The Portland daily press., 1872-04-27
XLIId CONGRESS- SECOND SESSION
SENATE.

.-aar SENATE.
WASHINGTON, April 26.-The Goat Island
bill was read once, Mr.. Cole objecting to sec
ond reading
A resolution limiting debates on appropria-
ton bills to five minutes was offered, but was
objected to and laid over
The Conference Committee ON the Legislative
Appropriation bill reported that they omitted
the provisions relative to salaries of Judges of
the District of Columbia, and fixed the salaries
of the Judges of the Court of Claims at $4,000.
The salaries of the United States District Judges
are unchanged. sf5
Mr.. Carpenter called for the yeas and NAYS
and the report was concurred in--yeas SO, nays
IL. l5L@ fIrt
The unfinished business of the deficiency bill
was taken up.
The pending question was on concurring in
the amendment to equalize the payment of the
men employed in the government work shops
under the eight hour law. tI.. q
Mr.. Wilson advocated the amendment. He.
denied that the eight hour law experiment had
proved failure, and insisted that it should
have fair trial. s.
MI. Morton, too, denied that the experiment
had failed and said that he had reason to be-
Heve that in the Springfield Armory the result
OF 1t had been an increased amount of work
over what was done in eight hours under the
old system. He said also there was no doubt
that the intention of Congress in passing the
eight hour law was that the hours of labor
should be reduced without any reduction of
pay. .r.t.-.... ~
Mr. Casserly favored the amendment. He
denied that the eight hour experiment had
failed and said the reduction of the hours of
labor had been going on for the last $50 wears
and had been attended not by diminished but
by increased production. ..-..r.....Es-
Mr.. Morrill, of VT, said that an ATTEMPT
OF the government to regulate the hours of Ia
Dor was an insult to the wOrkingmen of the
country and that instead of being a sign of
xuas haalr To, fl,,f
fury.
Mr. Sumner said that the question of the
wisdom of the eight hour law was not involved
in the pending proposition, which was neces-
sary as an act of justice to the workingmen
against whom discrimination had been made.
After further discussion the Committees
amendment was rejected and the section was
passed substantially as from the House. Pro-
vidlng that proper accounting officers are au-
thorized and required in the settlement of all
accounts in all cases of laborers, workingmen
and mechanics employed by or in behalf to the
government of the United States, from the 25th
of June, 1868, to the 18th of May, 1869, to set
tie and pay the same without reduction of
hours of labor by the eight hour law, when it
shall be made to appear that was the sole cause
of the reduction of wages 1t also makes suf
fcient appropriation to pay these claims.
The question was then taken on cOncnrring
in the amendment offered by Mr.. Morrill, Of
VT, restricting the jurisdiction of the Court of
abandoned property, to cases commenced with
in two years after the suppression of the re-
bellion and in which it appears that the claim
ants had never given aid or comfort to the re-
bellion. Lost-yeas %, nays %.
Mr.. Stevenson moved an amendment appro-
priating $525,872 to pay for expenses in
eequpping troops during the war of the rebel
| lion.
Mr.. Srwyer offered substitute providing for
the payment of Kentucky for arming and
equipping md maintaining troops for the SER
| vice OF the United States during the rebellion
but providing that account be taken of
troops EMPLOYED after the LIST of MAY, 1865.
Mr.. Steventon objected to this as unjust.
| Mr.. Morton believed that Kentucky ought to
| be compensated as far as she could make her
claims good, and as he feared the adoption of
Mr. Sawyer's substitute might work Injustice
moved to lay the substitute and original amend
| ment ON the table.
| Bills introduced:
By Mr.. Wilson:-To equalize promotion
| among officers of the army providing that the
promotion of commissioned officers be lineaI
up to and including the grade of Colonel.
Mr.. Ramsey, from the Committee on Post
Offices, reported bill directing the Postmas-
ter General to increase the present Steamship
mail service to Brazil, to semi-monthly SER
| vice for ten years, at cost to the United
States not exceeding 100000 annually.