The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-02-26
CONGRESSIONAL.

|
nature of a substitute, house bill restricting
the funding of custom duties, and prescribing
certain relations of the treasury department,
and it was placed on the calendar The judi
ciary committee having been directed to report
what is the meaning and extent of the so
called press gag-law Of June %, 1874, submit
ted report expressing their opinion that the
said act is not obnoxious to any criticism and
that in respect to the crime of libel, it confers
no powers either to bring person charged
with libel into the District of Columbia or to
send him out of it. The report is signed by
Messrs. Edmuuds, Conkling Frelinghuysen,
| Wright, Thurman and Stevenson. At the ex-
piration of the morning hour the senate re-
sumed the consideration of the resolution for
the admission of Pinchback. and Mr.. Sargent
continued his argument. The senate returned
| from the funeral of Mr.. Hooper at 2:40 P. M,
and adjourned till tomorrow.
In the House, on the 10th. The
house met at II o'clock this morning. Imme-
diately after the reading of the journal sew
eral members endeavored to obtain the floor
for the purpose Of moving suspension of
the rules TO take up various bills, but the reg
| ular order was insisted upon, and a number of
| bills, mostly of private character. which had
| been considered in committee of the whole,
were passed. Mr.. Garfield reported sun
dry civil service appropriation bill, after which
several bills were introduced by unanimous
consent. At IL O'Clock the bill for the reor-
| ganization of the treasury department was
| taken up. the house being in committee eff the
| whole. The committee subsequently, rose and
| reported the bill. 1t contains the following
| provision: Hereafter no money shall be paid
for contracts made for any site for public
| building in excess of the amount specifically
| appropriated therefor. and no money shall be
| expended upon any public building upon which
work has not yet been actually begun, until
| after drawings and specifications, together
| with detailed estimates of the cost thereof
| shall have been made by the supervising arch
| itect of the treasury department, and said
| plans and estimates shall have been approved
| by the secretary of the treasury, and all ap-
| propriations made for the construction of said
| buildings shall be expended within the limita-
| tions of the act authorizing the same or lin
| iting the cost thereof, and no change of said
| plan involving an increase of the expense eX-
| ceeding 10 per centum of the amount to which
| said building was limited. shall be allowed or
| paid by any officer of the government, without
| the special authority of congress. The bill
appropriates $87, $50 for engraving and print
| ing certificates of the continental stock for the
| international exposition also, $505, 900 to en-
| able the executive departments and the Smith
| sOnlan Institute to participate in the exposl-
| tion, and repeats the prOvisO that the sum
| hereby appropriated shall cover the entire
| expense to which the United States shall be
| subjected on account Of the exhibition. Mr.
Young offered an amendment requiring ap-
|
| ted among the states and territories in pro-
| portion to population. Agreed to, and the bill
passed. Mr.. Harrison, from the committee
| on elections, reported a bill proposing an
| amendment to the constitution in reference to
| the election of president and vice president.
| The first section provides that the president
and vice-presdent shall be elected bv direct
vote OF the people. Each state shall be di-
| vided into districts equal in number to the
! humber of representatives to which the state
ia cd in oOT,Cr nd ba
| the highest number of votes in each district
| for president, shall receive the vote of that
| district; but candidates for president ans
| vice president are not to be both citizens of
the same state. The second section provides
that the person having the highest number of
votes for president in state. shall receive the
| two presidential votes from the state at large.
| The third section provides that the person
| having the highest number of presidential
| votes in the United States shall be president.
| The fourth section provides that if two
persons have the same number of votes in
state, it being the highest number, each
of them shall receive one presidential vote
from the state at large, but if more than
two persons shall receive the same num-
ber, it being highest number neither shall
receive any vote from the state at large.
If more than one shall have the same number
of votes in anv district, it being highest num-
ber no presidential vote shall be counted
from that district The fifth section makes
the same provisions applicable to the vice
president. The sixth section gives congress
power to provide for holding and conducting
presidential elections. The seventh section
provides that the states shall be divided into
districts by the Legislatures thereof, but that
congress may at any time make or alter the
same. The eighth section provides that no
person who has been justice OF the supreme
court shall be eligible to the office of president
or vice-president. The speaker then pre-
sented letter from the clerk in reference to
the resignation of Mr.. Purman, of Florida,
cd no of to ho ok
from the roll of members. The funeral of the
late Representative Hooper took place at two
o'clock. The body was borne from the hall,
and the house adjourned.
In the Senate, on the 18th, Mr.. Logan
introduced a bill establishing rules and articles
for the government of the armies of the
United States. The senate, by vote of 81
yeas to 25 nays, recOnEidered the vote by
which the bill to grant site for the Peabody
school, in st. Augustine Fla, was passed
few days ago. The consideration of the res
luton for the admission of Pinchbdnk was
then resumed. Mr.. Hamilton, of MARYLAND,
moved to amend the resolution to seat Pinch
back by inserting the word mot" after the
word g be-" so it would read: Resolved, that
P. B. S. Pinchback be not admitted etc. Mr..
Dawes moved that the senate adjourn. Lost,
yeas 23 nays Sc. At lis the senate refused
to adjourn by vote of II to 80.
In the House, on the 18th, on motion
of Mr.. Dawes, the house went into committee
of the whole on the tariff bill. The general
debate closed, and the committee proceeded
to consider the bill under the five minutes
rule. =. Mr.. Cox moved to amend the first sec
ton by increasing the duty on champagne |
from Sc per dozen of quarts to So and from 50 |
per dozen of pints to $3.50. He said that that |
would produce an increase of S676 900 of |
revenue. The amendment was agreed to. |
The committee then rose and the house took |
a recess till 1880, the evening session to be for
business from the Judiciary committee, eXclud- |
ing political measures .... A bill was reported |
to establish certain telegrap phi lines in the sew
eral states and territories post roads, and |
to regulate the transmission of commercial |
and other intelligence by telegraph. The bill |
having been read, point of order was made
by Mr., Willard of Vermont and supported by |
Messrs. Raudall and Garfield, that it should |
receive its first consideration in committee of |
the whole. After running debste, the house,
without action on the BILL adjourned.
In the Senate, on the 18th, tire dis
cussion of the resolution for the admission of
Pinchback lasted all night, and at 9:15 this
morning Mr.. Merriman concluded a six hours
speech. The senate. at o'clock, on motion
of Mr.. Morrill,, of Msipe laid the resolution
for the admission of Pnchback on the table
yeas 80, nays %. Mr.. WiDdon moved that the
senate proceed to the consideration of the ap-
|
proceeded with the consideration of the I'm
dian appropriation bill Several unimpOrtant
amendments, reported by the committee, we're
agreed to. Mr.. Morrill,, of Main, called up the
resolution fixing the hour of meeting of the
senate at IL o'clock A NJ, and it was amended
so as to provide that it take effect on Saturday
next, and then agreed to. Pending discussion
on the Indian appropriation bill, Mr.. Sargent
moved to adjourn. Agreed to, and the senate,
after continuous session of nearly twenty
nine hours, adjourned.
In the House, on the 18th, immedi-
ately after reading of the Journal the house
went into committee of the whole on the reve-
nue. bill. The first vote was on Mr. South
wards amendment as amended by the amend
ment of Mr.. Cox, to strike out all of the first
section of the bill which relates to the tax
on whisky. The amendment lost, 64
voting in the affirmative and &c in the mega
tive. :. Mr. Kasson offered an amendment, on
behalf of the committee, providing that the
tax on spirits contracted to be delivered before
the 10th of February shall be paid by the pur-
chaser. Adopted. Finally, the first section
was allowed to stand so far the whisky tax
is concerned. The second section, providing
for increasing the tax on tobacco, was read