The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-06-04
Forty Third Congress-Fi Session.
SENATE.

S1IANAIE
WASHINGTON. June 8.
Mr.. Scott, from the Committee on Finance,
reported favoraby the House bill to amend the
charter of the Freedmen's Savings Company.
Passed.
This bill authorizes the appointment of three
| commissioners by the Comptroller of the Cur
rency, to wind up the affairs of the institution
Mr.. Anthony from the Committee on Naval
Affairs, reported favorably bill giving the as
sent OF Congress to the acceptance by officers
of the United States steamer Monocacy, of sill
yer medals awarded to them by the King of
Siam.
Mr.. Sherman, from the Committee on Fl
nance, reported favorably the House bill ex-
planatory of the act Of June 30th, 1864, in re-
gard to savings banks, with an amendment
which was agreed to and the bill passed.
1t provides ttct all deposits made in the insti-
tutious now existing which do business only as
savings banks, andsre recognized as such by
the laws of the respective states or by Con-
gress, are hereby declared exempt from taxa
tion the same as deposits in savings institutions
| having no capital, as though they have a CAPT.
tai stock bond for additional security of their
| depositors and pay dividends thereon, and no
| tax shall be assessed upon deposits made in
| such institutions or collected of them on said
| deposits, otherwise than herein provided; pro-
vided that all profits of such savings banks less
| aforementioned dividends on sto ks, not ex-
| ceeding at the rate of per cent per annum,
| are divided among the depositors aud that the
of securities as is used for investing the depos-
| its that interest at the rate of not less than
| A per cent be paid in all cases to their depos-
| itors, to be made good if necessary from the
capital stock.
| The Senate proceeded to the consideration of
the consular and diplomatic appropriation bill.
| Several amendments were agreed to and the
| bill passed.
Mr. Sargent called up the pension appropria-
ton bill which was read. He explained that
~, al - n@,I a. l.
| 1923, $780, 600, decrease of $4,000 compared
| with the bill of last year. The pension roll
| would be smaller and smaller every year, unless
| Congress should improperly increase it by put
ting on new cases.
The only amendment reported blythe COM
mittee was one to fix the fee for preparing
vouchers and administering oaths at % cents in
each case, instead of 70 cents as in the House
bill, and it caused some discussion.
| Mr., Washburn of Mass, said there should
be provision by which fees of Ulcers in large
cities should DE cut down. In other cases a fee
| OF 80 cents on each case now allowed gave the
agent only fair compensation.
The amendment of the Committee fixing the
| fee at 70 cents was agreed to and the bill pass
| ed.
| Mr.. Washburn then called up the cheap
| transportation resolution submitted by b i'm on
| May 18th, lnstructing the Committee on APP
preparations to report amendments to the
| pending river and harbOr appropriation bills
w SohpicJe Tile SuTNeTy anu eSUOmaleS IOT cdCH
| OF the lmprov ements recommended by the Sc
| lect committee Oh transportation upon the
| four routes indicated indicated in the report of
| the committee. His object now was to obtain
| an expression of the views of the Senate on
| the subject The cost OF these surveys would
| be in the neighborhood of $20O0O0
| M. Scott submitted an amendment as fol-
| lOwS:-"And also upon route from the mouth
| of the Goufihioeenp river to the slack water up
said river to its head waters at the foot of the
| Allegheny Mountains, thence by canal to the
Cumberland, intersecting there the Chesapeake
and the Ohio canal" Agreed to.
| Several other amendments were sffered and
| rejected.
| In the course of some remarks upon the sub
| ject, MIR. Oglesby criticised the report of the
| Transportation Committee, saying that he
would not feel authorized to vote money to car
ry out the scenes of Mr.. Window.
Without concluding the discussion the Sem
ate adjourned.
HOUSE.
A joint resolution was passed giving the
requisite twelve months notice of the ternina-
ton of the treaty with Belgium owing to the
Irregularities initiating against American
commerce.
Mr.. Wheeler of New York, from the Com
mittee On Appropriations reported back the
Senate amendmant to the army appropriation
bill and the House proceeded to take action
thereon.
The first amendment was to add to the pro-
vision limiting the number enlisted men to %,
000
The words including Indian scouts" were
concurred in with an addition that the provis-
ion shall not be construed to diminish the sig
nal service and that the signal corps shall be
manned as now organized under the authority
OF the Secretary of War.
The next important amendment was to IN
sert in the paragraph which forbids the pay
ment of money for transportation to railroads