Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-25
Forty-Second Congressional Session.
wAsHtSaToN, D. c., April "a.
ar = nj

senator Morton, from the committee on pflfl-
leges and elections, reported that the committee
had examined the credentials of Mr.. Ransom, a
senator from North Carolina, and had found
them in proper FORM The committee accord.
ingly recommended that Mr.. Ransom be ? Init
ted to his seat, No OBJ ctiOn was mc1e Mr..
Ransom was escoI led by Mr.. Thurman II the
chair, where he was sworn in.
MIR. Thurman said that now, for the first time
since 1861, every seat in the senate was filed
and every state in the Union was represented on
the floor. 1t was fact upon which the senate
and the country might well congratulate them
selves.
A report from the committee Of conference oil
the disagrgeing votes of the two houses on tue
legislative and judicial appropriation bill, gave
rise TO some discussion, severn new items having
been inserted.
The report Of the senate privileges and elcc-
tons committee on the house resolution declares
that the substitution by the senate Of the bill
to reduce the existing taxes or the house bill
repeating the duties on tea aud coffee, was unA
constitutional, aud ndtifes the senate that the
same had been laid on the table, presents an
extended argument on the clause of the consti-
tuition which res Is call bills for raising rev.
enue shall orig nate in the house; but the sem
ate may propose orco c7ur with amendments as
in other bills"
After discussing he scope of the word
amendments" the committee called attention
to the fact that the language OF the constitution
is not that all bills affecting revenue
shall originate in the house, but
that all bills for raising revenue shall
so originate, and then proceed to discuss the
question; what s b,il for raising revcnuef'
taking the ground that bill for raising reye-
nue. may be 4 bill - icctease or diminish eX-
iStiug rates, This ew is sdstaue5 by reference
- the c0nsttIt onGl prot sion that congress
shall have over ~ raise and support armies,
and the parliamentary expressiCI that COM
mittee Yves raisc ! for certain purpose. Ct. In
these instances, it is evident that raising is
not used in the sense Of increasing.
Under the consttut onal provision empowering
congress to raise armies, ii may diminish as well
as increase an ainy. To raise an army is to
establish or create an army; a bill for raising
revenue may be bill to increase or diminish
existing rates. SUPP BE, says the report, an eX-
istiug law lays duty of fifty per cent upon
lion; bill repeating such law and providing
that after certHin day the duty on iron shall
he only forty per cent, Is 5, II bill for raising
revenue, because that is the end in contempla-
ton. Less revenue will he raised than under
the former law; STILL il is intended TO raise reYe
nue., and such bill could not constitutionally
originate in the senate; nor could such pro.
visions be engraftcd by way of amendment in
the senate upon any house bill which did not
provide for raiSing-that is, collecting a reve-
nue.. The report then shows that the house bill
totally aboshing the duties on tea and coffee
revenue. After further argument on the point
that the senate is not prohibited from original
Ing bills that merely affect the revenue, but only
bills that raise a revenue, the committee on
privileges and elections, reporting through
Senator Carpenter, came to the following con
cluSlon; Your committee are therefore of opin
lou that the house bill under consideration
was not bill for raising revenue
within the meaning of the constitution
and therefore the senate might have so amend
ed it as to abolish the duties altogether
upon other articles. The senate had no right
to engraft it, as it did in substance, with an
amendment providing that revenue should be
collected upon other articles, though at a less
rate than previously fixed by law. That amend
ment would have become provision in the act
for raising a revenue, because a revenue at q
certain rate would have been collected by the
operation of the aGs. 1t is due, however, to the
senate to say that its departure from the true
principle in this case was owing to a desire to
conform to the views of the house ofreprescnta-
tiyeS as expressed by the house, in relation to the
senate bill aboliShing the tax upon incomes,
and thus to preserve harmony between the two
houses; but since the house of representatives,
e%alting its prerogatives, asserts upon one oc-
caSlon what ii denies upon another, it has be-
come necessary to review in the light of prnci
pie, and seek for solution of the difficulty in
conformity with the constitution, to which it is
hoped the house will assent, and TO which it is
the duty Of the senate to adhere, Whether the
house shall assent or dissent, your committee
recommend the senate to adopt the following
resolution;
Resolved, that the secretary of the senate be ant
is hereby directed to deliver copy ofthis report t
the house Of representatives.
The deficiency bill was taken up, the pending
| question being on Mr.. Bayard's motion to lay
on the table the amendment of Mr.. Morrill,, O
vermont, restricting the jurisdiction of the
| court OF claims in suits for value of captured
ana abandoned property to cases commenced
within two years after the suppression of thu
rebellion; and in which the claimants proved
that they never gave aid or comfort to the re.
bellion. The vote stood-yeas %, nays %; and
the vice president voted in the negative, so the
motion was lost
The question required on the amendment.
MIR. Hill spoke against, and Mr.. Trumbull IA
yored it.
Mr.. Sherman said that if congress had rot
limited the jurisdiction of the court of claims
brought by loyal men, or could not so limit it,
he was in favor Of abOishng the court
Mr.. Alcorn moved the following amendment
to the pending amendment;
Provided, that the provisions of this section
shall not extend to claims for property seized or
taken by the military forces of the United States
or any officer of the same, or seized, taken or
impressed by any agent or agents of the United
States government at any time after the procla-
nation by the president declaring that war had
ceased; but claims for property SO seized or
taken may be prosecuted before the court of
claims by any citizen OF the United States, at
any time within twelve months from the ap-
proval of this act.
MessrS. Howe and Sherman said that in the
cases described IN this amendment, nobody,
whether of loyal or disloyal antecedents, could
have remedy through the court of claims.
Mr.. Alcorn advocated his amendment.
Mr.. Ames, from the committee on military
affairs, reported bill to repeal so much of sec
ton of the Amy appropriation act of 1859 as
prohibits promotions in the staff department of
the army, with proViso that nothing herein
shall authorize new appointments TO places
made vacant by promotions under this act.
At 40 the senate went into executive session,
and soon adjourned.
HOUSE.
The house engaged in a contest of uusrter
of an hour over the printing of the counter
case under the Washington treaty, which was
recently presented in both houses The senate
recommended twenty-five thousand copies and
the house committee on printing cut it down to
ten thousand five hundred copies Others op-
posed the printing Of the counter case until
after the presentation of the British case.
Pending the discussion General Butler wanted
TO know what was the use of printing a gone
case; for which remark he was reblked by
General Banks, who said his colleague had no
right 10 assume that it was gone case The
resolution to print the larger number of copies
was finally adopted.
The bill granting Goat Island to the Pacific
railroad was discussed at length, amended, and
finally passed by void Of 101 yeas and 50 nays.
A resolution to pay S30SO to Gooding, the un-
successful contestant for the seat of Wilson of
Indiana, was agreed to.
Mr. Banks called up the report of the commit-
tee on foreign affairs in the case of DIR. Howard,
the discussion of which occupied the time of the
house until the evening, when the session was
for action on the pension bill only.