The union Democrat., 1871-12-30

WASHINGTON. Dec. 2O.-The House to day
finished the debate on Hoar's bin for the ap
pointmeut of commission on the subject O
labor, wages, etc., and after voting down OF
amendment directing investigation to b.
made by the Bureau of Statistics, and anoth
er providing joint commission of the twC
houses on the subject, aud adopting ar
amendment, passed the bill by vote of l34
10 So. The bill provides for the appointment
by the President, with the advice and con
sent of the Senate. of commission of three
persons. one of whom shall be practically
identified with the laboring interests of the
country. and who shall be selected from civil
life solely with reference to their character
and capacity for an honest and impartial in
vestigation, and irrespective of partial or 20
litieal considerations, who shall hold Office
for one year, unless their purpose is sooner
accomplished, who shall investigate the sab
iect Of wages, hours of labor, division Of the
Joint profits of labor and capital, and the so
cial, educational and sanitary condition Of
the laboring classes of the United States
and how they came to be effected by the ex
listing laws regulating commerce, finance and
currency. The Commissioners to receive q
salary of IS, 900 each, and are authorized to
employ clerk. The report is to be made
to the Secretary and by him transmitted t1
Congress. The bill passed.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2l.--In the Senate,
Sumner introduced Joint resolution amend
ing the Constitution so as to confne the
Presidents Office to one term. lie said
Grants civil service reform message omitted
the important recommendation of the adop
ton of the one term principle. reform
without this was playing Hamlet" with
Hamlet left out. The amendment would moi
go into operation till March 4th, 1873. Laid
over.
Sumner also offered q resolution, which
was adopted, directing the Retrenchment
Committee to inquire if any money was paid
on account of SANTANA Bay to the United
States, by whom, and ont of what fund il
by private individuals who, and whether in
terested in land grants or other speculations
in San Domingo.
Thurman offered resolution to admi:
Goldthwait of Alabama to the Senate, pend
ing the report of the Committee on Elections
as to his right to seat.
Sherman opposed, and pending the dis
cussion, the morning hour expired, and the
House bill for general amnesty came up,
pending an amendmet offered by Morton that
the bill shall not be construed to invalidate
the election of anybody in Office under the
United States Government during the time oil
his election by law. Reiected-yeas, %
nays, 29-several Republicans voting with
the Democrats in the negative.
Summers civil rights amendment then
came up. Rejected yeas, 90 nays, so.
Various other amendments were then pro-
posed, and all were rejected.
Morton then offered, in different verbiage,
substantially the same amendment offered by
him yesterday and rejected. To-day it was
adopted-29 to &c.
The bill then, having been considered in
Committee of the Whole. was reported to the
Senate and the amendments concurre1 in.
Sumner again offered his supplementary
civil rights bill.
A long debate ensued, which was closed by
Logan, who charged that certain Senators
who had urged the passage of an amnesty
bill had voted for amendments intended to
delay only until the committee should have
reported on claims in the Senate, referring
to Governor Vance of North Carolina.
The House went into Committee of the
Whole for general debate on the state OF
the Union. But few members were pres.
ent
After general debate in Committee of the
Whole, the House adjourned till the Sth Of
January.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.-The joint resolu.
ton introduced in the Senate by Sumner for
an amendment to the Constitution, to confne
the President to ono term. has q long elabor-
ate preamble, giving the long growing feel.
ing among the people, without regard to par
ty, in favor of the one term principle, quot
ing the message of jackson. the letter of &c
ceptance of Harrison. his speech during that
and from the speeches and letters
of Henry Clay, to show that they all strongly
favored this principle. 1t also cites the ac-
ton of Ben Wade in urging an amendment
to the same effect. 1t quotes De Tocqueville,
who speaks of the danger to be apprehended
to republican government By permitting n
President to hold for more than one term.
The present amendment is as follows:
Article | Section l. No person who has
had the Office of President of the United
States once shall be hereafter eligible to hold
the Office second term. This amendment
shall not take effect till after the 18th Of
March, 1878.