Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-01-31
FORTE-FOURTH CONGRESS.
MONDAY, January 81.

check stamp act. Referred to Committee on
| Finance.
| Mr.. Window presented resolutions of Min
| neseta legislature in favor OF the relief OF
| extension. Referred TO Committee on Public
| Lands.
: Mr.. West presented petition in favor of the
Texas Pacific railroad. Referred to Commit
| tee on Railroads.
| Mr.. Mcmillan introduced bin to exempt
| all vessels engaged on the Mississippi river
| and its tributaries above New Orleans from
entries and clearances. Referred to Commit
| tee on Commerce.
| Mr. Conover introduced bill granting right
| of way through the public lands TO the ST.
| Johns railroad compay. Referred 10 Com
| mittee on Public Lands.
| Mr.. Sargent introduced bill to promote the
| efficiency of the light house service of the
| United States. Referred TO Committee on
| Commerce.
| Mr.. Spencer, from Committee on Military
| Affairs, reported favOrably the bill to relin-
| quish certain lands to the city and county of
| Mr. Cameron presented petitions from va
| ricus counties of Pennsylvania in favor OF
| the Texas Pacific subsidy.
| Mr.. Wright, from Committee on Claims,
| reported adversely on sundry private ella inns.
| Mr. Wright introduced bill to amend the
act OF June, 1874, for the relief of settlers on
| railroad lands. Referred to Committee on
Public Lands. Also. bill 10 extend the iuriS-
diction OF the United States circuit and dis
trict courts Referred to the Committee on
| Mr. Wright submitted two constitutional
| amendments providing for the election OF
| President, Vice President, and Senator'S by
direct vote of the people. Judiciary.
Mr.. Morrill, (Nt), from the Committee on
Public Buildings and Grounds, reported
! bill giving the consent of the United States
to the city and county OF Dubuque TO erect
| buildings in Washington Square, in that
! city; which was discussed and laid over.
| Mr. Logan introduced q bill for the relief
| Of Mrs. Eliza ID. Potter. Military Affairs.
| MI. Logan introduced a bill to reduce the
| number and increase the efficiency o. the
1ipaI of IpaF,
| mittee On Military Affairs.
| Hr. McCreery introduced a bill apprO-
priatlng 81 eco Tor the removal OF the re
| mains OF f.. Rumsey Wing from TrlJO, Be-
| goia, 10 Louisville, Ky. Referred To Com
mittee On Appropriations.
| The unfinished business, being the bill IL
reference TO the payment Of the
INTEREST On THE DISTRICT 3-6j BONDS,
| came up.
| SIR. Dawes said, Ia vley Of the necessity Of
| immediate action o. this nil, hG had hesi-
| tated whether II was bis duty 10 interpoSe
| any delay 10y any remarks, bat the commit
| tee which had charge Of the bill hal permit
| ted the Senate 10 adjourn over Saturday
| without objection. This was a rather inn
| pOrtant matter. All of us agreed that these
| bonds were substantially the obligations OF
| he United States, and that II would fail IL
It's obligations Fit did not provide for them.
| 1hey are now part aud parcel OF the
public debt, ard should he hereafter
| IncluCed In the public debt staten snts. And
| yet though this is the case, this security is
| quoted at a deprecated rate, ten or twelve
L.
| fore, 10 enquire what 1t is that has depressed
| these bonds. He asked the attention o: the
| Senate 10 the history of this new indebted
ness of the nation. Substantially heTet0tCr5
| the war debt has constituted the public debt,
and until this time no one mas had the harii-
| hood TO increase that debt by any civil c5li-
| CATION. There are those in this country who
| co not see as we do what beautiful improve
1nents nave been made in this capi.al, and
they Will want ant to know why, in time Of
| I; e public debt. They will find by exautna-
| ton that when this bill passed, not lly was
| 1T not stated that it would increase the pub.
| lie debt, but in one branch Of Congress the
| chairman expressly stated that Il woIli not
and was not intended TO increase that debt.
| There was so much eircurllocutiOn about
| the bill that even the members OF the COM
| mittee did not understand il, and il took
attorney generals, after whole platoon OF
| legal arguments had been piled al them to
| discover that these bonds really were Sc
| curity OF the United States. This ten miles
sqnare, or what was left OF ii, was
gress, and its government had been more
mismanaged, and more OF blunderS and in
constituencies in ii than in all the rest OF the
country put together. Mr.. ID. touched briefly
upon the corporate government Of Washing
ton and the inconsistencies and failures
which attached to it. He then alluded to the
territorial government, the governor with
his magnificent staff, the famous legislative
assembly and its marvellous and extraorii-
nary method of doing business. One partic-
ular prerogative possessed by this govern
ment seemed TO be its unlimlted power to
run into debt. He next discoursed upon the
great powers exercised by the board OF pub
lie works, and read from the law creating
the territorial government prohibiting any
contract not IN writing, with the signatures
OF those making them, and requiring also
that the appropriations must tirSt be made
by the legislative assembly. II the provis-
ions OF the law had been adhered 10, il would
have been impossible for this great deDt to
be piled up. They covered this District all
over with contracts as with shingles, scarcely
one OF which but was in violation OF law.
VI n yyQ had lrran-r Nc
dirty, hlthy, and roaming place for pigs,
becoming one of the most beautiful capitals
could not but know that a day OF reckoning
must come. After a while the graans
o. the taxpayers came up 10 our ears,
a committee was appointed TO investigate,
and what did they find? They found this
enormous and unprecedented debt piled up.
They reported, and what was the intent of
government which had brought all this bur
den upon the people, and to expressly terni-
nate the system and the policy of that gov
eminent. III that policy was 10 be continued.
there was nothing to be gained by changing
the men who were to administer it. 1t was
the manifest intent that, so far as pc.,slbie
this government, IL was absSIuteIv In mass
away. This new government of I,ommfs-
sioEers was in.SuGed TO last only for q few
months, and their powers were limited ex-
preFsly. They were simply administrators
de bonis non of that great estate, the Board
OF Public Works; merely empowered to coll
Iect its debris. In support OF this point Mr..
ID. read at length and commented on the law
of June, 1874. The purpose OF the act was TO
make it a dividing line between the past and
the future. Nothing could be moro explicit
than its language. II the people of this Dis
trict, II the people of the country felt salts
fed with the passage OF this law OF 1874, 1t
was because they believed that the old order
OF things had passed away. They did not
think that they had obligated themselves to
pay this Indebtedness.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
Speaker directed the Clerk to read the jour-
nails of Friday and Saturday last.
Mr.. Plat IN. " made the point OF order
that the journal OF Friday should have been
read on Saturday last.
The Speaker Overruled the point of order,
and said that the Chair on Saturday de-
cided properly that the journal should not
be read, as the session was for debate only,
and the reading of the journal would have
been in the nature of business.
Mr.. Plat remarked that it was contrary to
| all the presidents.
The journals were then read, after which
the Speaker called the states for bills and