The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-16


tide Of bills which will know no retiring.
Every Monday the same scene is performed,
with the same invariable ending in nothing.
None Of the bills introduced yesterday and re-
ferred to appropriate committees deserve any
special mention. except perhaps, the follow
ing TO repeal the Tenure Of Office acts to
provide a currency in coin and paper that
will be of uniform value throughout the
United States {; to constructs national rail-
road between this city and Chicago; to
admit tea and coffee free of duty; to re-
peal all laws imposing duties on distilled
spirits and tobacco; to promote immigration
to the United States and to allow American
registration to foreign built vessels. The last
mentioned bill was introduced by Mr.. Cox, of
this city, and 1t embraces the only feasible
method of reviving American commerce. The
bill which was introduced last Monday by Mr..
Hale, of Maine, and which has the same
general object In view, is insufficient to attain
the end sought. That bill came up also
yesterday, and was laid aside after a very
brief discussion, in which Mr.. Hale traced the
decay of American commerce-frst, to the
operations of rebel cruisers, which deferred
merchants from sending freight in American
vessels; and next, to the imposition of high
protective duties, which have added at least
thirty per cent to the cost of building and
running ships. Mr.. Hale's remedy is the
abolition of duties on all materials en-
terng into the construction, repair and use
of ships; but that, although very well and
proper as far as 1t goes, does not 60 far
enough. We want ships wherever they can
be bought cheapest and best, and until the
general ship market of the world is thrown
open to our citizens, as it is to the citizens
and subjects of all other great commercial
nations, we must be content to lag behind or
to fall entirely out in the rivalry for the carry
ing trade of the world. The two bills, Cox's
and Hale's, ought to be passed at the same
time-the one for the benefit Of our mercan-
tile interest and the other for the benefit of
our shipbuildiug interest. Neither one of
them is singly adequate to the emergency,
but both together would have an immense
and immediate effect in restoring our COM
MERGE and shipping to the position which
they have occupied in the past and which
they should be occupying in the present.
No less than three distinct bills for general
amnesty came up before the House and were
voted on yesterday. The first was introduced
by Mr.. Acker, of Pennsylvania, providing for
the removal of all legal and political disabili-
ties arising out Of the rebellion, and for gen.
eral amnesty. This bill met with some objec-
tions on the part of Mr.. Dawes, of Massachu-
sets, and failed to receive the requisite two
thirds majority, the vote being LOG to SO.
Then Mr. Dawes himself came in with bill
removing all political disabilities incurred
under and by virtue of the third section of the
fourteenth constitutional amendment. Mr..
Butler, of Massachusetts, was dissatisfied with
the exact phraseology of that bill, and desired
to substitute for it one concocted by himself and
introduced in the earlier part of the day; and
there were enough republicans influenced by
Mr.. Butler, or opposed to any measure of politi-
cal amnesty, to defeat this bill of Mr.. Dawes
also, but by closer vote, the vote standing
yeas, 131; nays, 20. The nays included three Of
the Massachusetts, delegation-namely, Buff
ingtOn, Butler and Hooper-neary all the re-
publicans of the Pennsylvania and New York
delegations; Mr.. Eames, of Rhode Island, the
eulogist of Roger Williams the other day in
the House, aud his colleague, Mr. Pendleton;
all the republicans of the Indiana delegation,
ten of the republicans of the Ohio delegation
namely. Amber, Beatty, Bingham, Monroe,
Peck, Shellabarger, Smith, Sprague, Epson
and wilson-and only six Southern members
namely, Butler and Maynard, of Tennessee;
Porter, of Virginia; Rainey, of South Caro-
lima (colored); Wallace, of South Carolina
(white), and Walls, Of Florida. After
that vote third Amnesty bill was intro
duced by Mr.. Hale, of Maine, being the same
passed by the House at the last session, and
still pending in the Senate; and this bill was
passed by the requisite two-thirds majority,
the vote being-yeas, 10; nays, 81. Five
Southern Representatives, or, rather, members
of the House, were recorded in the negative
namely, Maynard, Porter, Raiuey, Wallace
and Walls.
The bill itself is partial in its operation and
full, general and unconditional amnesty and
forgetfulness, it provides for system of
oaths of loyalty, to be taken before United
States Commissioners or clerks of United
States Courts, and it excerpts from the benefit
Of its provisions all members of Congress and
officers of the United States Army and Navy
who went over to and aided the rebellion. And
yet this is the lame and impotent measure of
mercy which Senator Sumner seeks to weigh
down still more with his Supplementary Civil
Rights bill. We are ashamed of the lack Of
generosity as well as Of good policy displayed
nv Congresa in fhis whole m after The longer