The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-02-08


expense is to be incurred in examining
witnesses
The senate bill, for two terms of tn.
I u nited states Circuit Court for tho Eastern
District OF Arkansas on the second Mon
day of April and October of each year, wai
passed
Paine offered resolution calling on The
Secretary aQf the Treasury for infOrInatiO
as to owheth all the money arising froIn
the purchase OF captured and abandoned
properly had been covered into the Treas
ury, &c. Adopted.
Paine, from the Reconstruction Commit
tee, reported bill to remove the legal and
4 political dis abilities from large number
\ OF persons IN the reconstructed states. or
dafed print ed and Tecommttted.
Hooper. from the Committee on Bank.
ing ana Currency, reported n bill regulat
i ing the reports OF national banging asso
printed and recommitted. Tne bill re-
quires the national banks to make reports
first Monday in every month, in lieu of the
quarterly and monthly statements now
required, and the reports for January and
| july to be published In some newspaper al
The expense of the bank.
The House then went into Committee o1
| the Whole, Ferry -fTf-the- Chair, and re-
I sIme1s he consideration Of the army APP
prOETiation bill. i EtE 80 -
Blaine, who has charge of If, stated that
| III. view of the sentiment of the House as
/ presented in discussion yesterday, he had
been authorized to propose amendments
! which would reduce the amount ten
millions of dollars. fss m
A DISCUSSION sprung up between EIdridge
aud Blaine, on the subject of the purchase
| ofFord's Theatre in Washington
Blaine spoke of the building as place
| in which the q eatest tragedy of modern
times took place, and remarked that Il
was very ungracf0us on the part of the
| gentleman from Wisconsin TO find fault
! with tine Secl etary of War because the
place where that tragedy was enacted had
| not been left open as place OF vulgar
amusement. Did the gentleman Oyjeet to
| that2
Eldrkige-No sir viii the gentleman
I I D state what /
Blaine-It was to rescue 1t from that
| degradation that the Secretary of War
4 took q under his control aid that Con-
| gfess altefwaftis gave him means. TO vest
| the property In the United states.
Eldrldge- Wish to state that intended
| to make no charge other than this, that
| the secretary. as ann advised, took pos
session of thatbuildtng without authority
of law.
Eldridge-Apd the gentleman from Maine
asks me whether [ approved OF it or not?
| answered him TN 4 do not approve of IL.
L approve OF no act OF any person, whether
high or lew, that is in Violation, or with
out authority of law. / say This not be-
sion of Ford's Theatre, In W lIch the, trag-|
edy to which he efers was parpetrated. L
don't nave any issue with The gentleman
retary OF War 10 make purchase OF this
KIND, then you may allow him to do any
other acts
BIaip-l ask the gentleman whether he
knew anything wrong In THAT trstifsaction
and II he did, 10 state it TO the House.
every act done Without authority of law
was wrong
f8lain-The wrong alleged is, that whereas
tnat building was the scene OF the tragedy
ofthe l4th of April, and while Congress
was not To convene for nine months, the
Secretary ef War stepped forward, and
using the power of ths Government, said
thatthe bnilding shouid not be devoted TO
pro ane, aud possibly, ,eyen obscene amuse-
ments. Se dtd think that with the APP
pfOval,of the loyal masses OF tue United
States. and 1 should regret TO know that
gentleman even on that s1de OF the House,
should object TO that action Of the Secre-
I IfIdridge-I wish not TO make any charge
against so Y 1gentleman, but 1 repeat, that
I such acts should not be done without au-
| thority Of law, and when the gen tleman
from Naine says it was a place of profane
| and obscene amusement, L ask him what he
| means 10 be understood? ? Wouid the Presi-
| dfntDf the United States have been sIssas-
/ sina ed ia that building il he had not been
/ called there from love OF the amusements
I To which the gentleman refers, and on u
tltes Whisa some say sllauid not be Vfoihf-
| edT 1 deny that a theatre IA scene of
1 o 'ssscene ainnsefo ent.
| Blaine-I modify By the word possibly.
| Shanks-The murder of President Lin
colin was Itself an act of war, and II was tile
tinty OF the Secretary of War To take such
h steps as become a nation ia Time of war.
/ Biaine-I think this discu sion has gone
/ far enough will close it with the remark
| that II at this late day the gentleman from
| w iseonsln, or any otner on that side, de-
sires TO crtticise acts which he may think
/ TO be OutSide OF law. he made very un for
| tuuate selection when he attacked that
4 act, for among the many acts that COM
mend the name of Il. M. Stanton to tile
+ patriotic people of the country for all
/ tlmes that VIII have been among tue last
Ro6insoh Suggested that the building
should be turned over In fee simple 10 the
family of President Lincoln.
/ Mullins gave his views OIf the subjeet, to
the am usefns mt of the House.
| .ScoHeld made point that tie discussion
was out of order. aud the Chairman so
| ruled- 7# tFa IL & rt-sa
Window moyesi TO reduce the appro-
| pTiahion bOr the q 0uaFtermastc = Depart
| inent from five millions t. three millions,
| and proceeded TO state facts show ing the
waste, extravagauee, aud corruption OF the
| qu&rtefmaSters at distant points, at the
| same time expressly reServing 9 Z depart
! rnent at Washington from the appIlcatiOn
After consi derable discussion, the amend
| menI wfls rejected.
Butler, of Mas moved an amendment
providing that the commanding officer OF
| a pC st may lease any vacant nd or bulld-
| ing beIonglng TO the post To civilians, and
in,a .,'. oyer the proceeds TO the Treasury.
| LIE item appropriaffng one million
dollars for the arsenal and arm Try at Rock
| island. Illinois, one half the amount TO be
| applied to the construction OF y bridge cOn-
necing Rock Island with the eilles Of Rock
| Island aud Davenport. gave rise to dIsctls-
| sion, and without dispos1ng of the subject,
| the COnmibIee rslse 4 5ts-ee
i En- the bill to the various amendments
/ adopted for the recruiting service, from
I S3O0,fpO 10 Sl50,0O; for pay of the army. from
| Sl5utO so Sll.OOO; Communication OF officers
Subsistence from 3 .lOJ O0O To 81 .50O,OJO sub
sistence in kind for troops, from &, 800 ,U00
To S4,e0O,o0O; Quarterma aster's Department,
from S5,00O,0Co TO SJ,000.000; cavalry and ar
u lery horses, from $500, 900 TO S250,0O0 mile
age for officers, from S2,000,000 to Sl,00.O0O;
transportation of army, from sS,5vO,0OO tO
S5,0U0,0O0: com mutattols of officers quar-
ters, from - 20O0 900 TO 81 600 0O0; military
Surplus, S2U0, 900, struck out.
( Garfieid, from the Committee on Mill
tary Affairs, reported an amendment foT
the reduction of the army, aud Dodge from
the minority Committee, offered another
amendment on tile same subject
Butlef, of Mass. offered still another.
The amendment offered by Garfield con-
templates tue re iuctiOn of the rank and
nle CT the army bv lO,O01 men, and of the
commanding officers by go, the latter
by gradual alb orpLioh; also the
Consolidation of the QuaTtermaster, Com
nlissary and Pay Departments, and the
consolidation OF the artillery and ordnance
corps
Tho amendment offered by Butler con-
/ templates the direct mastering odt of su-
| peFnuInerary officers.