The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1874-01-07
CONGRESSIONAL

to provide for the settlement Of foreign diff
culties by arbitration. In the contested cleo
| ton case from Louisiana, resolution was in
troduce3, that the credentials of P. 3. S.
| Pinchback are formal and he is entitled to
| seat in the senate, hFv ng pT1n1d fdciP case,
| which was laid over. petition of ship own
! crs, with regard to the German award. was
presented and ref Ted. They claim that dur
| ing the rebellion they were engaged in COM
merce on the high seas, and that vessels be-
| longing to them were destroyed by other rebel
cruisers than the Alabama and those named
by the Geneva tribunal and therefore they
were entitled to part of that award. House
bill to provide for the redemption of the loan
of 1858, was passed with several unimportant
amendments. The financial resolution re-
| ported on Wednesday last was then taken
| up. A substitute was offered, directing the
! committee to report such measures as would
establish free banking, increase the volume
| of currency 100000 900, and making the
| whole currency government issue. Laid over.
A bill was introduced and referred to provide
for Reconstruction of the Ft. st. Phillip canal
and its maintenance as a national highway.
| 1t is the bill recommended by the New Orleans
chamber of commerce to the United States
senate committee on transportation. Also,
to repeal the tax of 10 per cent. on the circu-
lation of bank notes, to take effect Jan. !.
1874. The bill to authorize the organizat on
O1 ubJlOudl Dhuhs NlJDOuG FlrCuIatlOn, was
taken up. Without taking vote, the senate
went into executive session and soon after ad-
journed.
In the house, on the 10Th, bills were
introduced: To protect shipping on the At
lantic from destructive eastern gales, and for
the better preservation of harbors, channels
and lakes, for an issue of convertible bonds,
and the reduction of interest on the funded
debt; to put printing paper, type. etc, on the
free list to allow producers to sell leaf tObac
the Spanish American possess1ons;; to a4ImUdiI- dit
ize national banks to withdraw bonds in pro-
portion to their reduction of circulation; to
grant pension to the widow of Gen. Candy
in aid of the execution of the laws in Utah
for asurvey for ship canal from Lake Mich
igan to the Wabash river; for a survey of the
Tennessee and Hiawasse rivers; for an issue
of national currency for canal over Muscle
shoals on the Tennessee river; for the relief
Of producers of leaf tobacco for a survey
and report of the cost of a double track rail
road from Omaha to New York city, for trans
pOrtation of heavy freight; for the improve
ment of the Missouri river; to prescribe the
time for the election of representatives in
congress to impose a tax on incomes of $3,-
600 and over; to regulate commerce between
the states, and to regulate reasonable rates of
railroad charges for freight; for trans-con-
tinental railroad to transfer to the war de-
partment the management of Indian affairs
to establish a territorial government in Penn
bina. The total number of bills introduced
to-day was over 300. A memorial of over
5000 druggists and chemists was presented,
asking for repeal of the stamp tax on medi-
cal preparations, or modification of the law,
to cOnhne the tax to patent or proprietary med
icines. A resolution WAS adopted, instructing
the judiciary committee to inquire and report
whether action of the house is required con-
Ger ing the official conduct of the judge of
the United States court for the district OF
Alabama, and also whether the judge has
held the terms of the courts required by law,
and whether he has continuously and persis-
tently absented himself from the state, and
whether his acts and omissions in his Office of
Judge have been such in way to deprive the
people of that state of the benefit of dis
trict court therein and to amount to a denial
of Justice. A bill was reported to repeal the
bankruptcy law. The first section repeals
the bankrupt law and all its amendments.
The second provides where there are bankrupt
cy proceedings pending the majority in value
| of its creditors whose claims have been pro-
ven to determine in what manner and on what
| terms and conditions the estate If the bank
rupt shall be administered, and such resolu-
ton shall be immediately confirmed by the
court. After various propositions and sugges-
tiOns the bill was made the special order of to-
morrow. A lengthy discussion was had onthe
recommendation of the secretary for an in
| crease of taxation to the amount of $40, O,0OO,-
O0O and resolution was adopted, that the
president be requested to cause revision of
the estimates made by the several departments
and cause a report to be made to the house, if
possible as early as the 9Th of January next,
setting forth in detail what public expendi-
lures for the current fiscal year and what esti-
mates for the next fiscal year can be reduced,
and the amount of such reduction, without
serious detri Lent to the public service. Ad-
journed.
In the senate, on the 18th, bills were
introduced and referred: To establish an iron
ship-building yard on the waters Of the Allan
tic and one in the Mississippi valley, to afford
facilities to the navy; to facilitate the assort-
ing and redeeming of national bank note cur
rency, and to authorize an issue of circulating
notes to the amount of go per cent. now au-
| thoriZed by law. 1t authorizes the president
| to designate some one national bank in New
! York CITY, with capital of at least one mil
| lion dollars, to act as asserting or redeemlng
| agent for all mutilated or soiled and worn out
| national bank notes issued by theIbanks, keep
| ngan account Herewith and such banks as
| keep with this depository an average balance OF
| 2 per cent. on their circulation shall be en-
titled to receive from the comptroller Of cur
! rency notes to the amount Of 81 per cent. on
their United States bonds deposited in the
treasury as security for their circulation.
| Inc T6bUluhDu UAHi gu NoSJSINdy, III AOSd4u w
the admission of Pinchback, was taken up
and discussed, but no action was had thereon.
| Adjourned.
In the house, on the 18th, resolu-
| ton was adopted, instructing the committee
on civil service and reform to inquire whether
reduction can be made in the cost of civil
service, in the number of officers employed,
and their compensation without impairing the
efficiency Of the service; and also the expedency
of providing that all officials in the civil service
shall receive as compensation only such salary
as shall be fixed and determined by law. The
bill to repeal the bankruptcy act was then
| brought before the house, amended, and
| passed-22O to "A. 1t consists OF two sec
| tions the first repeating the bankruptcy act of
| the I'd of March, 1867, and all acts amendatory
| thereof, and the second section enactiDg that
| all suits and proceedings now pending in the
| courts of the United States, wherein an in
| junction of bankruptcy has been made, shall
be proceeded with and governed by the pro-
| visions OF existing laws, which are hereby con-
| timed ih full force, only for the purpose of
| closing up suits, and proceedings now pend
| ing; provided that from and after the passage
OF this act the fees, commissions and charges
! of officers and agents of courts III bankruptcy
| cases shall be reduced to one half the fees
| commissions and charges heretofore allowed.
| The select committee on salaries reported back
provisions of the act of March 8, 1873, which
! increases the salary or compensation of sena-
tors, representatives and delegates in con-
! gress, or Of any officers or employees OF the
| government, exceptso far as it relates to the
| Judges of the supreme court and to the pres
| ident Of the United States during his present
| term of Office. The second section provides
| that thereafter the compensation Of senators,
representatives and delegates to congress
shall be in lieu of all allowances except their
actual and necessary individual travelling eX-
penses in coming and returning from the ma
! tional capital once every session. which shall
be paid to every senator, representative and
delegate on the same being certified by him
| to the proper accounting officer. and the SAL
ary or compensation of all officers and en-
ployes of the government, subject to the ex-
| ception named in section one, shall hereafter
| be the same as they were prior TO the act OF
| 1878 The third section requires the seore-
tary Of the treasury to cover into the treas
ury all sums that may remain undrawn, or
/ that have been received as increased compen-
/ sho on rr NAV baya nOrnn into his