The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-17
Forty Fourth COngress-First Session.
SENATE.

He also submitted the following as the re-
port of the committee on the subject:
ResolUed, That the proceedings and debates
Shall be printed in the Record as actually
delivered and taken down by the official re-
porters, grammatical errors excepte9) and
shall be furnished to the printer in season for
the next publication Of the Record. Placed or
the calendar.
Mr.. Boutwell, introduced the following:
ReSOtUed, That the Secretary of the Treasury
be requested to furnish for the information of
the Senate the annual product of gold and
silver in the United States from 1874 tn 1875,
inclusive; also the amount of gold and silver in
other pasts of the world for the same wears,
and an estimate of the gold and silver in the
United States at the present time.
Adopted.
Mr.. Cameron of Pennsylvania sent up a. slip
from newspaper charging that several Senat-
ors keep private secretaries who were paid as
clerks. As one of the Senators mentioned, he
denied the truth of the article, saying that
he always lived within his income, had been
mixed up with no schemes or rings. and in
short attended to his own business during his
thirty years in Washington.
Messrs. West and Logan, whose names were
in the article, both denounced it as an unmti-
gated falsehood.
Mr. Edmunds read from the Baltimore Ca
zette despatch stating that the Judiciary
Committee were holding back the House wit
ness bill, while Senators COnkling and Logan
were looking up authorities for defeating it to
save some of their friends who were mixed up
in the whskey frauds He said as a member
Of the committee that he felt authorized to say
that not one particle Of influence from any
person or source whatever had been brought TO
bear on the committee in relation to this bill.
Mr.. Thurman as member of the same COM
mittee said the committee had taken the bill
out of its turn, and, instead of delaying, were
really Fastening its consideration.
MI. Conkling said be was not accustomed to
pay any attention to such paragraphs, but as
this seemed general time of uprising, if he
sat still it might be construed into acquescence
and he might be guilty of worse than explain
ing. There was not an iota of truth in the
statement. The recent elections assured him
OF one thing if no other, and that was that the
time was passing, if not already gone by, when
the people will refuse to be gulled aud deceived
oy such abusive articles The time will come
when such articles of Misrepresentation will
be justly considered as conspiracy and defama-
ton against institutions themselves, and the
question would arise what country would next
try the experiment of a government of the
people for the people and by the people. Hap
PLY these statements were receiving their just
appreciation, and it was never safer than now
for public men aud public officials to trust
themselves to the good serse and better ludg-
ment of their fellow citizens.
Mr.. Logan said he did not know such a bill
had reached the Senate When be did and
should see it, he would advocate it or oppose it
as he thought best 1t was charged that he
was afraid some of his friends in the wbiskey
ring would get hurt. He had no friends in the
whiskey ring. He had never trafficked in a
gallon OF whiskey in his lie, never visited a
distillery, never owned dollars worth of
stock in one. never had one of his friends in
the frauds, never knew of them till he saw
them in the papers, never had one of his
friends indicted in whiskey frauds. One man
whom he had recommended for position had
0fcH nd s..
whom he has recommended turn out badly.
In short he pronounced all statements concern
ing him as Infamous lies and no man dare
stand up before him and charge him with these
things to his face, and only towards sunk be-
did.
The morning hour expiring, the Senate re-
sumed the consideration of the Senate bill to
provide for and regulate the counting of votes
for President and Vice President.
During discussion by Messrs. Thurman,
Chrlstlancy, Frelinghuysen, johnson, Howe
and Morton, the latter submitted a plan for
calling the Supreme Court as follows;
The Judges of the Supreme Court shall be
assembled at the same time, and in case the
two Houses cannot agree, the question shall
at once to determine which is the valid return.
Without action on the BILL the Senate at g. 45
went INTO executive session, and at O'Clock
adjourned till Monday.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Lord of New York, from the Judiciary
Committee, reported back the bill for the dis
trlDutlon OF the unappropriated moneys of the
Geneva award. Reeommitted and made a
special order of March 10Th.
MT. Hunton of Virginia, from the same
committee, reported back the resolution direct
ing the Attorney General to transmit to the
House all the papers and letters asking for the
removal OF Judge Relfort, district Judge tor the
+ nd fhn nintro MT Of
Judge Stone in his stead, and all the papers
pointing to the alleged corrupt rulings of Judge
Stone. Adopted.
The House at 1.45 went into the committee
OF the whole, Sayler in the chair, on the bill to
supply the deficiency in the currency printing
and engraving bureau of the Treasury Depart
ment, and for the issuing of silver coin in place
OF fractional currency. Bill appropriates $780,
0OO and directs the Secretary of the Treasury to
issue silver coin in redemption of all fractional
currency outstanding.
MIR. Randall of Pennsylvania, chairman Of
the appropriation committee, explained and ad-
vocated the bill.
The subject was discussed by Ward and
Hewitt OF New York. The latter argued that
the present depreciation of currency below gold
precluded the probability of silver coin remain.
ing In circulation if issued. The feasibility of
Keeping 1t in circulation depended upon the
premium on gold which during the past year
had nuctuated " per cent, and no man was
tuaton would not be main stained, and might
not be greatly exceeded. To legislate silver in
to crcul alton under such circumstances was
pure guess work without the first element of
statesmanshlp, or any proper regard for the
laws of finance. The attempt to do SO had only
made the financial magnates of the Republican
party throughout the country laughing stock
TO the hnanc;ers of the world. He intimated
the passage OF the resumption act had some
connection with the 'big bonanza" and that
hA unr host th IL,
bonanza party was to have its bullion trans
ferred from the mines to the United States
mint. This would be sale of the mine better
than theEmma operation without any chickens
coming home to Ioost. These big bonanza gen.
tlemen had been pretty successful in getting
to the LIST Of October last the directors of the.
mint had purchased over $120OO,OO0 of silver at
an average price of 56a pence per ounce, while
the price of silver last week in London was 52k
per ounce. fall of nearly four pence per
ounce, which on the quantity purchased for the
mint made a difference of nearly $1,O0000O,
he thought it no wonder the Secretary was
directed to hurry up the issue of the coins.
The fall in the price of silver within four
months had made it possible to put subsidiary
silver coins into circulation without its leaving
the country or going into the melting pot, I'M
less gold should advauc, to 1.20, or unless the
price of silver should again advance in the
London market. The fall in the price of silver
was piece OF unexpected good fortune to the
Treasury officials. The Secretary had taken
heart and saw his way clear to putting out the
silver provided he could get the approval of
Democratic House. Why did the Secretary
want that approval?
He denied the substitution of the subsidiary
silver coin for fractional currency had anything
to do with the resumption of specie payments.
1t was only the substitution of metallic tokens
for paper ones. The resumption law so far as
it related to the coinage of silver was blum
der. The purchase Of silver bullion was
blunder, and the coinage of the silver was
blunder. The best remedy for it was to sell the
silver for What it would bring and to save fur
Their loss which would result from the almost
certain continual fall in prices.
The debate was continued by Mr.. Kelly of
Pa, against the issue of silver coin, and by Mr..
Reagan of Texas in advocacy of it.
Amendments were proposed by Messrs Rea-
gan, Holman and Page.
Without action GA the bill the committee
rose.
MIR. Young of Tenn, from a subcommittee
on the ventilation of the House, made a report
to the effect that it was impossible to force in
to the House sufficient fresh air for the SUNNY
at 600 persons, and with a resolution to exclude
from the galleries all persons except those who
have the privilege of the reporters and diplo-
matte galleries, and such as may be admitted
on the cards of members
A debate sprang up on the report, MIR. Har-
risoR of Illinois advocating it on the ground
that the gentlemen's gallery was daily crowded
with idlers, and that the bers of the House