Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-01-21
F0RTY-FIRST CONGRESS.
This Afternoons Proceedings.
FRIDAY, January 2l.

\
FRIDAY, January 2i.
SENATE.-Mr. Wilson presented bulky me-
mortal of ! 400 Off GERS of the army, asking an
increase OF pay. Referred to Committee on
Military Affairs.
Also. memorial asking the passage of an
amsndment glyingp women the right to vote,
heterred to Judiciary Committee.
MT Pomeroy also presented petition In favor
OF ftm male suffrage.
Nj Davis said he desired to present memo
RAJ. not in reference to the folles OF the age,
but in reference to something practical, a me-
mortal asking the abolition of the franking priv
ileSe: Ss y,uu,u
in favor of the abolition of the franking priv
lege. He stated that he should vote for this
but he thought il was very unhandsome in the
roStmaster General to circulate the impression
through the country that Senators aud Repre-
sentatives were guilty of gross abuses of thiS
privilege. He did not believe that il would saw.
any five millions to the Government; it would
Mr.. Wilson did not believe anything would
be saved either, but he hoped the 1, f,anking
privilege would be abolished. 1t was a great
II would be abolished, and also that the bill of
Mr.. Trumbull would be passed prohibiting
members of Congress from making applications
for ONCE for their constituents. Members OF
congress would then be able to attend to their
legitimate duties.
Mr.. Trumbull expressed the belief that there
naO Deen gross abuse of the ilepe.
Mr. Cole did not believe il would be apy
measure of economy.
Mr.. Bayard, in presenting memorials on the
same subject from Delaware, stated that one OF
the pOstmasters furnishing these memorials
asserted that he did SO under instructions.
Mr.. FentOn offered memorial of w. c. Barney
asking certain privileges to enable him and his
associates to connect the United States and
Belglum by direct submarine teregraphic cable
Referred to Committee on Foreign Relations
Mr.. Thurman said in the whole history OF the
government was there anything SO fragrant As
this conduct of the Postmaster General To
have these blanks printed at the expense of tn,
Government and forwarded to his 500 sn nbordi
mates who hold their position at his will. with
tnre public sentiment There was a fine when
even the President would not have dared TO Do
such thing, and there was a time when Con-
gress would not have submitted to such a pro
ceedings on the part OF any officer Of the Gov
eminent.
Mr.. Sherman, from the Committee on FL
nance, reported House bill declaring that the
income tax shall be collected for the present
year, with a verbal amendment. Mr.. Sherman
explained that this resolution was necessary In
consequence of the conflicting opinions of the
law officers Of the different Departments. The
Judge Advocate General had decid I'd that the
tax expired during the last year, and the Paw
master General, in accordance with this opinion,
would not deduct it from the salaries of the
deduct it. and this resolution was intended to
declare the meaning OF the law, SO that all the
officers OF the Government should b, treated
alike.
Mr.. Thurman was not in favor of legislative
declarations fthe construction of law.
Mr.. Casserly said that the people of California
were most unjustly oppressed by this income
tax. They paid five or six times thcIr proper
ton. They Were the most overtazed people in
the United States. and probably i'm the world.
Mr.. Bayard said that any judicial tribune
which had the proper independence would pro-
nounce this tax unconstitutional.
Mr. Sherman would be in favor of extending
the income tax as the means of reaching the
large incomes OF the rich. as against the con-
sumption of the poor. In England, where taxa
ton had been reduced to a science. the inco,ne
tax was regularly levied. But this bill did not
propose TO extend the tax.
MIR. Wilson hoped the bill would 90 over nntiI
tomorrow, and he hoped that the Finance
Committee would bring in bill to exempt
army ofhcers from paving this tax, 81 he did
ho' sec no" they could live Oh their present COM
pensatioB.
The Jill was then laid over.
Mr.. Patterson introduced bill to abolish the
. 'freedmen's Bureau, and to provide for the De-
partme mt of J. ducation.
Mr.. Ross introduced bill to prohibit the
sale OF the public lands OF the United States ex-
c' pt to actual settlers. Referred TO Committee
on Public Lands.
Mr.. POmeroy introduced joint resolutions
proposing as the sixteenth amendment to the
Constitution the conferrmg of female suffrage.
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
The bill for the admission Of Virginia was
then taken up.
Mr. TrumbuIl felt it his duty to refer to state
ments which had been made here again and
again after they had been refutcd. Mr.. L. read
from the Globe the comments Of Mr.. Sumner on
his (Mr. T.s) remarks, styling them ''prepOs-
ferrous, "absurd," &c. He (Mr. IT, had in his
colloquy with MIR. Edmunds as to the agreement
in regard to a vote on Monday last, never once
referred to the Senator from Massachusetts.
The Senator charged me with a monopoly, of
holding to my view OF the agreement. Others
understood it as did. Senator after Senator
rose and cOrrobOrated what said, but the Sem
ator made no correction.
Mr.. sumner Gnterrupting).-Of course not.
Mr.. Trumbull.-He charged me with an impo-
sitiOn.
Mr.. Sumner.-will the Senator allow me?
Mr.. Trumbull.-The Senator may hold his
peace until expose his misstatements. Mr.. L.
then went on to show that there was substan-
tial difference betweenthe Senate and the House
bills, and an agreement 10 vote on one could not
be invalidatcd by the taking up Of the other. He
INT. y would now allude to other statements
of that Senator. The Senator from Vermont
had alluded to a gentleman of Virginia stating
to him that he had gone to the door of the Judi
ciary Committee on the day they were consid-
eling this matter, and had been refused admit
tance. This gentleman was named Wardwell.
and he was one of the signers to the memorial
presented by Mr.. Sumner. In this memorial
Mr. Nardwell states that he did not know
that the case of Virginia was under con-
sideration until 1T was reported; so that he
contradicted himself. In addition to this
every member Of the judiciary Committee
present, had denied the assertion, and the mes
senger had informed him Mr.. T.) that no such
person this Mr.. Wardwell had ever appeared
at the door of the committee room. In the face
of this, the Senator from Massachusetts had got
ten up and again and again repeated these as
sertiOns, which had been proved to be false.
Could assurance and impudence go furtherb
ILaughter.] But, Mr.. President, am not done
with the Senator from Massachusetts,. L shall
strip him bare of his assumed cloak of infalli-
bility. Suppressed applause in the galleries.
The Senator from Vermont had read an
extract Sfrom q speech of Governor Walker,
that with q Legislature opposed to the
Ranicals, he (GOvernor Walker) would
never carry out the county system. The Sen
atOr from Nevada had exposed this. Governor
Walker never made any such speech; what
he did say was that he would never carry out the
county system detrimental to the interests of the
people. Does the Senator want il to be carried
out detrimental to the interests of the people?
Mr.. I. then read from the statements of Mr..
Farnsworth, of the other House. as to the loy-
atty Of Gov Walker. Gov. Shaffer, of Utah
had also indOrsed the loyalty Of Mr.. Walker
Now, after all this refutation, what did the Sem
atOr assume. Did he step down from the lofty
position OF effrOntery that he had assumed. Oh.
no; he had called Gov. Walker q traitor. ON
the next day he had the assurance to get
up in this body and read over again the same
incorrect report Of the speech of Gov.
Walker that the Senator from Vermont had
read, and which Gov. Walker had in
his testimony before q committee of the
other House pronounced to be incorrect.
HOUSE.-Mr. schenck (Ohio) asked and OBJ