The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-08-03
Forty Fourth COngress-First Session.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON. d. c.. 4


partments, and asking that a law be passed to
authorize the use of the uneXpended balance
of $4,000 for that purpose. Referred to the
Committee on Appropriations
Mr. Boutwell,, from the select committee to
examine into the several branches of the civil
service, reported a bill authorizing the payment
of pensions by the Treasurer of the United
States. Placed on the calandar.
In reporting the bill Mr.. Boutwell, said it was
not his intention to have the bill acted on at
the present session of Congress. 1t was the
opinion of the committee that the bill, if it be-
came law, would facilitate the payment of
pensions and be benefit to pensioners, and re-
suit in saving to the government of at least
100000 per aDnum.
Mr.. Spencer, from the Committee on the Dis
trct Of Columbia, reported back the House
joint resolution providing for commission to
form new permanent form of government for
| the District. with amendments which provide
that the commission shall consist of three
Senators and three members of the House
| He asked the present consideration of the reso-
luton but objection was made by Mr.. Sauls
bury and it was placed on the calendar.
Mr.. Dawes, from the Committee On Contin-
gent Expenses, reported q bill regulating dis
| bursements of money by that committee and it
passed
Mr.. Wright, from the Committee on Claims,
| reported a substitute for House bill granting a
pension to E. w. Hansell, messenger in the
| State Department who was injured in defend
| ing the late Secretary Seward from the assassin
| Payne. (The substitute awards $4,000 to the
person named)
| Mr.. Anthony moved to increase the amour t
| to $4,000, but after some discussion he withdrew
| the amendment and the substitute reported by
| the committee was passed.
Mr.. Allison from the Committee on Indian
| Affairs, reported bill authorizing the &C.
counting officers of the Treasury to settle GER
tain amounts pertaining to the Red Cloud in
vestigation commission. Placed on the calen-
| dar.
Mr.. Cameron of Wis. from the Committee
on Elections, reported back the claim of VIM.
K. Sebastian, a U. S. Senator from Arkansas,
| expelled in 1861 for alleged disloyalty, with a
resolution resembling the resolution of expul-
sion, and authorizing the payment of his sal
| airy to the time of his death to his heirs.
/ Placed on the calendar.
Mr.. Howe, from the Committee ON Library,
reported bill to provide for reprinting the
acts and resolves of the Continental Congress
and the Congress of the Con federation. Placed
on the calendar.
After some unimportant business the Senate
| went into an executive session and subsequent
| ly resumed consideration of the river and har-
Dor appropriation BILL Various amendments
Of the committee were agreed to, among them
| the following: Striking out of the bill as il
was recently agreed upon in the Senate COM
mittee Of the whole, the appropriations OF
for the harbor at MilfoId $4,000 for the i'm
provement of the Housatanic river Conn.
$4,000 for the harbor of Hyannis, Mass; 3d.
| 600 for the improvement of Taunton river;
| $4,000 for improvement of the Merrimac river
| $4,000 for the improvement of the entrance OF
Salem harbor, Mass; $4,000 for Improvements
| at Richmond Island, Me-; $1,000 for the harbol
at Norwalk, Conn.,; $4,000 for the harbor at
Plymouth, Mass. $4,000 for Providence river,
R. l. $4,000 for Belfast harbor. Me-: $50, 600
for Ipswich harbor, Mass. for Improvement o
the breakwater at Block Island, r. l., $4,000
to $4,000
New amendments reported by the committee
were agreed to as follows: $4,000 for Little
Narragansett Bay, r. l., and Conn. Many
amendments reducing appropriations were
agreed to as follows: For the Penobscot river
from $4,000 to $4,000; for the harbor at
Swanton, VT, $4,000 to $4,000; from $4,000 to
$4,000 for the harbor at Bridgeport.
Several amendments increasing appropria-
tions were also agreed to.
Without further action the Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
Bill cedingth Marine Hospital grounds al
San Francisco to that city for soldiers home
was passed.
BANDS silver bill was taken up.
Mr.. Kasson said the practical difficulty with
those of the House who opposed the bill was
want of sufficient information to vote on the
| numerous propositions embraced by the bill
| and therefore they desired such opportunity as
was given by other parliamentary bodies, name
| ly, inquiry by commission with written re-
i
lie debt the wages of labor and payment of all
debts contracted since 1873 1t affected the
payment of thousand million dollars of saw
ing in savings and other banks and apparently
authorized the depreciation of ten per cent.
! for paper and 20 per cent for gold.
l Mr.. Kasson proposed to Bland to allow the
| discussion to run on during the rest of the day,
| the bill to hold its place in the morning hour
tomorrow or to let the bill 60 over until the
| next session of Congress, so as to give the
| banking and currency committee opportunity
to examine the question thoroughly.
Bland would not agree to this unless the OBJ
| ponents of the bill wond pledge themselves not
to flibuster tomorrow. He demanded the
| previous question on the passage of the bill,
/ thus preventing debate.
Mr.. Hewitt moved to adjourn and pending
that motion Odell moved that when the House
adjourn it be to meet Saturday. Yeas and
/ nays were ordered on these motions and thus
the bill cannot be acted on to-day, the other
two votes consuming the entire morning hour.
The following report of the impeachment
| trial was made to the House today by Mr.. Lord
| on behalf of the managers:
The managers on the part Of the House TO
conduct the impeachment against W. W. Belk-
nap, late Secretary of War, respectfully report
that defendant, w. w. Belknap, has been &C.
| quilted on the articles presented against him,
less than two-thirds of the Senators present
voting guilty. The final vote was g. Thirty
seven of the Senators voted guilty, IS not guilty
| criticised portion of the articles of impeach.
ment and stated that the offences charged in
others of the articles were not proven beyond
a reasonable doubt. The question of jurisdic.
| ton raised by the plea of defendant was the
first point presented to the court of impeach.
| ment. After protracted and exhaustive ar.
l gument, the court held that it had jurisdiction
Notwithstanding the resignation of defendant
and the managers proceeded to prove the of.
| fences charged in the articles of impeachment
Il nr0VInO them haf
only two Senators in any manner questioned
| the guilt of the defendant, the minority of the
Senate refused to be governed by the deliberate
Judgment of the majority that it had jurisdic-
| ton, and the form and mode referred to pre-
vented the conviction of defendant. While ex-
ercising the power to vote mot guilty." it was
| practically asserted that there was no converse
| to the proposition, and therefore that the Sena-
/ tors had no legal right to vote guilty, however
satisfied of the guilt of the accused
Notwithstanding this result, the managers
believe that great good will accrue from the
impeachment trial Of the defendant. 1t has
| been settled thereby that persons who have held
civil office under the United States are impeach-
able, and that the Senate has jurisdiction to try
them although years may elapse before the dis
l cOvery of the offence or offences subiecting
them to impeachment. To such as are or may
hereafter be among the civil officers of the
| United States who have no higher plane of in
tegrity than the rule that "honesty is the best
policy and it is conceded that they are COM
paratively few, this decision will be constant
warning that Improbable offences, though not
discovered for years may result in impesch-
ment, conviction and public disgrace. To set
tie this question, SO vitality important in Sc
curing the rectitude of the class of officers re-
ferred to is worth infinitely more than all the
time, labor and expense of the protracted trial
closed yesterday. The trial and its discussions
have presented to the public mind clearer views
of official accountability and developed the
higher requirements of an advancing public
sentiment
Mr. Hoar, one of the managers, supported
the report. He said an investigation into the
parliamentary history of impeachment would
satisfy everybody that the right to impeach
son lived, whether in or out of office, was one
of the greatest safeguards of pure, consttu-
tiOnal governmant.