Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-03-17
FOrty-Second Congress First Session
WASHINGTON, D. G., March IS.
CEAT A1NI.

A bill was passed providing for the appoint
ment, by the president, of three commissioners,
one OF whom shall be an engineer of the army
ana one OF the Others mining engineer to
make thorough investigation of the feasibility,
OF the cost, value and probable results of the
Sutro tunnel, in Nevada.
A large number of bills and resolutions were
introduced and properly referred, among which
were; Allowing the Kansas branch to connect
with the Texas Pacific railroad; to enable the
Atlantic and Pacific railroad to mortgage its
road; granting the Utah southern railway a
right of way through public lands; authorizing
the Southern Minnesota railway to connect with
the Northern Pacific road; for the establishment
OF an ocean mail steamship service between the
United states and Europe by American steam
ers; providing additional mail service to Bra
I'll; TO reduce the rates of correspondence by
telegraph, and connect the postal and telegraph
service; repeating the acts fixing the times for
the regular meetings of congress- for the APP
pointment of additional justices of the supreme
court; and for other purposes.
MIR. Anthony presented a petition of manu-
facturers of machinery, praying that the duty
OF sixty per cent dd UdlOFem be levied upon all
imported machinery manufactured in whole or
in part of iron or steel.
Mr.. Sherman offered the following: "That, as
organized bands of desperate and lawlcss men g,
mainly composed of soldiers of the late rebel
army, armed, disciplined, disguised and bound
by oaths of secret organization, have by force,
terror and violence, subverted all civil authority
in the late insurrcctionary states, thus over
throwing the safety of persons and property
and all those rights which are the primary basis
and object of all civil government, and which
are expressly guaranteed by the constitution OF
the United States to all its citizens; and, as the
courts are rendered utterly powerleSs, by or
ganzed perjury, to punish crime; therefore the
Judiciary committee is instructed to report a
bill or hills that will enable the president and
the courts of the United States to execute the
laws, punish such organized violence, and Sc
cure to all citizens the rights so guaranteed to
them"
Mr.. Sherman asked the immediate considera-
ton OF the resolution, for which unanimous con-
sent was required, but Mr.. Blair Objected and
on motion Of Mr. Sumner, it was ordered printed.
Mr. Wilson introduced bill for the prOtec-
ton of persons resident within the United
States against unlawful combinations and con-
spiracies, which was referred to the committee
on the judiciary. 1t provides for the punish
ment OF unlawful acts of members of the ku-
kluX organization by United States courts as
felonies; authorizes the president TO employ
the land and naval forces of the United States,
and to call forth the militia of any state in which
unlawful combinations exist in order to bring
the offenders to trial; and requires grand and
petit Jurors to swear that they never cOunSeled,
advised or aided such combinations or conspi-
racies.
Mr.. Davis introduced a joint resolution pro-
posing an amendment to the constitution, for the
establishment of a constitutional tribunal con-
sistmg of one member from each state with
power to decide all questions of conflict and
Jurisdiction between the United States and the
several states, and the constitutiouality of bills
passed by congress or acts done by any govern
ment officer, and to open and count the electoral
votes for the president and vice president; pro-
ceedings before the tribunal may be on petition
or appeal from all courts of the United States
and of the states; majority of the members of
the tribunal shall decide all questions brought
before them.
The house bill making appropriations for the
payment of additional clerks and messengers in
the pension office and for other purposes was
taken up, and amendments from the committee
on appropriations adopted, among which was
one appropriations heretofore made for any
pubic works, buildings or grounds, for the en-
tire year commencing July 1, 1871, be available
for the current year.
Pending action on the bill, the senate went
INTO executive session, and soon after adjourned
HOUSE.
MIR. Kelley of Pennsylvania asked to be OK
cused from serving as member of the select
committee on the inYestiga ton of southern ont.
RACES. Neither the condition of his health nor
his affairs permitted him to pledge the summer
any public duties. He is threatened with pull.
monary affection, and therefore, after the adj
Journment of congress, must seek repose and
not labor. He invited attention to a circular
laid on the desks this morning, addressed to the
republicans of the house of representatives,
signed by B. F. Butler, 1t was charged that this
committee was raised by a combination of high
tariff republicans with the democracy He
begged leave most emphatically to deny that as.
scftlon, and to say he, on the floor yesterday, as
high tariff republican, voted on every question
put while his health permitted him, and by the
examination Of the journal it would be found
mat his views on all questions were consistent
win those of the gentleman from MasSachu-
sets, Mr.. Butler
In the name of the industrial interests of the
country, and their representatives upon the
moor, he made this early, earnest and honest
protest against this false and unfounded accusa.
ton, and, having done this, asked the house to
excuse him from serving on the committee
Mr.. Butler-"I may be pardoDed for saying a
word in reply to what has been said by my
trend. have made no accusation against him
his vote has always been in accordance with
bis party obligations. know he is not one OF
those who entered into the combination, but
ask, is there any other high tariff gentleman
VINO desires the floor to explain his vote. l say
again, analyze the votes, and, while admitting
that two or three high tariff men have voted
with the republican party, say, and reaffirm
that that resolution, which is obnoxious to a
majority of the republicans on this floor, was
put through lest there should be legislation on
the tariff.
Mr.. Peters-"Will the gentleman yield to me
for question:
Mr.. Butler-"Ycs SIR"
MIR. Peters-'1 wish to ask whether the gen.
tleman is not aware that a majority of the re.
publican members who voted yesterday on the
resolution voted for itp
MIR. Butler-"f am not"
MIR. Peters-"The analysis of the yeas and
nays, as made by many gentlemen, shows that
hfty-eigbt republicans voted for, and fifty re-
publicans against the resolution"
MY. Butler-"l understand all that perfectly
The resolution was sprung upon the
house, many of the warmest opponents of
the resolution voted for it because, as southern
men as well as other good republicans, they
saw from the trick that was played upon them
that there would be no other legislation except
this in favor of the south, and they did not like
TO vote against il"
Mr.. Dawes-"I would like to ask my colleague
a question"
Mr.. Butler-'Let me finish my sentence
Thereupon they voted in that way, so they might
not be placed in a seemingly false
position at home But that is not
the way in which eghty-four men,
who attended the republican caucus held the
night betOre-which many of those gentlemen
who voted for the resolution either did not at.
tend or left before its deliberations were through
intended and ordered their committee to bring
the matter of the protection of the southern
Union men before the house. By aid of a ma.
JoIlty OF tne uemocratlc VOteS,s legislation in
the house is carried on in defiance of any organ
ization of republicanism. | now will yield to
the question from my colleague"
Mr. Dawes-fWhat ! desire TO ask my col
league is, is he willing to state explicitly what
he means by the trim trick which he applies
to his fellow members upon the floor, acting
under the same responsibility that he acts
under"
Mr. Buter-"What term?"
Mr. Dawes-"What the gentle means, when
he applies the term trick to the action of his
fellow members upon the floor. / want to know
what my colleague means by applying the
term trick to iityeight of his political asso-
ciates upon this floor, who differed with fifty
acting under the same sense of responsibility
and the same sense of duty that my colleague
acts upon here in this house.
MIR. Butler-"I do not understand that APP
piled the term trick to the republicans"
Mr.. Dawes-"My colleague, in his circular
that he, has been pleased to place upon our
Mr.. Buter-"Mr. Speaker"
Mr.. Dawes-"Wait moment"
Mr.. Butler-"Why should l wait when do
not choose to-" (Lsughter.)
Mr.. Dawes-"In that circular, and in his re-
marks which just fell from his lips, he says
that the resolution was carried by trick"
Mr.. Butler-"No sir! What / did say was
this, that it was sprung upon the house by
Gs...- \ 1