The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-03-01
BY Telegraph
ASSOCIATED PRESS REPO RT
% THE DAILY LNTELLIGENcER
CON c B E s S.
HOUSE.
sWAsnNaroN, FEBRUARY %.

w hAnhANuAVNt GSptuoA1 sVs =
Speaker Kerr laid before the Housl
d message from the President urging thu
necessity Of an immediate appropriation
to supply the deficiency at the Red Clouc
Indian Agency.
Mr.. Randall, chairman OF the Committee
on Appropriations, said that the commit
tee had considered the subject and haG
been unable to secure the information
deemed essential. The committee hat
therefore reported resolution which
had been adopted by the House, request
ing the President to detail an army officer
to go to the Red Cloud Agency and re
port on the cases Of deficiency. Unless
the report OF that officer was unreasona
bly, delayed, he thought the committee
might wait for It. There had been gross
frauds connected with that agency, and
there had also been disregard Of the
law; but il the President deemed the mat
ter Of sufficient importance to send 0
committee OF investigation from Congress
on the subject, the Committee on Appro.
priations would proceed at once to con
slider it.
Mr.. Banning inquired whether The
army officer had been sent out.
Mr.. Randall-The President 10 states,
The message was referred to the Com.
mittee on Appropriations.
Mr.. Kelly by UNANIMOUS consent in
troduced a billempowering the Secretary
Of the Interior, Secretary Of Smithsonian
Institute and the library in Congress to
resort to such measures as will most ef'
iectually restore the writing in original
manuscript OF the Declaration OF In
dependence with the signatures appended
thereto, now in the Patent Office.
Mr.. Sayler, from the Committee on
Public Lands reported bill to amend
an act to encourage the growth of timber
on the Western prairies, also bill ex-
planatory to the Timber Culture act
Recommitted.
Mr.. Burleigh from the Committee on
Naval Affairs reported bill directing
a method OF the annual estimates Of the
expenditures for the Navy Department
Recommitted.
The House then took up the bill which
was up few days ago, limiting the cost
OF the Custom House building, at Mem
phis to $4,000.
Mr.. Bcebe made a motion to recommii
the bill, but after a discussion he with
drew and the bill passed. Yeas ia
nays 81.
On motion Of Mr.. Hunton the House
wentinto Committee of the Whole (Mr.
Blackburn in the chair on the bill
amending the laws granting pensions to
the soldiers OF the war OF 1872; the ques'
tion being on the motion to strike out
the section restoring TO the pension rolls
the names OF persons stricken therefrom
on account of sympathy with the rebel
lion.
Mr.. Neal advocated the motion to
strike out, and Mr. Bland opposed it.
Mr.. jerks moved 10 amend the section
by providing that no arrears Of pensions
shall be paid for any portion Of the time
during the existence OF the rebellion 10
any one who either participated in the
rebellion or held any office under the
Southern Confedcracy. He made an ar
gument in support Of his amendment.
lie thought it fair to say that from one
TO two score million dollars-he was not
sure but that he ought to say three score
was involved in the bill. When the
bill should come back to the House he
would move 10 recommit it 10 the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions.
Mr.. Cook insisted that by decision Of
the Supreme Court the whole question
OF the right Of these pensioners to be re-
stored 10 the pension rolls had been set
tied, and that after.the Presidents proc.
lamation at the close OF the rebellion all
legal rights were restored.
Mr.. KGssan said that very large annual
sumof money, and considerable amount
for arrearbges would be demanded on
the passage OF the bill. The estimate Of
the Committee on Pensions based on the
bill as originally reported was that it
would require al annual payment ofS2,.
100000. He added that by the peculiar
phrascology Of the bill all who had served
In the Mexican or Indian wars would be
entitled to pension.
Mr.. Donnell advocated the bill and he
thought that the House ought to come 10
compromise on the measure, and that
fair, just and generous compromise
would be to restore TO the pension rolls
those who had been stricken of, and
to let arrearages drop. The bill ifar-
rearoges were made part Of ii could never
pass the Senate.
Mr.. Hurlbut said he was willing to
signalize this time by restoring to the
pension rolls those who had been dropped
during the rebellion not because they de-
served It, but because he wished the mag
nanimity Of the nation TO stand unques-
toned before the world. But when he
was asked to vote for paying the arrears
OF pensions, he refused TO do 1t, and he
believed that the public sentiment OF the
country would never bear with any such
paltering with the plain principles Of
Justice. There was an impression on the
public mind that this carefully worded
and skillfully managed bill was but the
entering wedge to other claims OF vast
amount. Whenever this bill was SO
altered as to be confined simply to the re-
storation OF these pensions to the rolls, it
would have his support, but not till then.
Mr.. CaRwell remarked that he would
vote for the bill II it were divested Of Tits
Objectionable features, but with these fea-
lures in it he regarded the bill as n de-
parture from every sound principle OF
justice.
Mr.. Hooker advocated the passage Of
Al - A. L. kaN