Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-03-07
BY TELEGRAPH
TO THE
Daily Kennebec Journal.
FOrty.Second Congressional Session,
w ARLINGTON, 6,

After the reception ceremonies several
memorials were received.
The bill granting half of Goat Island in
the harbor of San Francisco to the Central
Pacific Railroad came up, and Mr.. Sargent
Of CAL, explained about the Pacific Railroad
and the steamship companies, admitting that
an arrangement existed by which the latter
would not take lease on freight from China
unless it was sent east by railroad. He
claimed that this was due to the grasping
propensities of the Panama Railroad, which
by its eXactions, sits at the waist Of the
Isthmus throttling commerce.
Mr.. Strong opposed the bill, referring to
the report of the army engineers to prove
that no portion of the Island could be safely
parted with by the government, and insisted
that this was an additional subsidy to the
company, the projectors of which pocketed
over forty millions of dollars from the enorm-
Gus grants of lands and bonds given by the
government.
Mr.. Kellogg supported the bill.
Alter long discussion the bill went over,
and the House took up the deficiency appro-
priation bill.
Mr.. Bayard gave notice that at an early
day he would move to take UP the resolution
asking the President what instructions have
been given to the District Attorney at New
York in relation to the prosecution of per-
sons who gave gratuities to custom house
officials. Correspondence he said was al
ready in the hands of the committee of re-
trcnchment, but he wished the resolution
taken up so as to give Mr.. Conkling and
others an opportunity to discuss it.
Mr.. Conkling said he had no desire to dis
cuss the resolution. He had no objection
whatever to its adoption. His only desire
was to show that the instructions given to the
district attorney were given in obedience to
the imperative mandate of the State, and
their form was determined by statutes.
Mr.. Nye, from the naval committee, re-
ported the prize money due to the captors of
the rebel ram Albemarle.
Mr.. Logan called up the bill to authorize
the appointment of certain officers to the
quartermaster department. 1t was amended
so as to apply also to the inspector generals
department and was passed.
The Senate resumed the consideration of
the legislative appropriation bill. The pend
ing amendment to increase the salary of the
supervising architect of the treasury to
$1,000 was lost.
Mr.. Pomeroy moved an amendment to give
the land office 40 additional clerks of class
one. Adopted.
Mr.. Sawyer, from committee on educa-
ton and labor, reported an amendment ill.,
creasing the appropriation for the bureau of
education from S26, 800 to $780, $50.
Mr.. Carpenter asked him to state under
what head of federal jurisdiction this bureau
of education came.
Mr.. Sawyer would do so if the Senator
would tell him under what head the agyicul-
tural bureau came.
Mr.. Carpenter said he could, still he
thought that neither bureaus had any warrant
whatever under the constitution. We are
sensibly travelling, said he, towards the con-
centration of power in the federal govern
ment and it would be well t. stop and look
around us and ask what authority we have to
establish bureau of education. We have
bureau of agriculture. What more author
ity have we to establish either of these bur-
eaus, than to establish a bureau of boots and
shoes, bureau of silk goods, or of any other
industry in the country: These bureaus of
agriculture and education are in my judy
ment, an Innovation and usurpation on the
part of this government. l have never
knowingly voted for bill which contained
an appropriation for either of these bureaus,
and knowingly l never will
Mr.. Sawyer did not propose to reply on
the constitutional point, but he urged the
amendment because it was necessary to en-
able the bureau to work satisfactorily. If
the Senator objected to the bureau as uncon-
stitutional, the proper course for him would
be to move to strike out the provision for it
inserted by the House of Representatives.
Mr.. Carpenter said that Mr.. Sawyer's ar
gument seemed to be this five are going
to do an unconstitutional thing let US do it
handsomely.
Mr.. Thurman agreed with Carpenter on
this subject. The central government was
gradually encroaching On the power of States.
The department of agriculture began as a
mere bureau for the collection of statistics,
but it grew TO be department. and the next
thing would be that the head of it would be
made a cabinet officers. So too, the bureau
of education was growing into department
of public instruction, and before long we
would have minister of public instruction,
who would be a member OF the cabinet. In
less the people put stop to this centralizing
movement it would never end, until it had
absorbed every power of the States and as
sumed the right to regulate every industry
in the country. This federal education
scheme had another phase. The people of
this country were already more heavily taxed
by the States for educational purposes than
any other people in the world, but if the fed
eral government should levy a tax upon them
for the same purpose, then they will be
doubly unexpectedly taxed for education.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen thought there was au-
thority in the constitution for establishing a
bureau of agriculture, and found in the pro-
vision of the Sth section, that Congress shall
have power to levy taxes, &C., to promote the
general welfare.
After some further discussion by Messrs.
Carpenter, Edmunds and Frelinghuysen the
amendment was rejected.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen offered an anne ndment
increasing the salary in the agricultural de-
partment. Lost.
To the item appropriatng $4,000 to en-
able the President to carry out the civil SER
vice reform, Mr.. Frelinghuysen offered an
amendment authorizing the President to
make some kind of compensation to such
members of the civil service commission as
otherwise were in the service of the United
States. He said that three members of the
commission were also employees of depart
ments, and this amendment was designed to
enable them to receive pay for their extra
services on the commission.
Mr.. Thurman-That is the best com.
mentary on civil service reform we have had