The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-03-23
WASHINGTON, March II, 1870.
SENATE

ers.
WASHINGTON, March II, 1870.
SENATE.
Mr.. REVELS presented a communica-
ton from colored Senators and members
Of the Georgia Legislature protesting
against the adoption of Bingham's amend
ment to the Georgia bill, which, they say,
would deliver the loyal colored people,
bound hand and foot, into the hands OF
their enemies.
An amendment by Mr.. Sherman to the
second section, to extend the time in
which the four and q half per cent bends
shall be paid from thirty to forty years,
was agreed to.
Mr.. MORTON offered an amendment
to the third section, which he said propo-
sed the retirement of legal tenders by
funding them into bond without issuing
an equal amount of national bank notes,
and thus providing for contraction.
Mr.. SHERMAN argued that contrac-
ton would not follow, as the greenbacks
paid IN for the four per cents would be
paid out again.
Various other amendments were offered
by Messrs. Sumner, Bayard, Thurman,
Cameron, Morton and Scott, and all re-
jected
AT $50 the Senate adjourned till Mon
day.
HOUSE.
After the transaction of some unImpor-
| tant business, the House went into Com
mittee on the tariff. Mr. Mccarthy spoke
in favor of tariff, but desiring a reduc-
ton Of duties on tea, coffee, sugar and
! spices Most of his remarks were devoted
/ 70
for protection of the home article
Mr.. cox wanted to know what made
! this deficiency bill necessary, and appeal
ed to Mr.. Dawes, chairman of the commit
tee on appropriations. to stand by his
| original speech in the House in favor of
economy, and not stand by his New
! Hampshire speech
! Mr.. DAWES replied that it would be
| hard for him to stand by one without also
! standing by the other
Mr.. BECK, a member of the committee
on appropriations, addressed the commit
tee on the general subject of expenditures
of the Government He assured the gen
| tlemen that if they were of opinion
| that the expenses of the administration
for this year were less than the expenses
for last year, they We're very much mista-
ken. He had said before the expenses of
! the Government for the present year wo'd
| amount to 50,000,000. That statement
had been subjected to very great criticism
in the press.
Mr.. BENJAMIN desired to know how,
| if the government had spent so much
money last year, it happened there was
any money left to bring about large re-
duction of the public debt
Mr.. BECK-f the gentleman would
read the Speakers letter, he would find
that as he there said, there had been col
leeted $394, ,0000 900 during the last year,
besides the surplus collected the year be-
fore, and he Beck therefore had no doubt
that the Government had so much money
on hand because that 1914, 100000 of un-
expended balance had been used to meet
expenses for which there had been no
charges IN the appropriation bill
Mr.. BENJAMIN-Do l understand
the gentleman to say there were $94, ,000-
600 unexpended balances at the commence
ment of the present fiscal year?
Mr.. VOORHEES, suggested in this con-
nection that the interest bearing debt
was, according to the last monthly state
ment Of the Secretary, larger than on the
1st of March, 1862
Mr.. BENJAMIN asked the gentleman
whether he included the amount in the
sinking fund
Mr.. VOORHEES, mean precisely
what say
Mr.. BEGK-The interest for which we
are asked to appropriate for the next fs-
cal year has not diminished, although $75-
100000 of bonds have been bought and
S75, 100000 are to be bought by the first
of July next, according to the Secretary,
making $150,000,000, which ought to re-
duce the interest 100000 Still, we
are to appropriate for interest of bonds
which are lying in the hands of the Sec
retary of the Treasury, Just the same as
if they had never been bought For all
purposes of present taxation, therefore,
we are as badly off as if the bonds were
not held by the Government.
Mr.. BECK went on to refer to the ad-
ministration of johnson, and said he had
no doubt there had been less stealing
from the Government this year than last.
That, however, should not be counted to
the credit of the administration. 1t grew
out of the fact that the tax upon distilled
spirits had been reduced from 50 to fifty
cents a gallon, and the result was what
would occur when the tax on everything
else was reduced to such a point as that
there would be less inducement to steal
Besides, the Democratic party was not re-
sponsible for Andrew Johnson. The whole
responsibility was with the Republican
party, Johnson had tried to get rid of Roll
Inns, of New Hampshire, Commissioner of
Internal Revenue, under whose admins
tration of the Bureau those stealings took
place The Radical Republicans of the
Senate would not confirm any successor
to Rollins, hence those enormous stealings
We're allowed to go on, and for them the
Republican party alone were responsible.
In conclusion, he wished to be understood
that he believed the Secretary of the
| Treasury as honest man as IN this House
or anywhere else.
Mr.. cox made a remark about the gen
tleman from Massachusetts blowing hot
and cold, saying one thing in the House
and different thing in New Hampshire.
! Mr.. DAWES submitted that he him
self did not know what he said in New
Hampshire, or the gentleman Cox did
not know 1t, for he had reaflrmed IN New
| Hampshire every word he uttered in the
House. He had reaffrmed every word he
had uttered in New Hamsphire. He knew
it had been attempted IN a two hours
speech (referring to Buffers speech) to
make him say that, but no where had he
done so. ~
As to the suggestion by the gentleman
| from Indiana (Voorhees) in regard to the
public debt, he would say $1O00OO,O00 of
hthe debt had been purchased within year
by the present Secretary of the Treasury,
while his predecessor had been so fortu
nate as to add to it. All these bonds that
had been bought by the government, while
they stood as part of the public debt, were
uncancelled obligations of the government
but were nevertheless so much of the
debt owned by the government itself, and
therefore it was just and proper to say
that to that extent the debt was diminish
ed.
Mr.. VOORHEES, remarked that his OBJ
iect in making the statement was to call
attention to the fact that there had been
no diminution of taxes under the present
administration, and that the interest bear
ing debt had not been reduced.
Mr.. DAWES remarked when the time
came that half the public debt was a sink
ing fund, he should feel that half the debt
was paid. They should continue appro-
priating for interest on it as a means OF
paying off the debt. As to the complaint
of the gentleman from Indiana that the
| l.. 4In