The New York herald., 1875-03-11

oouuto tuht INC mouse u1Q TcCcueu lrOui its ulsd-
agreement to the amendments. Az this action
passed the bill. 1t was enrolled aud signed bv the
Speaker and taken by me to the Senate for the
signature OF its President"
Mr.. Barclay. Journal Clerk OF the House. IN
note. says;-'I have the honor TO state that did
advise the Speaker ana yet believe, tnat the re-
ceding oil the House from its disagreement TO the
amendments OF the Senate and agreeing 10 tho
same, placed the two houses in perfect accord
upon the subject, and that tho bill was thereby
passed"
1t will therefore te seen by these statements OF
Mr.. Mcpherson and Mr.. Barclay that the Speaker,
sustained by Mr.. Barclays oplnion-very high
authority on such polnts-regarded the bill as
passed, and II was not returned to the Senate,
but enrolled and signed by him.
Mr.. Logan submitted to the Senate q report
from the Conference Committee. Not being In
possession OF the btll, the point OF order was
raised that no had no right to make the report
without the bill from the House, ana his report,
which was not then In order, was laid upon the
table, but this action did not AFFECT the BILL as It
was not then before the Senate.
Mr.. Mcdonald, Chief Clerk OF the Senate, In
note. states that after the report was laid upon
the table "a message was received from the
House In the following gwords:-'Resoved, That
the House recede from It's disagreement to the
the bountes OF soldiers who served IN the late
war Tor the Union.'" Mr.. Mcdonald iurther
states tnas shorty after followed "a message
from the House. announcing that the Speaker had
signed, among other enrolled bills, the Bounty
BILL which, with others, received the signature OF
the Vice President and was put into the hands OF
the Committee on Enrolled Bills, whose duty 1t
was to lay them before the President"
1t required no influence to induce the Vice Presi-
dent to sign the bill, for it was his sworn duty to
do so. He had no right to withhold his signature,
as the bill came. according to the usages, before
him. II any mistake had been made 1t mad been
made in the House. That body had retained the
bill, considered 1t passed and notified the Senate
that 1t had receded from It's non-concur.
renee to the amendments. The action of
the Senate IN laying Mr.. Logan's report
on the table did not carry the bill with 1t
nor a0ect 1t in any way, for the hill was not In the
the Senate as the point OF raised on tho re-
port clearly showed. Expecting, however, that
point Of order would be raised, and to give rlme
for the arrival OF Mr.. Edmunds, who had been
notified BY page that the Vice President was In
qniring for him. the Vice President laid aside this
bill until he had signed and made secure two up.
preparation bills. He then signed the Bounty bill
in the presence OF the Senate without one word
of objection from any one In doing this he simply
did what duty tmperatively demanded. To have
acted otherwise would have been an unwarrant-
able and indeiensfble exercise OF power.
In giving his casting vote for the bill the Vice
President acted in harmony with his public record.
In March, 1865. ne introduced q bill fixing the
bounty OF soldiers at IS 33h per month, and In
May of that year he made report from the Mill
tary Committee in support OF the BILL and made
every effort to secure Its passage. Falling to get
this bill. or the House bill, which had been taken
substantially from 1t, through the Senate, he pre-
pared an amendment giving soldiers who had
served three years, not what they claimed, 5000,
but 500. he presented that amendment to the
Conference Committee, by whom IL was accepted,
after being modified, so as to give $50 to soldiers
who had served TWO years: and It became law
in July, 1885, The time reception OF the claims
under the bill expired In January last, and. during
the eight years and half since its passage, about
$50, 000, 000-a little moro than half the estimate
have been PAID out.
Mr.. Wilson has always held that veteran sol.
diers. who enlisted for three years early in the
war, bore its heat and burden, and were to receive
q bounty Of $l00-wnich was gold wnen promised
and worthless than half the amount when paid
should be put upon an equality with the soldiers
who received toward the close Of the war So 33h
per month. Though not unmindiul Of the drain OF
this measure upon the finances OF the government,
he did not believe that the credit OF the nation
would be impaired, as II would take seven or
eight years to execute this final measure OF
equality, which would be evidence OF the graft
tude Of the American people to the nations de.
tenders. Yours, respectfully, SENATOR.
WASHINGTON, March s, 1875.