Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-11
Forty-Second Congressional Session
SENATE

WASHINGTON, April 10.
SENATE
The senate, after some informal discussion
and at the request of the committee on finance
referred the house resolution on laying the SEN
ate tariff on the table, from the committee on
finance, to the committee on privileges and cleo
tions.
Senator Davis of West Virginia reported back
from the committee on claims, adversely, the pe-
tltlons OF DR.. jackson and the heirs of DR.. Nor
ton, each claiming compensation for having dis
covered the anorrthetic properties of sulphuric
ether. The committee was discharged from fur
ther considering the subject.
MIR. Frelinghuysen, from the committee on
Judiciary, reported, without amendment the bill
supplementary to the enforcement act of Nav
81, 1871, providing that the circuit court of the
United States for any judicial district in which,
at any time, circuit Judge or district Judge
designated by the circuit judge shall hold cir
cult court for purposes of said act, shall here
after be deemed the circuit court mentioned in
Its second and thirteenth sections.
Mr.. Pomeroy introduced bill to establish the
United States district court in the Indian coun-
try.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen, by request, introduced a
bill giving the American and East India tele-
graph company the right to have and maintain
lines of telegraph cables between the American
and Asiatic coasts.
MIR. Sumner presented resolutions from the
Massachusetts legislature relative TO the French
sp0liatlon claims, which were ordered to be
printed.
Mr., Howe, from the committee on public
lands, reported the bill for the relief of home
stead settlers in Minnesota, Wisconsin and
Michigan, who suffered by the fires of last au-
tump; passed.
MT. Cameron proposed to call up the bill to
provide Tor the payment OF the French Spoliation
claims, but after some discussion on the order
OF business, gave way, and the senate resumed
the consideration of the Indian appropriation
bill
Mr.. Hitchcocks amendment, prescribing the
manner IN which claims for Indian depreda-
tons shall be settled, was adopted.
Other amendments were adopted and the bill
passed.
Mr. Bayard, in behalf of himself and Mr.
Fenton, as minority of the committee on
finance submitted Interviews in favor of grant
ing the petitions of certain importers in New
York and Boston for the refundng of duties
paid on Russia hemp.
Adjourned.
HOUSE.
The house was engaged in the morning hour
in the consideration of bill reported from the
post office committee TO abolish the frankinp
privilege The bill was introduced in March
1871.
General Butler made speech opposing the
bill to abolish the franking privilege He said
he had voted for its abolition at one time, but
did SO under misapprehenson If he consnlted
III.
but he did not believe the people wanted it aboI
ished.
1t was the peoples privilege more than that
OF the congressman, and the former were bene-
fitted by it. All of the agitation in favor of the
abolition came from the metropolitan press,
which was trying to crush out the country
papers by their associated press arrangements.
by the exercise OF the ranking privilege the
people obtained much valuable information
which they could not otherwise obtain.
After further discussion the bill was recon-
mtted with proposition to amend, limiting
and restricting the privilege.
There was long discussion in committee of
the whole on the question OF appropriatng $780,
600 for the expense of the civil service reform
system. The debate, which was generally adj
verse TO the proposed reform, was carried on by
Messrs. Garfield, Butler of Massachusetts, viii
lard, Maynard, Coburn, Conger, Potter Dawes,
Beck, McCrary and Sargent. The remarks of
Messrs. Garfield, Dawes and Willard were in
favor of the proposed reform system. No vote
was taken on the proposition, when the commit
tee rose and the house adjourned