to Monday
Fowler introduced bill to amend the
act of July 4, 1864, to restrict the juris-
diction of the Court of CIaims; which
was referred to the Committee on Judici-
airy, 1t provides for payment to citizens
Of such States as are now entitl ed to the
benefits of said acts of claims for stores
furnished to the Engineer and Ordnance
department of the army.
Proceedings I'm the House.
Farnsworth, from the committee on RI
construction, reported bill relieving {, ON
legal and political disabilities.R. w. Best
| and Samuel Phillips, one clerk and the
other a reporter Of the Supreme Court of
South Carolina. Passed.
Shenck, from the committee on Ways
and Means, reported bill amending the
second section of the law of March 81,
1868, to exempt certain manufacture
from internal tax so as TO extend its pro-
visions to manufactures of naval ma
chinery for the use of the government, and
renting sIch taxes as had not accrued
prior to the first of April, 1865. After q
brief explanation the bill passed.
On motion of Mr.. Washburne, of Ills
nois, the naval appropriation bill was
made the special oIdsr for Monday next.
Mr.. Brooks reserved the right of
making points Of order on various sections
of the bill.
The House at two O'Clock went into
Committee of the Whole on the state of
the Union. Mr.. Hurlburt, of New York,
chairman.
On the military academy bill, one hour
and q half being allowed for general de-
bate, Mr.. Logan addressed the committee
in opposition to Mr.. Jencks' civil service
bill discussing the whole matter and
declaring that he desired the business
of the government to be discharged with
the utmost intelligence, fidelity and dis
patch, and upon the principle of scrupu-
lous economy, and that the employees
shall receive such compensation as
will make them proof against dis
honesty. He would vote for any
practicabable measure to bring about
such reform, but he was opposed to the
establishment of life tenure in Office,
system so opposed to the genius and
spirit of our institutions and people, and
regarded with so much apprehension by
the constitution. He held that the peo-
pie are the rulers of the country, and
their repr esentatiVes have no right to cre>
ate power liable to their decision. The
whole bill, he declared to be the
opening wedge to an aristocracy which,
once established by law, would
result in two schools in this
country, one for military and another
for civil education, which schools would
monopOlize all the avenues of approach
to the government and might in the event
Of another war prove a most formidable
enemy. He appealed to the friends of
those who died on their country's altar,
that this great government might be pres
served in form and in name, to see that
law should never again adopt an
other code that would make men less free
Mr.. Jenckes replied that the keynote
vi the ScnLlcLnAu SpecCu uhu Deou InhL
the bill created offices with life tenure,
sud, therefore, should not be counte-
minced. The bill proposed no such thing.
1t proposed that the incumbent Of an
office should hold it only during the eff
ficiency Of his service, which was an en-
tirely different thing; in other words, it
proposed every person in the service of
the government should render to the
people an equivalent for compensation.
lie ridiculed the idea of the bill creating
an aristocracy, saying it merely provided
the means of knowledge for the President,
and of presenting to hiR the names Of
persons qualified for various offices.
The general debate being closed, the
military appropriation bill was considered
and ordered to be reported TO the House.
1t apprOpriates $27l, 55S. The Com
mittee arose and the bill was passed by
the House.
The House at $40 went into committ,e
on the whole on the state Of the Union
Wilson Cowan. Chairman, on the Presi-
dents message of 1867, and was address,d
by Boyer in a speech on general politics
in reply chiefly to the speech, by Love of
Maine, before recess. The committee
arose and the House adjourned until Mon
day