Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-03-12
FORTY-FIRST CONGRESS.

Navy. III provides for the nomination every
year by each representative and delegate of
Congress, of one boy not over l6 years old,
in his district after examination, as a naval
apprintice to serve till he is 81, when he is to
be promoted to the grade of seaman, and
afterwards eligible to promotion as q warrant
officer.
The bill went over.
The discussion on the funding bill was
then resumed.
The amendment by Mr. Wilson to allow
the issue OF l0-40 five per cent bonds ex-
changable for 520s, at the discretion of the
Secretary of the Treasury, was rejected, and
the one offered by Mr.. Sherman extending
the time in which the l-2 per cent shall be
paid from thirty to forty years. was agreed
to.
HOUSE. Mr.. Mccarthy of New York pro-
ceeded to show the benefits of protection to
salt manufacturers. The annual production
having increased from 10 to 20 million dollars
while the price per bushel in New York,
Boston and Cleveland was no higher to-day
in gold than in 1860 in currency Seven
years ago the Onondagua Salt Manufacturers
sent no salt to tide waters, and they now send
three and half million per year.
Mr.. Cox Of New York gave 1sotice that all
colleagues proposition about salt would be
fully insured in interest of consumers. All
his colleagues aid must be taken cum grano
salais.
The bill was then laid aside and the bill
appropriating s2,477,7ll for deficiencies in
the service tor the present fiscal year was
taken up. The bill appropriates Sl47 800
for repairs of the various custom houses, in
Guiding S30, 900 for that at Portland, Maine;
500 900 for the Court House, and $4,000
for the Marine Hospital, also at Portland !;
SIT 500 for the custom house at Bangor, and
$1,000 for the Court House at Boston. 1t
also Apr opriates for public printing S95,
900; public binding Sl05, 900; TYPOGRAPHY
and engrossing for Congress, $4,000; and
for reconstruction expenses, $685., 900.
Mr. Buck of kentucky, from the Commit
tee on Appropriations, proceeded to criticise
the statements of Messrs. Dawes and Blaine,
that during the first year of President Grants
administration, the expenses had been re-
duced to 1914 ,0O0,o 900. The expenditures
for the present year would amount to $780,,
100000.
Mr.. Cox of New York asked Mr.. Beck to
yield, that he might ask the gentleman from
Mass, why he had not stood up in n II. 10
the speech he had delivered in the House.
Mr.. Dawes suggested that the gentleman
COX had better not mix his speech with the
gentlemans from Kentucky. They were
doubtless speeches separately, but if the two
were put together they would not be worth
cent (Langhter.) Mr.. Cox, if you put the
two together, they will utterly overwhelm the
gentleman, or either one of them will
Mr. Beck said he had no desire to over
whelm nybody, but his opinion that the ex-
penditures of the government for the current
pear were nearer $500, 900 900 than any
other figure He cited Secretary Boutwells
report of unexpected balances in each de-
partment,. on the 30th of June, 1869, show
ing that for the War, Navy, Interior. State,
Treasury and other departments, the balance
was SlO2 32O.l59 There was appropriated
for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 1870, for
those departments, Sill, 200, making the
total applicable to those purposes over S2l3,-
900, 900, from which was to be deducted,
about S.. 1000, 900, to be expended in the sub
sequent year, leaving S206. l02.433 for ex-
pendtures for the years l569-70. This was
an excess of 1914 1867 1926 over the amount
appropriated for those purposes for the cur
rent year. Every dollar of the ninety-four
millions had been left out of the account by
the chairman of the committee on appropria-
tons; and the President in his statements
made to the country, as to the actual expen-
ditures would amount to within a very small
fraction of $500 O0O, 900. There was now
asked to be appropriated in this bill about
$3.50 ,0O0, 900 more, which he ventured to say
would be increased in the Senate to $780,
900 600 Besides all these sums, there were
large sums of money drawn from the one per
cent. fund for engraving of treasury bonds
and notes, of which there was no account at
all.
Mr. Benjamin of Mo-, desired to know how
if the government had spent so much money
last year, it happened that there was any
money left to bring about the large reduction
of the public debt
Mr. Beck replied that if the gentleman
would read the speakers letter, he would find
that there had been collected S394, 00O,o oo
during the last year, besides the surplus col
lected before, and he (Beck), therefore, had
no doubt that the reason the government had
so much money on hand, was because that
1914 600, 900 of unexpected balance had been
used to meet expenses for which there had
been no charges in the appropriation bill.
Mr.. Voorhees, of Indiana suggested in this
connection, that the interest bearing debt
was according to the last monthly statement
of the Secretary, larger than it was on the LIST
of March, 1869.
Mr.. Buck further argued that the admins
tration did not deserve any credit for the IN
creased revenue, and that it was due to the
reduction of the tax on distilled spirits, from
two dollars to fifty cents per gallon. He also
defended Andrew johnson, and said that the
republican party were responsible for the
corruption of his administration.
In conclusion. he said that he believed the
Secretary of the Treasury to be thoroughly
honest man.
Mr.. Cox made a remark about the gentle
man from Mass. blowing hot and cold-saylng
one thing in the House and a different thing
in New Hampshire.
Mr.. Dawes submitted that either he himself
did not know what he said in New Hampshire
or the gentleman did not know it, for he had
reaffirmed in New Hampshire every word that
he had uttered in the House. He now reaf-
firmed every word he had said in New lamp
shire In no word that he had uttered in the
House had he ever said that the present adj
ministration was more extravagant than the
administration of johnson. He knew that 1t
had been attempted in two-hours speech
(referring to Mr.. Buffers speech) to make
him say that, but no where had he done So
He was ready to stand by all he had said in
either Of his speeches on that subject. He
submitted that his friends from New York
could find no syllable of what he had uttered
out of the House different from what ne had
uttered in it. The figures he had used IN \.
H. were the expenditures between the ith OF
March, 1868 and about the middle OF Feorua-
nv. 1870: and those figures which his colleague