Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-06-15
HOUSE.
Federal Juries.

HOUSE.
II Federal Jurfes.
Mr.. Mercer, from the Judiciary Com
mittee reported bill fixing the compen
sation of the grand and petty jurie
OF the United States Courts, allowing thre
dollars a day and five cent, mile 70
travel, and providing that jurors shall no
be summoned more than once in tel
years. Passed.
The Currency Problem.
The House proceeded in the morning
hour to the consideration Of the Senate bill
to provide national currency of coin ant
notes, and equalize the distribution o
circulating notes, to which Mr.. Garfield
had offered a substitute, being the S95,.
600, 900 bin, with funding sections struck
out.
An amendment by Mr.. Roland in refer
ence to the distribution of currency, an6
repeating the present law limiting the
amount Of circulation, rejected by az to so.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Randall
as q substitute authorizing the issuance oi
three hundred million legal tender notes
to be exchanged for national bank notes
and allow matured bonds deposited by the
banks as guarantee for circulation, be re.
deemed at par. Rejected by yeas 81 to
nays IL. -.-..
{ An amendment was offered by Mr.. Nor
gan authorizing the issue of 500, 600, 900
in greenbacks, repeating all laws allow
ing the issue Of National Bank notes, and
directing the payment of matured bonds
deposited by National Banks at par in
greenbacks and making greenbacks receiv-
able in payment of all United States
taxes and imports, Rejected, 81 to 27.
Several other amendments were offere d,
but without vote thereon, the bill
went over till tomorrow.
Cuba--ImpartIaI N eutrality.
The House proceed ed with the consid-
Grafton of the joint resolution reported
from the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
as follows: @ l
Resolved, by the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled, That the
President of the United States be and is
hereby authorized and instructed to de-
clare and maintain strictly impartial neu-
trality on the part of the Government of
the United States in the contest now ex-
isting between the people of Cuba and
the government of Spain.
Sec. 2. That all the provisions of the
statute approved the goth of April, 1918,
entitled an act for the punishment of GER
tain crimes against the United States, and
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. s. That the President is hereby
authorized and requested to demonstrate
against the barbarous manner in which
war is carried on in Cuba, and if he shall
deem it expedient to solicit cooperation
of other governments in such q manner
as he may deem necessary, to secure
from both contending parties an observ-
ance of laws of war recognized by all
civilized nations.
Amendments were offered by Messrs.
Orth and Logan, the latter being to the
second section, to make it be construed So
as to give both contending parties the
same advantage of intercourse and trade
with the United States consistent with the
law of nations, which has been or may
be accorded the government of Spain.
Banks Smells n Mice.
Mr.. Banks addressed the House at
length in support Of the joint resolution.
In the course of his speech he referred
to the arguments on international law in
the Presidents message, yesterday, and
compared them with similar argument:
communicated some time ago By the Sec
retary Of State, and said he could not but
feel instinctively, on hearing the message
read, that the person who had prepared
them for the one party had done it also
for the other; and that some person might
be in the pay of the exiled Queen OF
Spain, in the pay of the Spanish Govern
ment, and in the pay of the Government
of the United States. That might be an
error on his part, and he hoped to God it
was; but he was inclined to believe it.
Ingersoll-Will the gentleman state to
whom he alludes
Banks-No sir, not at all.
Ingersoll-I would like to be informed
on that point.
A PaIPabIe Hit.
Banks proceeded to refer that part o.
the Presidents message relating to brutal.
ties committed on both sides, all of which
he said might have come from the Spanish
Minister. Sensation. 1t would become
the Spanish Minister better than the Anne
rican Minister of State. ..--
He would say for the Cubans who in
instinct and character were American
people, that if they had been left to con
duct their contest under civilized warfare,
not one man would been butchered by
them in cruel and unjustifable man
ner. He would not attempt to justify the
reported murder in wholesale Of six hun
dred prisoners Of war by one Of the Chief
of Insurgents though they could do moth
ing else but retaliate or see the country
depopulated by the Spaniards.
He did not blame the President for moi
interfering. Congress had taught tn,
President it was dangerous for him to en-
| tertain an opinion, or do an act that nigh
be called impolicy. Laughter on the De
mocratic side. And therefore, if he saw
these things done and said nothing it wa
| T not1 his fault; but if the members o
| Congress who claim absolute and unlim
tied power in the Administration of th'
Government, saw these things, permitte'
them and justified or gloated over them
| they ought to be numbered among tn
| damned, forever and forever, and the ours
| of the Government should rest upon them
| TApplause, suppressed by the Speaker.
| They were responsible for these things.
There had not been a prisoner OF wa
butchered in Cuba; not woman or chill
sent to eternity, for which Congress wa
?not ! responsible, for it had power {
check such barbarism and did not exercis
it. Twelve million of people would joi
the United States in the cry Of condemnR
ton against it, but Congress does not ute
a word against such wholesale butchery {
| Cuba and now they we're told that so lon
as the Spaniards murdered women an
children, so: long there was; no war, tn
United States had no right to interfer
with them in any way!
That was what was called law. He dl
not blame the President, for it was not
at all: but lawyer for anything but pa
that would send to the representatives
the people a doctrine like that for them
act upon ought to be forever repudiate
and forbidden the presence OF civlllze
men. Applause in the gallery and laugh
ter among Democrats. The Speak
stated that any manifestation of applau
was positively forbidden by the rules.