The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-06-07
LATEST, NEW S
BY TELEGRAPH TO THE
PORTLAND DAILY PRESS.
XLIst C0NGRESS---Seeond Session.
SENATE.

SENATE.
WASHINGTON, June 6-Mr. Stewart intro
duced bill to prohibit contracts for servle la
Dor, which was referred to the Judiciary Com
mittee.
Mr.. Stewart explained thlt the bill was in
tended to apply to Chinese immigration. He
said in making the coolie labor contracts the
Chinese contractors took advantage of the pc
culiar religious views of the Chinese to provide
tor their return to their native land, dead or
alive. These contracts were for four years. and
the Chinese dared not break the contract for
fear that in case of death his body might not
be returned to his country. The bill would
break up the coolie system by prohibiting con-
tracts for longer period than six months,
while it also provided for the return of the
ohlnese to their own country. This period
would be long enough to enable emigrants to
pay the expenses of their passage and not long
enough to make their importation as system
means of profit Immediate action on this
subject is necessary, in view of the reports that
the agents are now endeavoring to introduce
this class of laborers into Massachusetts and
other States.
A joint resolution for the increase of the pay
OF assistant census marshals was amended and
passed. AS amended it provides that the in
crease shall not exceed 30 per cent. of the pres
ent compensation nor shall the entire compen-
Sat1On be more than eight dollars per day, eX-
elusive for mileage for the time actually en-
ployed. An additional allowance will be made
when by reason OF the sparSeness of the popu-
latl0n the compensation allowed by law is not
sufficient
The bill to repeal all existing laws authoriz-
ing the transportation and expectation of
goods, wares and merchandise in bond to Mex
leo overland or by inland routes, and for other
purposes, was passed.
The Indian appropriation bill was then pro-
ceeded with and varOusly amended. Amend
ments appropriating 100000 for industrial
schools among the various Indians and $50, 900
for the Indian service in Alaska were agreed
to; and others authorizing the issue to the
Choctaw Indians certain United States bono 8
claimed to be due under obligations, were re-
jected on account of the participation of that
tribe in the confederate service; and the SEN
ate took a recess.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Prosser of Tennessee introduced reso-
luton to authorize the President to submit to
the SpanIsh government proposition for the
settlement of the difficulties in Cuba by arbi-
tratIon or otherwise.
Mr.. Wood of New York offered a resolution
lnstructing the Committee on Ways and Means
to report bill aholishing the tariff on coal, and
moved the previous question, which was Sec
MI. Butler Of MASSACHUSETTS moved to recon-
slider the vote, so that he might offer an amend
ment to include salt, but withdrew his motion
lest he might endanger the resolution.
Mr.. Maynard of Tennessee moved to lay the
resolution on the table. Rejected 70 to 112.
The resolution was then agreed to. 113 to 70
to assign Tuesday of next week for the consid-
GRAFTON of reports from the Committee on For
eign Affairs in reference TO Cuba, saying that
he would not allow the subject to consume
more than one or two days at the farthest, but
the House refused to suspend them.
MIR. Scbenck of Ohio reported his funding
bill and it was recommitted.
Mr.. Banks then modified his motion con-
firming it to one day Tuesday of next week
and it was agreed to, "a to 20.
MIR. Banks of Massachusetts r. Had ottant;on
to the fact OF the recent publication of what
was purported to be the report of the Commit
tee on Foreign Affairs on the subject of Cuba
1t was published, he said, without the author
GREETED exceedingly its publication. 1t was an
Imperfect report of the statement read to the
committee on the 9TH of March last, and had
been kept confidential. He asked that the
majority and minority reports might be pub
lished in the Globe before the day assigned and
it was so ordered.
MIR. Dawes of Massachusetts from the APP
preparation Committee reported the river and
harbor appropriation bill and the sundry civil
expenses appropriation bill, which were made
special orders, the first for next Thursday and
the last for Wednesday of next week. These
are the last of the appropriation bills.
Mr.. Schenck of Ohio, chairman of the Com
mlttee on Ways and Means, reported a bill to
authorize the refundng and consolidation of
the national debt and for other purposes, which
was recommiJted and ordered to be printed.
The House then resumed the bill to reduce
taxation. The question being on Mr.. Schencks
motion to lay on the table the motion to recon-
slider the vote whereby the main question was
ordered on his amendment to the first section
of the tariff bill, filibustering was inaugurated
by Mr.. Eldridge of Wisconsin. The amend
ment was agreed to, 139 to 43.
Mr.. Schenck then offered an amendment to
the second section of his tariff bill, being the
free list section. The previous question was
seconded, 1O2 to 40 and the amendment was
agreed to. Section three relieving coasting
and fishing vessels from tonnage duties, and
section four, modified so as to apply only to
imported goods in bonded warehouses, were
agreed to as amendments. The previous ques-
the nays all being from Democrats
Mr.. Davio, of New York, presented petit
ton from Messrs. Brown Bros. & Co., E. D.
Morgan u Co., and several hundred others,
merchants and importers of New York, for a
law to prevent the arbitrary seizure of books
and papers. to abolish the system ofsinformers
and for other improvements in the internal
and external revenue law.
The time for the consideration of the curren-
cy bill was extended through Wednesday,
speakers being limited to ten minutes each,
and the House went into Committee of the
Whole on the post office appropriation bill
The amendment restricting the letter carrier
system to cities at 1000 and upwards was
agreed to and those raising the pay Of letter
carriers to $1100 a year and to strike out the
appropriation of 81 ,250 900 for letter carriers
were rejected, the latter 60 to e.
The House then took recess