The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-02-01
XLIId CONGRESS..SECOND SESSION.
SENATE.


Kansas Legislature were presented requesting
Congress to take such action as shall secure
cheaper transportation from the Western Agri-
cultural States to the seaboard.
A bill was passed declaring the meaning of
the Internal Revenue act of July, 1870, and re-
ported from the Finance Committee substi-
tlte declaring that the intention and meaning
OF the act was to exempt from the payment of
the tax of TWO and one-haf per cent all divi-
bends of earnings, income or gains and I'M
divided profits OF any bank, trust company
savings bank insurance co., ETC., declared or
made, or which accrued were earned and
added to any surplus contingent or any other
fund during August, September, October, No
Vember and December, 1S70-a tax equal at
least to IL per cent, and also directing the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue to remit or
| refund tho tax assessed and levied or paid upon
al such earnings for the said last five months
OF 1870 and to all corporations that have paid or
shall pay tax of IL per cent. upon all divi-
dends etc, of 1870 and 1871.
MI. Trumbull from the Judiciary Commit
| tee, reported adversely on the bill authorizing
the President to accept the resignation of the
Judge of any court of the United States
| Bills were introduced as follows: For the
cesslon by Texas of certain territory; for the
| United States for Indian reservation and for
the repeal of the law providing for the forma-
tion OF four new States out of Texas; to estab-
nsh national register of shipping and to af-
| ioru protection to passengers and seamen, and
to prevent excessive rebates in duties on mer-
eno6Ou oh chiPDOouu iiipOleCu lutO
| the United States
Bills reported The House bill authorizing
tne employment OF surf men at the life saving
station on the New Jersey coast, with an
amendment; authorizing the President to ac-
cept the resignation and retire on full pay,
judges OF any United States when permanently
disabled from efficiency in their duty; House
phi extending the time for filing claims for adj
dltional bounty under the act of July 18th, 1866.
THE AMNESTY BILL.
The amnesty bill was taken up and Mr.
chandler addressed the Senate at length. He
declared himself against universal amnesty
Amnesty wass a boo and they who proposed to
grant it had certainly the right to impose the
conditions He thought it would be a very
mild and reasonable condition to REQUIRE rebels
to cease their internal outrages upon loyal
men before giving them amnesty. He was OPP
posed to forcing amnesty upon them. If they
would not condescend to ask it they ought not
to get it. The first condition of forgiveness was
repentance. God may forgive hnrepentant
rebels but he (Chandler) never would. He
(Chandler) thought that if two or three hundred
of them were taken out and shot it would do
great deal more more good than amnesty.
Mr.. Chandler then turned to the civil service
reform. He said that it had been going on very
effectively for the last eleven years tby remoy-
ing traitors out OF Office and replacidg them
with good loyal men, and expressed the opin-
ion that we had never had so honest and eff
Gent civil service as under the present admin
lstration; still there were undoubtedly other re-
forms required and they will be made as soon
as pointed out He then drew a parallel be-
tween the Republican and Democratic parties
greatly to the disadvantage OF the latter and
warned liberal Republicans of the character of
the party into whose arms they were rushing
There were already Republican ''sore heads
going over to the Democracy but for every such
one there were ten Democrats joining the, Re-
publican party, and il the Democrats choose to
keep up the exchange on these terms he had no
objection. LLtL
Mr.. Sumner replied to Mr.. Morrilps asser-
ton that the civil rights bill is Unconstitutional
to which Mr.. Morrill, replied in term.
AT the close of Mr.. MorrilPs remarks Mr.
Wilson moved to adjourn. +st
Mr.. Hamilton of Nd, demanded the yeas,
and nays, and by vote of 81 to %, the Senate
adjourned. a7
s.a HOUSE.
The bill reported yesterday from the Commit
tee on revision of the laws in reference to an
appeal to the Supreme Court was taken up and
passed substantially as reported
THE SYNDICATE.
MI. Dawes of Massachusetts,, proposed to call
up for action the report OF the Ways and Means
Committee on the action of the Secretary of
the Treasury in negotiating the new loan. He
was willing to submit the question without dis
icussion. 5 ~ - ~ { f0LFskaLF IVA
Mr.. Kerr of Indiana, representing the minor
ity of the committee, declined consenting to have
the matter SO disposed of, and demanded the
report. He claimed that three months interest
which the syndicate received bonds without pay
ing any consideration, was 50, 025, 900, which
added to- the commissions, made its aggregate
compensation s., 462, 800. The same eoInpensa-
ton applied to the remainderof the loan would
allow the syndicate to reap magnificent har-
vest of S24, 100000, and he argued that no such
expenditure was contemplated in the funding
laws. EFrE FFg Ec1f1 CszE
Mr.. Sargent of California, desired the House
to proceed to the Indian appropriation bill, but
finally decided TO go on with the report on syn
dictate matters . $3.50. ~--..--
A resolution was read justifying the Secreta-
ry of the Treasury in the negotiation. barr
Mr.. Cox of New York, proposed as an amend
ment resolution directing the Ways and
Means Committee to report to the House the
bill introduced by him forbidding the payment
of commissions on sales of United States bonds
Mr.. Dawes briefly recapitulated the facts IN
the case, and defended the report of the Com
mittee of Ways and Means. ~-l...-.-
MIR. Beck of Kentucky, also of the minority
of the committee, stated why he was unable to
agree with the committee in its report. He ar
gued that the contract entered into by the Sec
rotary of the Treasury was not authorized by
law, and it gave the syndicate unnecessary and
improper control of the funds of the govern
ment for the purpose Of private gain, which
Congress ought not to sanction. He calculated
that the profit of the transaction to the syndi-
cate ives at least $3350,000. 1t would be borne
in mind that the immense sum was made by
Jay Cooke & Co. in the refundipg of less than
$135,00OO00 out of 81 300, 100000 authorized to
be refunded, and that the adoption of the reso-
luton reported by the majority would not only
be license, but an order to the Secretary of the
Treasury to proceed to refund the other 81 ,30O,-
600, 600 on the same terms and through the same
agents, whereby they would pocket at. least 3
per cent on the whole amount as they had al
ready done in the past. Congress might just as
WELL by direct vote, put $39, 900, 600 into the
pockets of Jay Cooke & Co, gHi7fE
Mr.. Brooks OF ckew York, another minority
member of the Committee of Ways and Means,
asked Mr.. Dawes if the pending resolution was
adopted by the House, would the Secretary of
the Treasury regard 1t as authority to go in the
same way with the rest of the loan 1
Mr.. Dawes replied that the Secretary of the
Treasury would be assured that in no respect
had he violated the law by the adoption of the
passage of the resolution he would feel he had
the opinion of the House backing him. He did
not think any gentleman was authorized to
state what was the disposition of the Secretary
in regard to his future operation in funding
loans. No arrangements as far as he knew had
been entered into, and there was not any likli-
hood of any arrangement being made on such
terms as he had seen stated in the newspapers
Mr. Brooks had no doubt that the Secretary
had, to the best of his knowledge and ability
negotiated the loan in good faith, but the House
ought to indicate its wish that he should stop
there and give him no encouragement to go any
further, In his (Brooks) judgment such a
course would be an utter and profligate waste
of public money. He thought it would be the
worst of craftsmanship for the House to ap-
prove what the Secretary had done.
Mr.. Cox Of New York, who offered the reso-
luton on which the investigation was based ar
gued against the position taken by the Secreta-
ry of the Treasury and by the Committee on
Ways and Means He characterized the syndi
cate as a pack of cormorants whose operations
should be stopped at once. There should be no
more dickering with them. The people held
the President, Secretary of the Treasury and
Congress responsible for the peculiar manner of
manipulating the debt. There was no difficult
ty in going into the market and making de-
cent per cent. loan without agents and with
out commissions.
Mr.. Kelly of Pennsylvania, wanted to inquire
where per cent. loans could be negotiated
Mr.. Cox declined to allow Mr.. Kelly to in
terrupt him and Mr. Dawes interfered, as he
put it, to call the gentleman from New York off
of his friend from Pennsylvania.
MI Randall described Mr. Dawes, remarks