Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-02-12
EVENING STAR.
CONGRESSIONAL T.
Conclusion Of Yesterdays Pm Nceedia1s.
me District Bill - The Suffrage
Amendment Voted noua


ment 81 the District was continued.
Mr.. Stewart argued against the >ubSfft ute
OF Mr. Wright He said il would be inpoS l.
tle 10 have good government I'm this III, 10
trict. where there was such a large fioatinc
Population, by having the officers made
elective. He intimated that IL would be cow
aTuly 10 yield To the Clamor about suffrage
Mr. Merrimon argued at some length that
the constitution did not contemplate any
eH'aoliShment of suffrage in this District
The SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT LOST.
The question being taken on the amend
hieht OF MI Morton, providing that the
Ooafu OF commissioners shall be elected hv
thr qualined voters of the District IL was
Iost by q tie vote, az follows:
~, Hr@srs AlcoTB B9remsn, Boutwell,, Clay
FLANAGAN, Fr,linghuysen, Hamiltoa Of THxas,
h s1 harSS, Hiichc2ok, Hove, Mitchell Nor
SWE.rhiAns Spencer sPrsgue, Wsshburn, West
,NAYs-Me~srs. Allison, Bayard, Cooper. Davis.
h,nnie, Gil6ert, Ggldthysite, Gordon, H.grr, Ham,
Mon 81 Nd lnSalls helly. Nc rcrr,, Merrim5n
gent saulsbury' Schurz. ScH.t, Stevenson. stewart
Stockton, 1hurulsn, Upton. Wadlrigh-2S
TEsT VOTE ON THE RILL.
Mr.. EdmundS then moved 10 lay the bin
on the table, resulting a. follows.
a. cssrt. Alcgrn, Ai>ga- Boutwell, Cleytor,
ntyu 81 Texas. Hamllu. Harvey, Hitguc.tk. Ingall-
ROBERTSON. spe.cgr. WsilriEi. w, M ,''.'
NAY~-Mc-- r- Anthony. EavsrI. Cauk,iug. Coon
taiith ate. Garlsn. Hsrer. Uan'I- .-. - n
Howe. Kelly, Met re.r,. Ma-rinun. morrill, II VI
S.ul,inr S,-r., , S-., .r,, i S,.- Sn,
IN, strM9art, stockton. Thurman. Tipioa. Wash
Mr.. sargent moved an amendment provid-
ing for
THE ELECTION OF 4 DELEGATE
in Congress from the District.
Nh. EdmuudS asked what was fhcobfa,t NJ
this amendment.
Mr.. sargent said he offered il for several
reasons; first, because the people OF the Dis
TIct wanted in, having petitiOnpi Iar IL.
second, because II preserved the principle OF
suffrage; ana also because the delegate could
| represent the interests o. the people OF the
District, and speak iOT them On the floor of
the House.
Mr.. Edmunds said il was all piece of
moonshine. The people Of the District were
to be governed entirely through officers 10 DE
appointed by the President They were 70
have no share or lot in their own govern
ment. but the right of suffrage was 10 be pre-
served through the election of a delegate in
Congress, who would not even have vote
on anything that came up. e was too thin.
and the people OF the country could not be
deceived 10y IL. IL was perfectly useless 10
inhtct upon the people OF this District the
heavy expense involved in electing a dele
gate to Congress who could be no earthly use
Mr.. Morrill, CNIeN said he would be willing
To accept the amendment OF Mr.. Sargent He
reiterated, however, that the question Of Suf--
Irage had nothing at all 10 do with this mat
ter. and he was not TO be frightened by this
talk about what the people OF the country
would think of il.
Mr. Thurman said the people Of this Dis
trict were brought i'm daily and familiar in
tercOurSe with members OF Congress. and had
no trouble i'm making their wants known.
Ihelr petitions came up here as regularly as
our daily prayers. There was no necessity
fora Delegate for this DittTict, and he should
not vote for the amendment.
Mr.. Morton said he was not willing TO ac-
cept this amendment, is il is a mere empty
form and conveys no power, aud he should
not vote for it. He called attention to the
Iact that there had been this afternoon solid
democratic vote against recognizing the prin-
ciple OF suffrage. No doubt the democrats
thought this was a good thing; that il was a
good party measure TO strike down suffrage
ia this District and would be useful pre-
cedent hereafter
Mr.. Hamilton Md said he should vote for
the amendment, as he thought il would be
proper for the District to have a Delegate.
There were things in the bill which he did not
like, but as II was necessary To have some
measure, and this was the best that had been
presented, he would vote for it,
Mr.. sherman said il was essential to COM
promise differences in order that the District
should have some form of government. He
had voted for the amendment of Mr.. Norton
and he thought the Commissioners should be
elected by the people, and he had no doubt
the next Congress would SO provide He
would vote for the bill.
Mr.. EdmundS said all this was necessary to
pass bill providing for the levying and col
lection Of taxes, and let the bill to frame
new government To go over 10 the next Con-
greSS.
Mr.. MOrril (Me) said. i'm reply to the ques-
nothing at all of the bill. He had been talk
ing and talking about it, and yet he knew
nothing whatever OF it, daughter 1t
would be refreshing for some one to criticiSe
the bin who had read il, and knew what he
talking about. This bill had no politics in il
at ali; there were no jobs in il; nothing in il
for street-corner politicians; il was TO put
honest men in office, and when they were in,
they could not be put out. All this talk about
what the democrats were going 10 do, why,
he could say that if the democrats were sup
DOTtlnQ with
they would find that they were putting their
foot i'll it. His friend from Vermont (Mr.
Edmunds) was very anxious about the rights
of the people of this District, and yet he was
anxious that they should be placed at the
tender mercieS Of the democrats in the next
Congress.
Pending further discussion the Senate rat
80 p. m.) adjourned.
HOU SE.-After our report closed
The postal Appropriation bill was passed.
The amendment allowing public documents
and seeds to go through the mails free of
charge was stricken out.
On motion of Nj. Dawes, Mass the House
went into Committee of the Whole on
THE REVENUE BILL,
Mr.. Hale (Me) in the chair.
Mr. Dawes said il so happened that on Feb.
II, 1874, a year ago tomorrow, he addressed
the House on the subject OF the revenue, and
tried to show that there was no necessity for
taxation. He honestly believed then that
the government had ample resources from
the then rates OF taxation. Twelve months
have rolled around, and he was rs sincere
now in urging the necessity OF increass ID
taxation TO meet the expenditures Of the
government. When he spoke a year ago he
made an estimate of the income OF the gov
eminent from all sources. His estimate was
for the gross sum of S2S1 al ,972.99. The
actual receipts at the end of the fiscal year
were S2S4 000, 600 as against S2s1, 900 900. He
believed then that the government would
come out at the end of the year with surplus
of g, 900, 900 which could 90 10 the sinking
fund. Brit ii did not quite reach that, but
was little over - 100000. The fact that the
estimate had so nearly reached the actual
receipts, was an indication to him that the
administration of public affairs had been
conducted with firmness and energy.
Mr.. Dawes continuing, said that since De-
cember 81, 1874, there had been falling of
from the customs receipts of =, 500, 900, or
about $4,000 day. If this should continue
the whole year there would be a deficit of
SIS 100000. He had a paper showing the re-
ceipts of the government for each year since
1870. In 1870 the receipts were SAIL 600 600; in
1871 1888 900 ,0O0 in 1872, 1914 O00, 600; in 1873
S3S3 900 600, and in 1874, S289, 900 900. Accord
ing TO the best Information that could be got
at the Treasury, il appeared that the actual
receipts for the last year fell off as compared
with the previous year some s16s, O00. 600, and
there was a difference of 50 ,379 $50 between
the receipts of the first seven months OF the
current fiscal year and the corresponding pc
riod last year, and this, too, In spite of the
fact that the first seven months of last year