Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-12

Committee, reported adversely on the
| bill for the abatement of taxes on spir-
] its, which were destroyed by accident
while in bond, and tabled the motion.
Mr.. Shellabarger, of the judiciary
COMMITTEES, was instructed to report
what powers Congress possesses to regu-
! late the commerce among the States as
regards oppressive charges by railroads.
The consideration of bounty land was
resumed.
Mr.. Hawley presented q memorial of
the Centennial Commissioners, asking
aid of Congress. The matter was re-
ferred to the Centennial Committee
Mr.. Kelley Pennsylvania asked to
| be and was excused from further ser
vice as Chairman of the Committee on
Civil Service Reform, and on Coinage,
| Weights and Measures, stating that his
! duties as member of the Committee on
Ways and Means, and Chairman of the
Centennial Committee, engrossed his
time. -
The Speaker announced the following
appointments to fill vacancies on COM
mittees:
ElectionS-Foster (Ohio).
CdiDls-Hawley Connecticut.
Judiciary Shoemaker (Pennsyl-
vania.)
Cira Service Retorm-Crocker (Massa-
chussetts) and DOdds (Ohio).
PdtentS-Estey Massachusetts,.
Coinage, Weights and MedStres-Con-
ners Texas,
Private Land Claims - Gedding
| Texas.
Aqriclilture- Herndon Texas.
The House resumed the consideration
Of the Soldiers Bounty Bill-up yester-
day.
Mr.. Dunnell (AIinnesota) opposed the
bill, being unable, he said, TO conceive of
bill more mischievOus in its tendencies
and effects. Did Congress propose to
satisfy the claims of the soldiers for an
equalization of bounties by giving boum-
ty land warrants, which would not sell
in market for twenty dollars? The bill
would benefit only those who never
smelled gunpowder in the defense of
their country.
Mr.. Townsend Pennsylvania opposed
the bill, and said that the soldiers Of
Pennsylvania were opposed to it; and
that the Grand Army of the Republic, at
its session in EastOn in February, 10,
had expressed in resolutions its disap-
probation Of the provisions and princi-
pies embraced in the bill.
MT. Hawley also opposed the bill, and
showed how unfairly and injudiciOusly
the bounty land system had worked, as
applied to the soldiers of the Mexican
war. Mr.. Hawley calculated that those
soldiers got thiTty-siX millions from the
sale of their land warrants, and that the
actual settlers had paid a hundred and
| fifty millions for it, the difference going
into the pockets of the land spectators.
The pending measure would work in-
finitely more unfairly than that one, be-
cause now any one could settle on the
| lands, under the homestead and pre-
emption laws, and under this bill two
million persons would be entitled to
/ land scrip. If only one-tenth of them
| applied in the year, that would throw
on the market thirty-twO million acres.
and scrip would only hold good for a
year. The effect would be that the SOL
dier who spent at least ten dollars get
ting his warrant, could not sell in the
market for five dollars. The measure
would, therefore, prove to be practical
/ ly fraud on the soldier. He held most
rigidly 20 the policy of preserving the
public lands for actual settlers.
The bill was defended by Messrs.
Donnan and Speer. When Pennsylvania
politics were brought into the discus
sion, Mr.. Speer asserting, relative to the
resolutions of the Grand Army of the
Republic, presented by Mr.. Townsend,
of Pennsylvania, and signed by Gov
ernor-elect Hartranft, that the Organi-
zatiOn did not represent the honest SOL
diers of the country, but the political
soldiers and officers who were controlled
by railroad companies and monopolies.
He lSpeer] had been repeatedly called a
liar by the Republican press for stating
that Hartranft signed those resolutions
which did not represent the soldiers of
Pennsylvania. He asked his colleague
to furnish the resolutions of a soldiers
convention, or the letter of a single SOL
dier of Pennsylvania who carried mus
ket, in opposition to this bill. They are
the political soldiers, put forward by
politicians to win the campaign for
them.
Mr.. Townsend replied that the con-
vention was composed of delegates
chosen by the soldiers, and some of
whom were private soldiers who carried
a musket and knapsack during the war.
Mr.. Speer again asserted that the
Grand Army Of the Republic was a semi
political organization, run in the inter-
of politicians and railroad corporations.
Mr.. Townsend replied that it was a
semi-pOlitical organization because it
was composed of men who were SOL
diers; the soldiers of the war were Re
publicans while those of the rebellion
were Democrats. Excitement on the
Democratic side, Randall saying "That's
not so.N
Mr.. Speer denounced Townsend's
statement as false in fact and disgrace
full to the representative from Pennsyl-
vania.
Mr.. Townsend, in Conclusion, asserted
that the rebellion was gotten up by the
Democratic party of the South, assisted
by the moral influence of their coadju-
tors Of the Democratic party of the
North, and that nine-tenths of the sol
diers of the war were Republicans.
After some further debate of conver-
sational nature, the bill went over at
the expiration of the morning hour till
tomorrow.
The French spoliation bill was postpon-
ed, and the House wentinto a Committee
of the Whole, Mr.. Dawes presiding, on the
Indian Appropriation bill. The usual
annual debate on the Indian policy of
the Government, the absurdity of max
ing and continuing treaties with the In
dians, and the possibility of civilizing
them, took place; and was participated
in by Messrs. Sargent, Garfield, Beck,
Niblack, Conner and Shanks. The COM
mittee rose and reported q bill to the
House, when it passed-yeas, one hum
dred and eleven; nays, forty-three.
The House non-concurred In the Sem
ate amendment to the House bill for the