New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-05
BY TELE R APH
CONGRESS-.

WASHINGTON, August i.-The Committee
| on ii li:ary Affairs repOr ted the House Joint
resolution to provide protection for the
Texas frontier on the lower Rio Grande,
| with amendment. Placed IN the calendar.
AlsO, Senate bill authorizing the employ
ment Of Indian scouts. Passed.
Mr.. West introduced bill for the relief
of persons having claims against the United
States under the provisions of the captured
and abandoned property act. Referred to
the Committee on Claims.
Mr.. Jones submitted resolution re-
| guestiDg the Secretary OF War to notify
| the Senate whether the hostile Indians
sent to st. Augustine, Florida, to be i'm
! prisoned were permitted to 90 at large,
| and by whose authority .h .se savages are
| permitted to go at Large IN that place.
| Laid over until to-morrCE.
| Mr.. Dayis, of West y: sinia, bv unan!-
nous consent. called up toe report of the
Committee on Finance, made some weeks
eince, upon a resolution submitted by him
| in regard to treasury discrepancies, and
| spoke at length on that s,bject.
| Mr.. Sherman, of Ohio, said the remarks
| of the Senator from West Virginia ought
not to go to the Treasury without sons
| brief reply.
Mr.. Boutwell, followed Mr.. Sherman.
During the debate Mr.. Thurman asked if
| the books, not having been changed, were
erroneous to this day.
Mr.. Boutwell, replied they were in some
respects.
Mr. Thurman asked what would be said
if the accounts of the Bank of England
should show discrepancy of $200,000000s
1t would not stand in confidence in Eng
land one hour. And what confidence could
the people of this country have in the ac-
70 nf tho If thav rQ Eonf
80 as to show the true condition of all busi-
ness? The Senator from West Virginia tMr.
Davis was entitled to the gratitude of the
country in this matter. 1t this was the
mode of keeping books in the treasury, it
deserved the most careful consideration of
special committee to sec they could not
be kept satisfactorily.
Pending the discussion, Mr.. Hamlin de-
manded the regular order, and the Senate
resumed consideration of the House bill
establishing post roads throughout tbs
country. Adjourned without action.
House.
The river and harbor bill, az it passed the
Senate yesterday, was reported. A motion
to concur failed; the motion to refer to con-
ference committee prevailed,
Messrs. Hereford, of West Virginia; Rea-
gan, OF Texae, and COnger, of Michigan,
were appointed as committee on confer
ence on the river and harbor bill.
The Committee on Military Affairs sub
mitted a report in the matter of contract
for soldiers headstones. The report de-
clares that the contract was Irregular, and
it reflects somewhat severely on Secretary
Belknap, but recommends no action. Or
dered printed.
Mr.. Garfield made great speech on the
political situation. lie expresses his re-
gret that he had not been able to see Mr..
Lamar's speech in the Record, but still it
had been SO Gle arly stated, and 30 logically
connected, that he could scarcely orr IN
commenting on it. The speech was an
earnest attempt to make progress in the
direction of return to good feeling, and In
! SO far it met his (Garield's) earnest concur
renee The gentleman had complained of two
great evils and obstacles to reform first,
| the generally corrupt state of public ad-
| ministration; second, the seriously cor
| rupt state of the civil service. He
| had contended that that corrupt state
| of affairs was buttressed and consolidated
| by an enormous army Of l0O, 900 office hold
| ers. and l0O, 900 expectants of office. The
! deductions of the speech were that the Re
! publican party was incapable of etfecting
| the great reform needed, and that there
| fore the Democratic party ought to be
| brought into power in the coming election.
| This mad been the main logic of the speech.
Mr. Garfield admitted that some CT the
| premises of the speech were correct. With
! most of them he could not concur, but ad-
| mittng that all the premises were correct,
| he denied that the conclusion was logical.
He should attempt to show that the good
| which he (Lamar) sought was not to
be secured by the asceI dency OF the Dem
ocratic party at this time, He had noted
| one striking omission in the logic OF the
speech. and that was it made no attempt to
| prove the fitness of the Democracy to ac-
complish the needed reform, and without
that proof of fitness the argument, of
course must be an absolute failure.
Mr.; Garfield spoke over two hours. and at
the close of his effort, prominent among the
members who offered him their congratula-
tons was Mr.. Lamar himself.
Mr.. Lord, Of New York, from the Ju
diary Committee, reported back, with an
amendment, what is known as the Blaine
school amendment to the constitution. As
reported it is as follows:
Art Is. No State shall make any law re-
specting an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and
no money raised by taxation in any State
for the support of public schools or de-
rived from any public fund therefor. nor
any public lands devoted thereto, shall
ever be under the control of any religious
| sect or denomination, nor shall any moneys
| so raised or lands go devoted be divided
between religious sects or denominations.
This article shall not vest, enlarge or di-
minish legislative power in The Congress.
The last sentence is the one added by the
judiciary Committe.
Mr.. McCrary, of Iowa. a member of the
Judiciary Committee. favored the original
proposition, bu: opposed the substitute as
a nullifying clause. 1t amended the con-
stitution and denied to Congress all power
to legielate on it afterward.
Mr. Lord advocated it, and said that Mr..
Blaine had stated to him over and over
again that the amendment as drawn by
him conferred no legislative power what
ever on Congress.
The House proceeded to vote on the reso-
lution and it was adOpted-leas loo, nays
). The members voting in the negative
were: Messrs. Blackburn, Bradford, Cald-
we'll, of Alabama; Clark, of Kentucky, and
Forney.
Adjourned.