The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-06-24


| receiving or permitting such performance or
| offer to perform or acting thereon proceeding
| from the race, color or previous condition of
| servitude of such citizen, be deemed and held
| as performance in law of such act and of the
due performance by such person or officer of
his duty in the premises; and the person
/ so Offering and failing as aforesaid and
| being otherwise qualified shall be entitled to
| vote in the same manner and to the same
| tent as it he had in fact performed such act
and as if such person or officer had performed
| his duty in the premises: and any judge, in
| spector or other officer of election whose duty
Is or shall be to receive, count, certify, regis
ter, report or give effect to the lawful vote of
any citizen so having offered and failed to per-
form as aforesaid. upon the presentation by
him of his affidavit stating that he had right
| to qualify as voter and such officer at the
| time and place thereof and the name of the
officer or person whose duty it was to act there
| In and that lie was wrongfully prevented by
such officer or person from performing such act
| by reason of his race, color or previous condi-
| ton of servitude, shall for every such offence
forfeit and pay the sum of $500 dollars to the
person aggrieved thereby, to be recovered by
an action in the case, with full cost and such
| allowance for counsel fees as the court shall
deem just, and shall also for every such offence
be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall
| on conviction thereof be fined not less than
$500 or imprisonment not less than one month
| and not more than one year or both in the dis
erection Of the court.
| Mr.. Merrimon submitted an amendment that
| il any person so offering such affidavits shall
be deemed guilty of perjnry he shall on convic-
ton thereof before any District or Circuit
| Court of the United States having jurisdiction
| be punished as in other cases of perjury.
| Mr. Edmunds said that the statutes of the
United States already defined the crime of per.
| jury and provided for its punishment.
The amendment was reJected-yeaS 16, nays
| 81. Booth voted with the Democrats in the af.
/ firmative.
| Mr.. Chrstiancy moved an amendment to the
Sd section so as to provide that the section
shall not apply in any state where by the laws
| of such state, no person of any race or color
shall be allowed to vote without being previous
ly actually registered. Rejected.
The section as reported by the committee was
| agreed to. @
Mr.. Thurman objected to the 4th section of
l the bill which provides that if any Iperson by
force, bribery, threats or intimidation or other
| unlawful means shall hinder, prevent or OBJ
| struct or combine to hinder, to prevent or OBJ
| strqct any citizen from doing any act required
| by law, to be done to qualify him to vote on
| account of race or color or previous condition
Of servitude, he shall for every such offence pay
| $500 to the person aggrieved, and also be deem
| ed guilty of misdemeanor and be punished by
fine not less than $500, or imprisoned not less
| than one month or more than one year.
The section was agreed to.
Several other amendments of verbal char
acter were agreed to.
Mr., Merrimon submitted an amendment to
the Sd section providing that if any person SO
making and presenting such affidavit shall will
fully and contrary to his oath in that behalf
state or subscribe to any material matter which
he does not believe to be true he shall be deemed
guilty Of perjury and shall on conviction be liza,
BILE to penalties provided in section 500 of the
Revised Statutes of the United States. Agreed
Bill having been considered in the commit
tee of the whole was reported to the Senate and
the amendments made in the committee were
agreed to- 1t was then read third time and
passed-yeas %, nays 10.
Mr.. Sherman, from the committee on finance,
reported substitute for the House bill provid-
ing for the issue of coin and for other purposes.
Placed on the calendar.
The Senate Insisted Oh its amendments to the
Indian appropriation bill and also on its
amendments to the naval appropriation bill
Agreed to.
Conferences were asked by the House and
Messrs Window, Logan.and Ransom were ap-
pointed members of the committee ON the for
mer bill and Messrs. Sargent, Cragin and With
ers on the latter.
MIR. Spencer called up the House bill to regu-
late the assessment and collection Of taxes for
the support of the government of the District
OF Columbia SO as to come up as unfinished bus
tness tomorrow, and at o'clock the Senate ad-
journed.
|. HOUSE.
The House met at IL o'clock and Immediate
II went into Committee of the Whole (Mr.
Blackburn of Kentucky in the chair on the
sundry civil appropriation BILL the question
being on PiperS amendment increasing the
appropriation for appraisers stores at San
Francisco from $4,000 to 100000. 1t was re-
| jected.
$250,000 for the continuation of the State, War
and Navy Department buildings.
Mr.. Hurlburt of Illinois moved to amend by
increasing the appropriation to $4,000. He
thought that the speedy completion of the
building was essential to the safety of the
records and valuable papers which were now
stored in unsafe buildings which the govern
ment rented at an immense cost.
Mr. Randall explained that in addition to the
amount appropriated there were $685.. 900 of the
previous appropriations available,
After some discussion the amendment wss
rejected.
The committee then rose, and at IL So the ses-
sion OF yesterday was formally closed and at II
o'clock the session of to-day commenced.
Mr. House of Tennessee, from the Commit
tee on Elections, called up the Idaho contested
election case, and reported unanimous resolu-
ton of the committee unseating f. W. Ben
nett. the sitting delegate, and declaring S;
Finn entitled to his seat. 1t was agreed to and
s. S. Finn was sworn in by the Speaker.
Mr. Harris OF Virginia, from the same COM
mittee reported a unanimous resolution de-
claring Joseph ii. Rainey, sitting member,
entitled to his seat from the first district Of
South Carolina. Adopted.
Also same report in the case of Ell. B. Strait,
from the second district of Minnesota. Adopt
ed.
In Committee of the Whole on the sdpdry
civil appropriation BILL the House finished the
consideration of the paragraphs making appro-
priations for public buildings and passed them,
as also those making appropriations for light
houses, buoys, sc.
Several amendments were offe;ed to the item
OF $50, 900 for Rock Island arsenal, among them
one by Mr. Henderson of Illinois, increasing
the amount to $170,0O0 which were all re.
jected.
Mr.. Caldwell of Alabama offered an amend
ment appropriating $4,000 for publishing the
agricultural report.
Mr.. Randall of Pennsylvania made point of
order that the proposition must first go to the
Committee on Printing.
The chairman sustained the point and the
decision of the chair was sustained.
The item for the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, appropriatng $4,000, besides $685.
600 for one months pay to employees recently
furloughed and finally discharged permanently
from the Bureau, was passed.
Mr.. Monroe of Ohio offered an amendment
reappropriating unexpended balances for the
expenses of the extended United States and
Mexican Claims Commission for testimonial
to the umpire Sir Edward Thornton, who re-
fused to receive any salary for his services.
Adopted.
Item for coast survey, including $685. 900 for
the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, was passed with
out important amendment.
Items for miscellaneous were passed as fol-
lows:-Paper, engraving, Sc, for national cur
reIcy, $17 800; transportation Of bonds, &c.,
$4,000; propagation of food fishes, 10000;
Signal Service, 100000
Mr.. Hancock of Texas offered an amendment
appropriating $45, 900 for completing military
telegraph between the army posts on the Texan
frontiers. Agreed to.
The item for the publication of official
records of the rebellion, both of the Union and
Confederate armies ($4O, OOO) contains proyi.
sion that no officer clerk or employe of the
government of the District of Columbia or of
Congress shall hold any other office of profit
while receiving pay from the Senate or House
of Representatives.
Mr.. Foster of Ohio moved to strike out the
provision. Rejected and the item passed.
number of other items passed and the
committee rose, when the House took recess.
The Senate amendments to the navy appro-
priaton bill were previously non-concurred in
and a committee of conference ordered.
Evening Session.
The consideration of the sundry civil bill was
resumed in committee of the whole, aud an
item was inserted of $50, 900 for Wheele1's geo.
graphical survey of the territory west of the