Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-15
CONGRESSIONAL.
Letter Carriers --cuba 10 the Senate Good
for Gadsden Railroad COmpany--Llttle
Rock Railroad Bridge--Psy for IurOrs--
Fremoat's Troubles. "



bill with an amendment striking out the
clause restricting appropriations for the
| letter carrier system to cities having forty
thousand inhabitants.
Mr.. Warner, from the Committee on
Public Lands, reported, without amend
ment, the bill to regulate the grant of
| land to the State of Alabama to aid in the
construction of a railroad from the Ten
nessee river to Gadsden.
| Mr.. Casserly offered a resolution re-
questing the President to transmit to the
| Senate all information in possession of
the Government showing that during the
hostilities in Cuba if any American vessel
was seized on the high seas, or the prop
/ erty of any American citizens confiscated
or embargoed, with full particulars in
| each case, and to state also what steps, If
any, have been taken in reference thereto.
Adopted.
Mr.. Carpenter introduced joint reso-
luton giving construction to acts of Con-
gress granting lands to the State of Wis
consin to aid In building railroads. Re
ferred.
The Senate then proceeeed to the con-
sideratiOn of business from the Commit
tee on Commerce. The Vice President, in
reply to an inquiry, stated that tine frank
ing bill was of special order, and would
come up in order after to-day.
A bill was passed authorizing the con-
structiOn of a bridge across the Arkansas
river at Little Rock.
Senator Chandler said the Committee
on Commerce proposed to abolish the
Consulstes at Moscow and Rauel, Rus
STA, and Nantes, France; and an amend
ment to that effect was agreed to.
Mr.. Cole moved an amendment creating
a Constitute at Pesth, Austria, at four
hundred dollars. Rejected.
A Consulate at Port Said, Egypt, with
a salary of $500 was added, and the bill
passed.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Winchester presented a petition
from two hundred citizens of Louisville,
to tax distilled liquors at the distillery on
basis of capacity.
Mr.. Hawley introduced joint resOlu-
tiou granting piece of condemned ord
nance for Tho soldiers monument at
Quincy, Ill. Passed.
Mr.. Mercer, from the Judiciary Gem
mittee, reported bill fixing compensa-
tien of grand and petit jurors of United
States courts, allowing three dollars day
and five csnts for every mile travelled,
and providing that jurors shall not be
summoned more than once in ten years.
Passed.
The House proceeded in the morning
hour to the consideration of Senate bill to
provide national currency of coin and
notes, and equalize the distribution of the
circulating notes, to which Garfield had
offered su Institute, being the ninetyrive
million BILL with funding sections st1 TX
out. An amendment by Mr.. PolandN'n
reference to the distribution of currency,
and repeating the present law limiting
the amount of circulation, was rejected
AZ to so.
An amendment was offered by Mr.. |
Randall, as a substitute, authorizing the /
issue of three hundred million legal |
To ha g.
tional bank notes, and allow the matured |
bonds deposited by the banks as a guar
antee for the circulation TO be redeemed |
at par. Rejected. Yeas, 81; nays, IL
An amendment was offered by Mr.. |
Morgan, authorizing the issue of four
hundred million greenbaoks, repeating |
all laws allowing the issue of National
bank notes, directing payment OF ma
tured bonds deposited by National banks
at par in greenbacks, and making green
backs receivable in payment of all United 1
States taxes and imports. Rejected by 81
to l27.
Several other amendments were offered,
but without vote the bill went over till |
tomorrow, and the House proceeded
with the consideration of joint resoIu-
ton reported fIOm Committee on Foreign
Affairs, as follows:
RESOLVED, 6y the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of
America iT Congress assembled, That the
President of the United States be and is
hereby authorized and instructed to de-
clare and maintain strictly impartial
neutrality on the part of the Government
United States in the contest now existing
between the people OF Cuba and the Gov
ernment OF Spain.
Sec. 2. That all the provinces Of the stat
ute approved the 10th of April, ISIS, enti-
tied an act to enact for punishment GER
- I
to repeal the acts therein mentioned shall
be construed TO apply equally to each Of
the parties in the existing contest be-
tween the people of Cuba and the Gov
ernment of Spain.
Sec. 3. That the President is hereby
authorized and requested to demonstrate
against the barbarous manner in which
the war Is carried on in Cuba, and if he
shall deem it expedient to solicit the CO.
operation of other governments, in such
manner as he may deem necessary, to
secure from both contending parties an
observance of the laws OF war recognized |
by all civilized nations.
Amendments were offered by Messrs.
Orth and Logan-the latter being to the
secondesection, to make it be construed
so as to give both cOntending parties
the same advantages of intercourse and
trade with the United States consistent
with the laws of nations, which have been
or may be accorded the Government of
Spain.
Banks addressed the House at length in
support of the joint resolution. In the
course of his speech he referred to the ar
guments on international law in the
Presidents message yesterday and com
pared them with similar arguments COM
mupicated some time ago by the SecreTa-
ry OF State, and said ne could not but
feel instinctively, on hearing the message
read, that the person who had prepared
them for the one party had done
that same person might be in pay of the
exiled queen of Spain, in pay of the
Spanish Government and in ply of the
Government of the United States. That
might be an error on his part, and hoped
to God it was, but he was inclined to be-
lieve it.
Banks proceeded to refer to that part of
the Presidents message relating to the
brutalities committed on both sides,
all of which he said might have come
from the Spanish minister. Sensation |
It would become the Spanish Minister
better than the American Minister of
State, if he would say for the Cubans,
who are familiar with the character of the
American people, that If they had been
left to conduct their contest under civil
lied warfare not one man would
have been butchered by them in
a cruel and unjustifisble manner.
He would not attempt to Justify
the reported murder in whole
sale of six hundred prisoners of war,
by one of the chiefs of the insurgents,
though they could do nothing else but
retaliate or see the country depopulated
by Spanisrds. He did not blame the
Presidents for not interfering. Congress
had laughed at the President; it was
dangerous for him to entertain the opin-
ion or do an act that might be called ims
policy. Laughter on the Democratic
side. And therefore, il he saw
those things done and said moth
if a member Of Congress would claim
absolute and Aslimited power in the ad-
ministratiOn OF the Government and saw
these things, permitted them, and justi-
fed them, or gloated over them, they
ought to be numbered among thedamned
for ever and ever. The curse of God
should rest upon them. lApplause,
which was suppressed by the Speak
er.l They were responsible for these
things. There had not been prisoner OF
war butchered in Cuba, not woman
or child sent TO eternity, for which Con-
gress was not responsible, for 1t had
power to check such barbarity and did
not exercise 1t. Twelve millions of peo-
pls would Join the United States in the
cry of condemnation against it, but Con-
gress dared not utter ford against such
Wholesale butchery ~ the defenseless
people Of Cuba; and how they were told
that so long as Apaniards murdered
women and childqh SO long there was no
war, and the pnised States had no right
to interfere with them IN any way.
Banks went on TO say that there were
other passages which he noticed in the
Presidents message which had sounded
far,;lfar IN his aar and which he had also |