The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-01-14
Forty Fourth Congress-First Session.
SENATE.

Forty Fourth Congress-First Session.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10.
The Chair laid before the Senate commune
cation from the Secretary of the Int rior, en-
closing a communication from the Commits
sioner of Indian Affairs, in answer to the SEN
expenditure of $500, 900 for the support and ed
ucation of certain Indians Ordered printed,
and to lie on the the table.
Senator Christiancy of Michigan, submitted
the following:
Resolved. That the Judiciary Committee be
directed to inquire and report to the Senate
whether the act of March L. 1892, is not defect
i've and if so in what particular, in making the
necessary provisions for the various contingent
cies which may arise in the case of the remov-
al of the President from Office, or of his death,
resignation, or inability to discharge the pow
ers and duties of said Office and if in their
opinion such defects exist, what further or
other legislation is best calculated to remedy
such defects, and in that event that they re-
port such bill or joint resolution as in their
opinion the case may require. Agreed to.
Mr. Merrimon submitted resolution in
structing the Joint Committee on Printing to
inqu re into the expediency of preparing
handbook for the use of Congress, embodyIng
brief account of the several executive depart
ments of the government classification of
the officers thereof and brief account Of the
duties of each; also like account of the Sen
ate and House of Representatives, and report
by bill or otherwise Agreed TO.
After the expiration of the morning hour
Mr.. Davis of West Virginia called up the reso-
luton submitted by him yesterday calling for
the appointment of a committee to investigate
the case of the books of the treasury depart
ment, ETC., and addressed the Senate in regard
thereto.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Davis's speech Mr..
Merriman Inquired if there were no notes or
explanations of discrepancies charged by Mr..
Davis.
Mr.. Davis replied that in some cases there
were explanations, but he had been unable to
find how any system of bookkeeping could
change the amounts after they had been re-
ported to Congress.
Mr. Boutwell, thought an accurate knowledge
of the business of the Treasury would dissipate
Mr.. Davis should have sought a solution from
the Secretary of the Treasury. There was moth
ing TO show that the books of the treasury had
been changed or tempered with
Mr. Davis wanted to know if Mr.. Boutwell,
claimed that reports sent to Congress had not
been changed.
Mr.. Boutwell, said the statement from the
treasury had not been changed
Mr. Boutwell, resumed his argument and
showed that the alleged discrepancies were only
apparent and did not exist in fact.
Mr.. Boutwell, yielded to Mr.. Edmunds, who
moved an executive session.
Mr.. Anthony submitted resolution to print
500 extra copies of the Army and Navy Regis
ter for 1876. Referred to the Committee on
Printing.
He also submitted resolution to print $500
copies of Prof. Hayden's geological and geo.
graphical survey.
The Senate went into executive session at
2'15 and at 2 45 the doors were reopened.
Bill to allow Geo. P. Marsh to accept GER
tain present from Switzerland and Italy was
passed:
The Senate adjourned at 3 p. NJ
HOUSE.
All the galleries of the hall and approaches
| to them were crowded with spectators iu antic-
| ipatio1 of the close of the debate on the am
nesty question.
Mr.. Cox of New York offered resolutions
| instructibg the Committee on Printing to in
| quire into the cost Of the printing done for
| Congress and the executive departments at the
| government printing Office and what the same
ork could be done for in private off ,es; also
| as to the cost of the Congressional Record with
view of ascertai1ing whether different and
more economical arrangement cannot be made.
| Adopted.
| Mr. Luttrell of California, introduced bills,
which were referred, to secure the speedy con
| struction of the Texas Pacific Railroad.
Mr.. Parsons of Ky, offered resolution in.
structing the Committee on Expenditures in
| the Department of Justice to inquire into the
| appointments of the special counsel for the
government the fees paid to them and the ex-
| ira fees paid to district attorneys the investi-
cation to be extended as far back as may be
| necessary for a full knowledge of what has
been and is being done in that connection.
| Adopted.
Mr. Pierce of Mass, presented memorial
at Yorktown, Va, of a marble column COM
| memorative of the last and browning battle of
the Revolution. Referred,
Mr.. Whitthorne, from the Committee on
Naval Affairs, reported a resolution calling on
the Secretary of the Navy for report as to the
expenditures of the appropriations made since
July 1869, for the testing of inventions
| Adopted.
Mr. Clark of Mo. from the Postofice Com
mittee, reported a bill fixing the rate of post
| age on third class mail matter. Ordered print
| ed and recommtted.s
The bill fixes the postage on third class mail
| matter, not exceeding four pounds each, at one
| cent for two ounces.
Mr. Bennett offered resolution instructing
| the Committee on Judiciary to inquire into the
expediency of Incorporating into constitu.
| tional amendment provision giving to citi-
| zens of organized territories the right to vote
for President OF Vice President. Adopted
Mr.. Cochrane offered resolution for the ap
| pointment of a special committee to investi
gate the alleged fraudulent letting of contracts
for the transportation of Indian goods and sup
| plies Referred
| The House then, at one o'clock, resumed the
consideration of the amnesty bill and was ad.
| dressed by Mr.. Blaine. He commenced by
| dsclaiming any intention to convey the idea
| yesterday in the discussion Ga the point of Or
| der, that the Speaker desired to deprive him of
his right to reply to the speeches made on the
| other side.
Mr.. Blaine said that from the tone of the de-
bate Que would imagine the Republican party
| as represented in Congress was trying TO inflict
| some new punishment or to add some other
| stigma on the name of Jefferson Davis. 1t
Al hn.
attention of the House to the precise question
| at issue. The gentleman from Pa, Randall,
had introduced bill to confer special honor
on Jefferson Davis, (for what honor could be
higher than the full pauoplied citizenship of
the United States) which Jefferson Davis had
lost by his crimes, and the gentleman from
| Pa. proposed in hot haste, without debate and
! without amendment, to drag every gentleman
in the House to say aye or no on the bill de-
claring Jefferson Davis to be entitled now aud
henceforth to all the rights of American cti-
zenship. To that he (Blane) and those with
him dissented. They were not seeking tC
throw any other element of an infiammatory
character into the politics OF the day. What
ever of that kind has flown into this discussion
lay at the door of the gentleman from Pa. and
those who stood with him. 1t was a PROPOSE
ton to honor aud while he (Baine) and those
with him disclaimed any intention of desiring
to punish Jefferson Davis, they resisted the
proposition to honor him.
l II
regard to treatment of Union prisoners at the
South and who was to blame for breaking tn G
exchange of prisoners The speech of the gen
tleman from Ohio (GaIfield) Yesterday had left
him literally nothing to say. The subject had
been exhausted and the argument was unan
swerable, and he undertook to sag that as YET
no gentleman on the other side had answered
one fact which the gentleman from Ohio had
alleged and that no gentleman could answer
them. He (Blalne) should not therefore at any
length rest on that poilt, but there was one
allegation as to a point in history which he fe
it his duty, not merely as member of the Re-
! publican party, but as citizen of the Ameri-
can Union, to resist and resent, and that was
the allegation made in regard to the manner in
| which confederate prisoners had been treated
in the prisons of the Union.
The gentleman from Georgia (HilD hat
spoken this sentence in his speech: 81 have
also proved that with all the horrors which yor
have made such noise about as occurring a
Andersonvile, greater horrors occurred in tn,
prisons where our troops were held" and
could not but admire the ''our" and the your
with which the gentleman continued the dis
cusson. 1t ill compared with his later preten
lions to Unionism. 1t was certainly fiinginl