The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-04-30
xLIIrd CONGRESS-,

SENATE.
Mr.. Hamlin, Of Me-, introduced bill to re-
lieve ships and vessels from compulsory pilot
fees in certain cAses
. The House bill amendatory of the act for en-
rolling and licensing ships or vessels to be
employed in the coasting trade and fisheries
forregulatlng the same was passed. ,.rg
Mr.. Morton, of Ind, introduced bill pro-
viding, that postage upon documents printed
by authority of Congress, or by either House
thereof, shall not require to be prepaid, but
may be left to be paid by persons receiving
them. Referred to the Committee on Post
Offices and Post Roads. .,.F..
Mr.. Anthony, from the Printing Committee.
reported back the memorial of certain employ
! ing printers at Washington, ID. c.. in reference
| TO the management of the Government printing
Office, with "a bill to further regulate the public
| printing, which provides that the Congressional
printer shall have the work done in the most
economical manner consistent with its proper
performance, and the prices paid for work shall
not exceed those paid in Baltimore, Phiadel-
phia, or New York. and authorizing him to
have work done by private contract when it
may be TO the best interests of the Govern
| ment. Placed on the calendar. .-...
| Mr. Scott, of Pa, from the Committee on
Claims, reported unfavorably on the memorial
! of the Mercantile Insurance Company OF New
| York, to be reimbursed for $4,000 in green
backs insured in that company and lost at sea.
Mr. Carpenter, OF Wis, in calling up the
Louisiana bill, said he was in New Orleans last
May when there was great excitement there,
and in a public speech he pledged himself to
the people that if they would stop violence and
submit to the Kellogg Government he would
do what he coHld to present their case to Con-
gress. They had kept their part of the con-
tract, and he proposed to keep his. Mr.. Nor
| ton in reply said one of the chief disturbing
| clements III Louisiana at present was the fact
that the bill was pending in the Senate. He
| believed great majority of the people of
| Louisiana apnuiaspad in tba KpllOpp EOyaTn
| ment. ia
The territorial railroad bill was read third
time and passed-yeas, 20; nays, IL.
HOUSE,
Mr. Sawyer. of Wis, from the Committee on
Commerce, reported bill to olegalize a pontoon
bridge across the Mississippi at Prairie du
Chen. Passed.
! The bill for the appointment of an agent to
obtain information in regard to the fur and
| seal trade of Alaska was passed.
| Mr.. Speer, of Pa, offered resolution
directing the Committee on Invalid Pensions
to inquire whether the system adopted by the
managers of the national military asylums of
deducting fines and forfeitures for breaches of
declpilne is in accordance with the spirit and
meaning of the pension laws. Adopted.
Mr. Crossland of Ky. from the Committee
on Elections, made report in the Kentucky
contested election case, that Mr.. Young the
sitting member, is entitled to his seat.
Mr.. killiuger, Of Pa, from the Committee On
| Public Buildings and Grounds. made a report
on the subject of the alleged violations of the
! Eight-Hour law in the New York Post-O Office
| building that the law is not being violated i'll
the work done under the Government super-
vision, and that as TO the work done under
| contractors there is no way of enforcing the
law, Mr.. Cox, of N. Y. believed the Eight
| Hour law should either be carried out or re-
! pealed. 1t had not been carried out in the
public buildings either in New York or else
where. Mr.. Platt of Va, denied Mr.. CoX's
statement as to the violation of the Eight Hour
Law on the public buildings, and declared that
the law was enforced on every public building
by the express orders of the Secretary of the
| Treasury.
Mr.. Woodford Of N. Y, from the Committee
| IN Civil Service Reform, reported a bill pro-
viding that no officer of the United States shall
directly or indirectly receive or be paid for his
| own use or benefit any money or property of
| the United States except his salary or compeu-
| satlon, or that no public property shall be
used by officials or by any person for private
| purposes; the act not to be so construed as to
| prevent the payment of all actual and neces-
sary travelling expenses when travelling on the
Legitimate and necessary duties pertaining to
their office. Mr.. Maynard, of Tenn. inquired
how the bill would affect the Collectors Of
Ports. whose compensation was made up largely
of fees. Would it restrict them to their salaries
and no more? Mr. Woodford replied that it
would Mr.. Dawes, of Mass. offered an
amendment by inserting the words or make
any private profit or use of the labor or service
of any person employed by the United States,
which labor or service is paid for by the
| United States.
The bill reported by Mr.. Woodford, of N. Y,
| to prevent officers of the United States from
receiving any money beyond their fixed salaries,
was discussed, Mr.. Woodford explaining and
advocating the bill and Messrs. Dawes and
Butler (Nlass.) opposing it AZ not sufficiently
matured. In the course of the debate Mr..
Merriam, of n. Y, who had introduced the bill
originally, said that on the morning he had
done so Government officer had pressed him
self on the floor, and in very excited manner
| approached him, saying. This bill will rain
me- it takes away the carriage which l use and
it is impossible for me to get along without it"
He said it was very hard on him, especially his
wife, and he saw no objection to her riding
| when he did not want the carriage. He (Mr
Meniam) told him as he now told the House.
that his party could not afford longer to carry
the wives Of public officials.
In the discussion of the finance question,
| Mr.. Butler, of Massachusetts, urged the
passage of the Senate bill. and Intimated his
belief that the President would not veto bill
which would legalize his own action. Mr.
| Kellogg of Conn, asked Mr.. Butler whether
he had understood him to say that the Pres-
dent would not veto the Senate bill The
Speaker Qnterrupting THAT is an improper
question never to be discussed. Mr.. Kellogg
| That is precisely why l ask the question.
The Speaker-The Chair did not observe the
gentleman from Massachusetts use the phrase.
or he would have stopped him. It is an in
vasion of the dignity and rights Of the House
OF Representatives to allude to the possibility
of the President vetoine bill After further
discussion IN the same vein the House began
to vote. The first vote was on Mr.. Butler
motion to lay on the table the motion to recon-
slider the vote postponing the House bill. and
it was defeated by the casting vote of the
Speaker amid great excitement. The vote was
announced as yeas 1885, nays 1876 whereupon
the Speaker voted No. The various amend
ments offered to the bill were defeated. Mr..
Bery moved to strike out the eighth section of
the BILL which provides for the monthly issue
of two millions of gold notes as substitute
for that amount of legal tender notes, to be
Cancelled and destroyed and not reissued.
Agreed to.
Mr.. Packer, of Pa, Chairman of the Post
Office Committee, moved to suspend the rules,
and pass the bill for the free exchange Of news
papers between publishers, and the free trans
mission of newspapers by mail within the
county of their publication. The motion was
agreed to, and the bill was passed-yeas, 17s
nays, Al. The text of the bill is as follows:
That from and after the passage of this act
the following mail matter shall be allowed tc
pass free in the MALL First newspapers
periodicals, and magazines reciprocally inter
changed between publishers and not exceeding
sixteen ounces in weight, to be confined to
single copy of each publication; second, news
papers, one copy to each actual subscriber re
siding or receiving the same within the count,
where the same is published, but carriers shal
not be required TO distribute such papers unles
postage is paid upon them at the usual rates.
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