Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-03-04
Forty.Third Congress.

OF the South and West, and that interest
was the chief source ofwealth to those Sec
tions. 1t was true the New England states
had an excess of national bank circulation.
but the establishment of additional nation
al banks in the South and West would not
remedy the evil.
The free banking proposition would on
ly strengthen the grasp of New York and
New England upon the South and West.
Again. free banking would virtually au-
thorize an unlimited issue of bank notes,
without any practical system for redemp-
ton. 1t mattered little whether imitation
consists of national bank notes or green
backs. Either would run up the general
price of commodities, and prepare the way
for new disasters and crashes. He did not
want to be understood as opposed to free
banking entirely. He would vote for such
a system if there should be coupled with it
some practical system of redemption. He
argued that any imitation of the currency
would increase, not diminish, the rate of
interest.
In conclusion, Mr.. Schurz warned those
who desired to commit the Senate in favor
of their schemes for imitation, to make
haste or public opinion would be against
them Ifany public man expected to ride
into the White House on the initiation
scheme he would be mistaken, as the bub-
BILE would burst before 1876.
Mr.. Norton said this speech was an ex-
aggeration and said Mr.. Schurz was ig-
norant of the country and that the cheap
est of all political learning was that
obtained from examining" He had
known of men, as ignorant as horse, who
could get three or four political speeches,
and cram themselves. and then go upon
the stump and make a flaming speech.
Under the present currency the country
had prospered more than it ever did be-
fore, and the system would admit OF an
expansion of the currency when NEG
essary.
House. A large number of bills were in
troduced. the most important OF which
was one by Mr.. Wood of New York to re-
gulate the collection of customs. providing
for the total abolition of the molety system
and proposing other reforms in custom
house administration.
The bill for the free distribution of pub
lie documents, seeds. &c, for free exchange
of newspapers and their circulation in the
country where printed without postage
was taken up. ;.
Mr.. Willard of VT. declared himself
opposed to the bill entirely, and to the
modification proposed by the gentleman
from New York (Mr. HALEY to revive the
frankling privilege SO far as public docu-
ments, were concerned. What did this
mean? 1t meant that Congress was pre-
pared to say that it would publish the
documents which were to be distributed
under this bill. The cost OF publishing
these documents might be fixed at between
seven and eight hundred thousand dollars.
1t was not proposed that members of both
houses should put their hands into the pub
| lie treasury and take out each two thou
sand dollars and distribute that among
their several constituents; the bill did not
propose to do that in terms, but it propos-
ed to it in fact 1t was only going through
the process of having this two thousand
dollars paid int, the Congressional print
inc office and then come out in the shape
of public documents, to be distributed by
members of Congress How long would
Il proposition standing in that naked shape
receive assent or support? He held that
members might as well claim the right to
distribute lighthouses in their respective
districts.
| One of the promises on which the Repub-
| lican party came into power was that II
would do away with all special favors. with
all uses of public property for individuals
If there was any principle on which the
| Republican party had its foundation as on
a rock, it was that. SO much Tor the
question in its broad aspect. AS to the
economical view of the question he re-
minded the House that the expense OF the
House folding room last year was over
100000.
They had been confronted this session
with the question of public expenditure
They had been told that the public eXpen'
ditures were increasing. They were cut,
ting off private carriages that were paio
for ont of the contingent fund. They
were irving to cut off private servants thai
were borne on the rolls of some public
offices. They were trying to bring every
department of the government down to Al
honest and economical working basis, an(
vet after only six months trial of the re
peal of the Thanking privilege they were
asked to restore it, and with 1t to restore
the large expenditure for publishing docu
ments.
How could gentlemen justify that OF
any principle? The gentleman from
Missouri (Mr. Parker) had criticised las
week one of the opponents of the BILL an'
had spoken of that opposition as an at
tempt to set up Presidents booksellers
in this country after the style of thu
Queens booksellers" in England:
1t was this bill which had that tendency
1t made every member of Congress
Congressional book-peddler.
1t set them up in that business. but no
on the principle of the Queens booksellers
Every man who came to the doors of thu
Queens booksellers got the book he want
ed at the same rate as every other man.
He declared it to be notorious that mem
bers of Congress used these books and pub
lie documents as private perqulsltes
This was not Justice; it was not republi
canism. On the contrary, it was hostil
to the platform on which every Republi
can member of the House held his seat.
The bill was quite fully discussed.
Mr.. Robbins of n. c. advocated the bill
as his constituents clamored for light ant
information. They said to HIM: :" Civ
us the franking privilege; give us docu
ments; give us speeches. give us books
give us everything
Mr.. Hazelton of Wis. regarded the oppo
sition to the bill as An attempt to abolls
the agricultural bureau. Nothing coul
be more untimely and uncalled for tina
such blow at the great industry OF tn
) nation. g.
MIR. Phelps of N. j. opposed the bi
and all the amendments which propose
to re-enact the franking privilege. Da
after day. he said, bills had been lntrodut
, ed, and there was not man OF them th'
did not cry for economy, but they neve
had been able to find that particular mea':
urc on which they were willing to put the
views into practice He satirized the al
guments of members as to the extrenl
longing of the people for public document
saying that, for every application he ha
for an agricultural report, or for IN essa
r on the Silurian period, or the isotherm;
lines, or the crustaceous theory. he had
: polite letter asking for IS. There coul
not not be any great suffering for want Of thes
public documents, when they could be Ina
t ut any secondhand bookstore for lit