The Portland daily press., 1871-12-21
xLIId CONGREss..sECOND SESSION
SENATE.


SENATE.
| WASHINGTON, Dec 2O--Bills appropriating
| quarter of a million for the Geneva Commits
| sion and $62, 900 for the mixed commission ex-
| penses at Washington, was passed Several
| petitions were presented.
Mr.. Anthony asked that fifteen thousand
| copies of the report on the Civil Service Com
| mission and accompanying message be ordered
| to be printed.
Mr.. Cragin presented bill to pay the expen-
| ses of the prosecutions in Utah.
GARULoUs DAVIS.
| Mr. Davis, of Kentucky, offered long reso-
luton directing the Investigating and Retrench-
ment Committee to report concerning the
Presidents interests in public contracts, the ap
pointment of his relatives to office, and also of
| those who have made him presents; also con-
| corning the San Domingo treaty and the Presi-
| dent and heads of Departments absenting
| themselves from Washington.
| Mr.. Edmunds Thought the resolution was
| scandalous, but wanted it printed as he desired
ten thousand copies as campaign document.
Mr.. Morton desired to see the resolution pass.
| The resolution was laid over.
SALARIES OF CUSTOM HOUSE OFFICERS
Mr.. Fenton from the Committee of Finance,
| reported bill to reorganize the custom SER
vice. 1t proposes in lieu of salaries notifies
and perquisites of all kinds now paid to officers
in the custom service to fix their salaries as
follows At New York, Collector $4,000 per
annum: Surveyor $4,000; Naval Officer $10,-
600.
The salaries of Collectors of other ports are
fxod as folloNe.- BoSton- and San francisco,
$4,000; Philadelphia and Baltimore, $4,000;
Chicago St. Louis and Cincinnati, 1000. The
salaries of other officers at the above named
ports are scaled in proportion.
The salaries OF all customs officers of all other
ports will be fixed by the Secretary of the
Treasury at rates commensurate with their du-
n,,lr I,,i -.
coed the amounts now received from all sources.
All fines, penalties and forfeitures shall be paid
into the Treasury and no portion thereon to any
officer of the United States except he actually
detects the fraud and makes the seizure, in
which case he is entitled to a fourth of the net
proceeds. Any persons not employed by the
government is, under the same circumstances,
is entitled to the same share The act will take
effect July LIST, 1872.
Mr. Buckingham offered resolution, author
izing the Committee on Retrenchment to sit in
New York and its subcommittee to administer
oaths and take testimony. Adopted.
Mr. Summers resolution asking for informa-
ton about the United States naval vessels sent
THE AMNESTY BILL.
The House amnesty bill was considered.
Mr.. Robertson said the bill was favored by
all the Republicans at the South, and its pass
age would gain the Republican party more
friends than any other measure.
Mr.. Buckingham read an elaborate speech
which set forth at great length the enormity of
the crime of rebellion, and expressed the .Opin-
ion that Jefferson Davis and others ought to
have been executed Immediately after the end
of the war. The government however had
chosen different policy and released so many
individuals from political disabilities that there
was some apparent reason for charging it with
injustice if it refused to release others no more
guilty than those relieved, but he did hope that
no other amnesty bill would be introduced.
Mr.. Morton offered an amendment providing
that the act should notbe construed to anteidate
so as to validate the election or appointment of
any Senator or member of the House of Repre-
sentatives, any officer civil military of the
United States or of any State, who at such
time was ineligible.
Mr.. Sumner said he believed in being Just be-
fore generous to the rebels of the South He
thought it good opportunity to do justice to
the cUlored race and therefore offered as an
amendment the supplementary civil rights
bill.
Mr. Hill of Ga, supported the bill but be-
lieved Mr. Summers measure impractical.
Mr.. Morton modified his amendment as to
apply only to members of Congress and United
States officers.
Mr. Edmunds moved an executive session.
Lost.
Mr.. Trumbull appealed to Messrs. Morton and
Sumner to repress their amendments.
After further discussion by Messrs. Alcorn
Scott, Morton and Thurman, Mr.. Wilson said
he would prefer to vote for the bill as it came
from the House. He would vote for it not as
a matter of expediency, not as means of quiet
ing the Ku-Klux, not as matter of justice to
the South, but simply as a matter of mercy. He
did not hate nor never had hated tho South or
any section of the country, but the longer he
lived the more the wickedness of the rebellion
grew upon him. He glad Mr.. Summer had
offered his amendment because the attention of
the Senate had been directed to it and he hoped
it would soon be taken up and passed. but he
preferred that it should not be tackled on to the
pending bill
1t was agreed to take the vote on the bill and
amendments tomorrow at o'clock. The Sem
ate then went into executive session and ad-
journed.
tee on civil service, was instructed to inquire
into the expediency of the election of postmas-
tiers by the people.
The post route bill was passed.
Mr.. Gallegoes, Delegate from New Mexico,
was sworn in.
Mr.. Roberts, of New York. introduced res
olution, which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations, declaring the regret of
the House at the recent murder of the Havana
students
WHAT THE MEMBER WHO WASN'T ELECTED
Discussion was then resumed on Mr.. Hoar's
labor wages bill
Mr.. Campbell, of Ohio, thought the Educa-
ton Committee the proper one to refer the mat
ter; if the commissioners We're to be selected by
the President God only knows who they
would be; perchance Borie at the head and Tom
Murphy at the tail, sandwiched, perhaps, with
some Yale or Harvard men to 60 abroad for the
benefit of science to report on the character of
vermin, bugs and lizards as in the San Domin-
go matter. He asserted that no party had been
so guilty of oppression to labor as the Republic
can, citing the action of Congress on the tariff
and other measures in support of his assertion.
~
income tax amounted to relieving the rich at
the expense of the mass of consumers.
Mr. Dawes, of Massachusetts, asked if the
Democrats were prepared to vote for the reten-
ton of the income tax.
Mr. Campbell replied that he only represent
ed his own individual views He would act
with the Democrats as long as they strive to re-
move Republican oppression from the produc-
ing classes of the country. He said that the
conflict between labor VS.. capital in1S72 would
be one of the most remarkable events in the
history of the country, and the gentleman
might as well set sails to meet the coming
storm. The motto of labor would be, 'Equali-
ty of man before the law"
Mr.. Biggs, of Delaware contended that the
Democratic party was the natural protector of
the working classes, and that the Republican
party had extorted more money from them
than all the Democratic administrations for
forty years.
Mr.. Hoar inquired whether during all that
time the gentleman had not advocated the poll
cy of capital owning labor
Mr.. Biggs replied that he had always advo-
Gated the interests of the laborng classes.
Mr.. Hoar suggested that that was no answer
| to the question.
| Mr.. Biggs suggested that if Mr. Hoar had
| read the history of his own State he would find
that boys and girls not fifteen of age were kept
| at work in the factories of Massachusetts until
| the superintendent had to throw water in their
| faces to keep them awake. He also rema
| that it required combination of all the politi-
| cal factions in Massachusetts to defeat Butler,
| the candidate of the workingmen's party.
| Massachusetts was so given to meddling with
| other peoples business that she could not rest
satisfied. The gentleman (Hoar) was afraid OF
| the next Presidential election and wanted to
manufacture political capital. There was not
| an intelligent man in the country VINO Deneveu
| that a man could obtain livelihood for his wife
and children by working only eight hours
| day. What right had the State to come here
and say man should not work ten, twelve or
fourteen hours if he saw proper! Ii the gem
tleman wanted to regulate the relations OF labor
and capital he should go to his own state and
| set an example.
| Mr. Bingham, of Ohio, advocated the pro-
! posed investigation, but believed that 1t should
be made by the Committee on Education and
Labor. He cared nothing for what might be
| advocated by the international or communlSts;
our people were enlightened, knew their rights
| and dare maintain them.
Mr. Shanks, of Indiana, advocated the bill
| Mr. Stevenson, of Ohio, had read letter
from the President of the Iron Moulders' Ma
tional Association of Cincinnati tavoring Mr..
| Hoar's bill.
Mr.. Hoar closed the debate He said tho let
ter Just read was fairspecimen OF which, from
all parts of the country from men interested in
every form of labor; he had received during the
past week. He characterized the amendment