Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-12-06
FORTY SECOND CONGRESS,
This Afternoons Proceedings.
FRIDAY. December 6

SENATE.-So Soon as the reading of the
journal was concluded, On motion of Mr.. Free
hDghuysen, the Senate proceeded 10 the election
OF the standing committees, the ballot being
dispensed with.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen then submitted the list
previously agreed upon, and IL was adopted.
on motion of Mr.. Frelinghuysen. the COM
mittee on engrossed bills were allowed a clerk.
Mr.. Wilson, who was al the head of the COM
Mttee on military affairs was on his own mo
ton, excused from further service on that com
mittee.
Mr.. Morton introduced a bill looking to the
award TO the proper claimants OF the money paid
ID under the Geneva award.
Mr.. Ferry, of Conn, introduced bin 10 sbol-
ish the iron.clad oath.
Mr.. Cole introduced bill TO substitute L. S
notes for national bank notes.
Mr.. Stevenson introduced bill TO provide for
public buildings at Covington, Ky.
On motion Of Mr.. Wright, the committee on
finance were instructed to inquire into the eN-
pediency of further issue of legal tender notes.
Mr.. Rice called mp his resolution inQuiring
into the circumstances attendant upon the
SENDING OF U. g. TROOPS To ARKANSAS,
and discussion ensued between him and his
| colleague (Mr. Clsyton) as to the political
| troubles in Arkansas, each intimsting that the
faction represented by the other was at fault.
Mr.. Edmunds moved to refer it to the COM
mittee on military affairs; which was agreed to
ayes 30, nays Is.
The Senate, at 100 p. M, went into executive
session, and at its conclusion adjourned until
| Monday.
1 l.
Haldeman (Pa.) introduced, by unanimous
consent, a resolution directing the committee on
| centennial anniversary to inquire into the ex-
| pediency and feasibility of taking a census OF
| the United States on the LIST day Of June, 1873.
| Adopted.
| MIR. Morey (Ls.) introduced a resolution di-
| recting the Secretary of War to furnish the
| House with any information in his possession
| relative to the cost of a ship canal from the
| Mississippi river, near its mouth to the Gulf OF
| Mexico; also to inform the House what amount
| of money has been expended in the improve
| ment of tie Des Moines rapids and on the canal
| around the falls of the Ohio; adopted. Also a
| bill Tor the relief OF Donald Mckay; referred
| TO the committee on claims.
| Mr.. Harris (Na.) introduced bill for the re-
| lief OF certain persons fer property destroyed
| by authority of the government during the re
| bellion. Referred to the committee on claims.
| Mr. Chahee (Col) introduced resolution
| that the rules be 20 changed to authorize the
| Speaker to appoint delegates upon the commit
| tees on Indian affairs, public lands, mines and
| mining, and private land claims, with the SAM
| rights and privileges as they have in the House
| Referred TO committee on rules.
| ELL TO REDUCE INTERNAL REVENUE En-
| MIR. Dawes. MAS from the committee on
| ways and means, reported a bill 10 reduce the
| officers and expenses OF the internal revenue.
Mr.. Dawes said that the Law OF june 6, 1872.
| requires the Commissioner OF Internal Revenue
on or before January ,lSs3, to reduce the numbsr
OF collection districts 10 50, and to discharge all
collectors except one for each OF these districts
| The bill now presented had been prepared as 2
| substitute for that section of the bill. The idea
| had long existed in the Treasury department.
| and had been looked to a. the ultim ate result
| by sll, that the commissioners and other ma
| chinery OF the service should be reduced since
| the reduction in the revenue came TO be realized.
| The provision in the law OF June 8, 1872 had
| been adopted on the part of the Treasury DE
| partment and committee, but they felt the
| necessity OF cutting down the machinery in
| connection with the cutting down the revenue.
| Experience and the necessities of the revenue
| service lad shown that it was almost impracti-
cable to carry the act As it now stood into effect
| III cut down the number OF collectors TO one
| third the present number, and gave to each
| remaining collector an area three times a. great
| as before, fording facilities Tor evasion oi
| the revenue. 1t was found that the reduction
| OF expenses would not amount TO as much ar
| was anticipated when the law was framed and
it therefore did not meet the expectation of the
it meet the expectation OF the com.
| mittee in the matter OF economy
The present, he said, was the original machine.
| ry with some supplementary amendments
| adopted when We were without experience or
| precedent, yet it had met tho approval of the
| most experienced fnapciers and under il three
| hundred and ten or eleven millions had been
| collected annually. The various subjects OF
| taxation bad. he said, been relieved until moth
ing, substantially, remained but liquors and
| tobacco. few others existed, which the com
| mittee before the close of the session hope to
| relieve from taxation. leaving nothing but
liquors and tobacco. The present bill, il was
| believed by those who had examined the subject
] would effect saving Of Sl,7000)0 over the
act OF June G, 1872, and over IS 900 $50 over The
law as IT stands now and under which the reve-
| nue. is now collected.
Mr.. l.. Myers pa contended that the bin
whichtpropOsed TO be for a reduction of officers
was in fact change of policy in the revenue
| system, and urged An amendment removing
| both collectors and assessors leaving the new
| cfices to be filed from either class.
| =. MI ionnell MIMI opposed the entire aboli
ZION OF assessors, and argued that il would be
impossible to collect the full revenue in MANY
| districtsif II were done.
NJ ~
the economy claimed for the bill came in. The
bill proposed to abolish the offices of assessor
and assists assessors, and transferred the du-
ties 10 the commissioner of internal revenue
and the collectors. 1t further provided that
while the collectors were to be abolished. il was
only when their term OF office expired some or
them had been appointet1withn sixty DAYS IL
was further proposed 10 increase the number OF
collectors from so to an indefnite number
the commissioners being permitted to APP
point as many collectors as he saw PROPER
De commended that proper care was not eXer-
cised In the preparation or bills, and said the
act was championed through the House by the
gentleman from Massachusetts Mr.. DawesI.
VINO mad now brought In document to show
that Ii was wholly impracticsble. The commits
sioner had, he said, sent in estimates for more
expenditures than he had ever before asked
anu over million of dollars in excess OF last
years. he did not propose factious opposi-
| ton TO the party in power, but he felt IT his
DUTY as representative of the people and a
member OF the opposition to criticise its ac-
| tiOns.
l odfuctu- NoulO.l CHAIRMAN OF the apnr1-
preparation committee, said that committe. on
appropriations had, in considering the legisla-
tive, executive and judicial appropf iaton bill
based their estimates upon the law a. il now
| stands, with the understanding with the Conn
| missioner OF Internal Revenue that should this
bill become law the amount was to be cut
down million and a half, when that bill was
considered.
Mr.. Beck (Ky.) expressed his willingness to
unto with the members OF the dominant party
| in any measure OF reform, and q such meas
ure he had in committee agreed TO the bin
under consideration. He pointed out the dit.
fctllties and the confusion likely to arise from
consolidation of the accounts OF collectors OF
districts, and claimed that these defects were
reDledied by the present bill, and an additional
saving Of 81 ,.O0, COO affected by it.
Dir. Shellabarger (Ohio) called attention TO
the point that the duties Of the collectors being
OF q new character, their old bond became void
and that no provision for . new bond was m ade
bords.
Nessrs. Dawes and Beck held that the duties
we're unchanged, and that therefore the old
boz q remained In full force.
AFTER further debate, Mr.. Dawes consented 10
admit N amendment offered by Mr.. Bingham
lOhio) requesting the collectors to give new
t POT ds, ana then demanded the previous ques-
The amendments proposed by the committee.