The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-15
Forty Fourth COngress-First Session.
SENATE.

OENAIE.
WASHINGTON, Mar. Is.
A large number of bills and memorials were
introduced and referred.
Senate bill 173 fixing the salary of the Presi-
dent of the United States was taken up, when
Mr.. Sargent objected to its consideration, say
ing that he objected to it and would do SO every
time it came up, for be believed the Presidents
salary even now was low enough considering
the responsibility and exactions of the office
and the proper maintenance of the position.
The bill was laid over.
A joint resolution authorizing Rear Admiral
John Almy of the U. S. Navy to accept deco
ration from the King of the Hawaiian Islands.
was passed.
The joint resolution authorizing Edwin
James, consular agent at San Jose, TO accept a
piece of plate from the Queen of Great Britain
was passed.
The consideration of the bill TO regulate the
counting of the vote for President aud Vice
President was resumed. Several minor amend
ments were offered and ordered printed, and its
further consideration was postponed to Thurs
day, at o'clock.
The bill to further the administration of JUS
tice in Colorado was passed.
On motion of Mr.. Frelinghuysen the bill fix
ing the salary of the President was again taken
up.
Mr.. Sargent thought it would be ineffable
mcanness on the part of the government to pay
its President salary far below what is paid
the representative of the British government
residing in Washington. He did not consider
the present saIary any too large.
Without further debate the question was put
and the yeas and nays demanded.
YEAs--Allison, Conkling, Goidthwaite, Herman,
Mcdonald, Patterson, Whyte. Bogy, Cockrell,
Hamilton. Key, Maxey, Stevenson, Wright, Chris
Clayton, Ferry, Hitchcock, McCreery, Morton and
NAYs~Bayard, Dorsey, ingalls,. Mitchell, sha-
Robertson, Window, Davis, Howe, Mcmillan, sar,
gent, Withers- SO.
The bill passed.
Mr.. Christiancy entered notice of motion
to reconsider.
At 24O the Senate went into executive ses-
sion and at adjourned.
HOUSE.
Mt. Atkins of Tenn, reported back the Sem
ate amendments to the pension appropriation
bill, which were cOncurred in
Mr. Kassan of Iowa said that Ia view of the
increasing illness among members of the House
and the ex traordinary bad ventilation every
one felt in; the hall this morning, he asked
leave to present a resolution instructing the
Committee on Public Buildings to examine in
| to the causeslOf the bad ventilation and to d.
| rect such improvements therein as may be
found expedient to increase the purity OF the
atmosphere.
Mr.. Kelley said his object in coming to the
House this morning was to bring to the atten-
tlOu VI uGmUeTS Wudb uc IcRdIuCu dS tuO IL
derous atmosphere of the hall. He understood
that 10 less than 10 members were detained
from it by illness which might be fairly attri
buted to the bad atmosphere of the hall. In
fact, they were being murdered by scientific
ventilation.
Mr.. Harrison of ILL.,, a member of the Com
mittee on Public Buildings, stated that the
subcommittee of the Committee on Public
Buildings, are now considering the subject The
ventilation was utterly defective and some
thing must be done to remedy it, and done i'm
medatey.
Mr.. Banks of Mass, said there never could
be good atmosphere in the hall until such a
radical change was made as would bring the
chamber into communication with the air and
light of heaven.
The resolution on ventilation was agreed to-
Mr.. Sparks, from the Committee on Indian
Affairs, reported a substitute for the bill to
transfer the Indian Bureau from the Interior
Department to the War Department, and ask
ed that it be made the special order for Satur-
day next.
place between the members of the Indian Com
mittee and of the Military Com mittee as to
which had the more legitimate jurisdiction of
the matter.
After a discussion of the bill reported by the
Indian Committee, and by the Military Com
1nittee, the subject of the transfer of Indians
was made special order for next Thursday
two weeks the bill of the Indian Com mittee
to have precedence.
Mr.. Glover of Missouri, chairman of the
Select Committee on real estate pool and Jay
Gould Indebtedness, made report on tho con.
tumaciousness OF the witness, Hallett Kill
bourne who refused to produce the books of
his firm or to answer certain questions as to
who composed the real estate pool. An order
was made that the Sergeant-at-Arms bring
K;lbourpe before the bar Of the House to an
swer for contempt
Mr.. jerks of Pennsylvania offered resolu-
ton calling on the Secretary of the Interior for
information as to the defalcaLion of VIM. T.
Collins, late pension agent in Washington city.
Adopted.
Mr.. Hunton OF Virginia, from the Judiciary
Committee, reported resolution calling on the
Attorney General for copies of all letters, tee.
grams and papers asking for the removal Of
Judge Belford of Colorado. Adopted.
The House at o'clock went into Committee
Of the Whole, Mr. Cox in the chair, on the
legislative appropriation bill, and was adj
dressed by Mr.. Bennett of Iowa.
Mr.. Kelley of Pennsylvania, rising to a per.
sonal explanation, sent to the Clerks desk and
had read an article in the New York World.
charging him with having obtained contracts
for Mr.. Dobson, owner of a wooden mill on
the Schuylkill river, to furnish blankets to the
government, and with having taken to himself
20 per cent. of the profits, thereby receiving
about 100000. The article was written bV
one Martin Powers.
He said he deemed an explanation due more
to Dobson than to himself Dobson had built
up magnificent works by his own industry. AS
for himself, he said that if there was any now
who knew him well who attached any import
ance to the statement then he had lived in
vain.
The Sergeant-at Arms appeared at the bar
with Hallett Kilbourne, the recusan; witness in
custody. On being asked whether he was ore.
pared to answer the questions put, he asked
leave to be heard orally by counsel (Mr. Black
and Mr.. Dudley Field.)
During the consideration of the question.
Mr.. Glover intimated he understood from The
witness that he would be satisfied by having
read a written argument prepared by his coun.
sci.
Mr.. Page of California insisted upon witness
right to be heard orally by counsel, and that
view was advocated by Messrs. Hoar and Con-
ger and opposed by Messrs Holman and
jerks. Finally the proposition to be heard
orally by counsel was laid on the table, and a
written argument was read from the Clerks
desk.
At the conclusion of the reading the Speaker
called upon the witness to rise, and addressing
him, he asked whether he was now prepared to
answer the questions pnt to him by the com
mlttee (reading them to him in detail.)
MIR. Kllbourne responded that he respectfully
decliDed for reasons heretofore given.
The Speaker then asked him whether he was
prepared to produce his books and papers in
obedience to the subpoena dasces tecum.
Mr.. Kilbourne replied that he was not.
Mr.. Glover then offered a resolution commit
ting witness to the custody of the Sergeant-at-
a lflo..