The Portland daily press., 1876-04-04
Forty. Fourth Congress-First Session.
SENATE
WASHINGTON, April 3.

WASHINGTON, April B.
A large plumber of petitions against change
of the tariff were presented and referred
Mr.. Morton introduced bill to amend GER
tain sections of the act to enforce the rights of
citizens of the United States to vote in the sew
eral states. Referred to the Committee on Ju-
dietary.
In introducing the bill Mr.. Morton said the
object was to bring the act within the late de-
cision of the Supreme Court.
MT. Edmonds introduced by request bill to
create sinking fund for the liquidation of
government bonds advanced to the Central and
Union Pacific Railroad Cos Referred to the
Finance Committee,
The bill embodies proposition submitted to
him as chairman of the Judiciary Committee
by Vice President Huntington in behalf of the
Central Pacific Railroad Co, substantially as
lease to the United States all the unsold lands
hitherto granted to it in the state of Nevada
and in Utah territory, and the Secretary OF the
Treasury is thereupon to place to the credit of
a sinking fund for the company the value of
these lands computed at s.. 90 per acre. The
company will also pay into the treasury for &C
count of this fund the proceeds of any such
lands hitherto sold by it to the extent of the
excess it may have received over and above
$3.50 per acre and the costs of Surveying. The
third section of the bill directs the Secretary of
the Treasury TO carry to the credit of this sink
ing fund all amounts due the company for gov
ernment transportation up to the LIST day of
last January which if not amounting at said
date to 81 100000 shall be made up to that sum
by the company. The fourth section requires
the company to pay semi.annually into the
United States Treasury such sum in money
or in any U. S. bonds or securities at par as
shall with interest thereon, as hereafter pro.
vided, be sufficient when added TO the other
sums to the credit of said sinking fund to pay
all government subsidy bonds with six per cent,
interest thereon from the respective dates up
to maturity. The interest on all sums placed
to the credit of said sinking fund must be cred
tied and added thereto semi-annually at the
rate of six per cent. per annum. The pay
ments thus made are to be in lieu of all pay
ments or other requirements from the Central
Pacific Railroad Company under any acts of
Congress in relation to the reimbursement to
the government of bonds issued to it and to the
Union Pacific Railroad.
Mr.. Hamlin gave notice that on Wednesday
next he would ask the Senate to take up for
consideration the bill reported by the Commit
tee on Postoffices and Post Roads, regulating
the transmission of third class mail matter.
Mr.. Wright, from the Committee on Claims,
reported adversely on the petition of stock
holders of the Seaboard & Roanoke Railroad
for compensation for the use of the road by the
United States during the war. The committee
was discharged from its further considera-
ton.
Mr.. Clayton, from the Military Committee,
TepUEttu ADVERSELY Ou tu6 PtbltlOQ VI COIOr6u
citizens of Arkansas, soldiers in the late war,
praying for the repeal Of certain laws in regard
to the payment of bounties, and the enactment
| of such a law as will place colored soldiers on
| the same footing in regard to bounties as white
| soldiers. The committee were discharged from
| its further consideration.
The Senate bill on the same subject was in
| definitely postponed.
Bill to equalize fees allowed attorneys for
| collecting pay aud bounty was recommitted to
| the Committee on Military Affairs.
| In answer 10 the inquiry of Mr. Morton, Mr..
Thurman said he would be prepared on We'd
| nesday to have his motion disposed of to recod-
| slider the vote by which the bill to provide for
counting the electoral vote for President and
| Vice President was passed.
| Many petitions from boards of trade in favor
| OF the permanent formation of the signal SER
| vice corps and against any reduction of appro.
| priation therefore, were presented and re-
| ferred.
Mr.. Morrill, of VT, submitted resolution in.
| STRUGGLING the Committee on the District Of
Columbia to inquire and report what addition
| al Jail accommodations are required for the
| District of Columbia. Agreed to
Mr.. Thurman called up the Senate bill to
| amend the act to establish uniform system of
bankruptcy throughout the United States.
| Thurman said that the object of the bill was to
| put an end to the discordant decisions which
| made the bankrupt law one thing in one dis.
| trict and another thing in another district.
| The bill amends the bankrupt law so as to pro.
| vide that no voluntary assignment by debtor
| or debtors of all his or their property hereto
| fore or hereafter made in good faith for the
| benefit of his or their creditors rataDly or
| without creating any preference and valid ac-
| cOrding to the law Of the state where made
shall of itself in the event of his or their being
| subsequently adjudicated bankrupts in pro-
ceeding of involuntary bankruptcy, be bar 10
| the discharge of such debtor or debtors.
Mr.. Morton moved to amend the bin so as to
| provide that the act to establish an uniform
| system of bankruptcy throughout the United
States be repealed, to take effect July 1, 1876,
| provided the proceedings in bankruptcy then
pending shall not thereby be abated, but may
| be brought to final adjusticaton.
Mr.. Thurman said a bill had already passed
the House for the repeal of the bankrupt law
and it had been referred to the Judiciary Com
mittee of the Senate. If the senator from In
diana (Morton) wished to speed the repeal of
that law the best way was to have a report on
the House bill. He lThurman) hoped the SEN
ator (Morton) would not insist on his amend
| ment. Let this bill be passed to remedy an
| evil which should not exist and not load Con-
gress down with a PROPOSE ton which would
| lead to an extended debate.
Mr.. Wright hoped the senator from Indiana
| (Morton) would Withdraw his amendment
| The repeal of the bankrupt law could come up
as an Independent measure.
Mr.. Frelinghuysen spoke in favor of bank
rupt law, and said if there was no such law the
Senate today would be flooded with petitions
| for such law.
Mr.. Morton said be believed the time was ripe
for the repeal of the bankrupt law. In his own
state the sentiment in favor of repeal was al
most universal. He had received numerous
letters from people in Indiana in favor of its
repeal The bankrupt law had degenerated
| into mere instrument of fraud. In offering
the amendment he had no doubt that he repre-
sented the views of the people of Indiana. He
was in favor of the repeal of the law.
Mr.. Morrill, of Maine said that there should
| be bankrupt law. The trouble had been that
| the legislation of Congress on this subject had
been ftful and not permanent.
Mr.. Edmunds said the amendment of the
nature of that submitted by the Senators from
Indiana, when offered on the spur of the mo-
ment, most always turned out defective. The
Judiciary Committee had the subject of repeal
ing the bankrupt law under consideration, and
he thought it rather ungracious to bring this
amendment in.
After further discussion by Messrs. Morton,
Conkling, Herman, Gordon and others, Mr..
Morton said that as the Judiciary Committee
had the matter under consideration, and as he
felt assured the committee would report soon,
he withdrew his amendment.
Mr.. Whyte said that he would vote against
the bill called up by the Senator from Ohio
(Thurman) as it left it entirely in the power Of
judge to determine whether party should be
discharged or not He also objected to the bill
on Inc ground Lnat III Iuduo Tue OIL nalr nation
al and half state
The bill was then read third time and pass
ed without division,
Mr.. Gordon from the Committee on Military
Affairs, reported substitute for the Senate bill
to authorize the Secretary Of War to open and
read the gst of the settlement made with the
Western & Atlantic Railroad Companies of
Georgia. Placed on the calendar.
Mr.. Wright called up the motion offered sew
eral days ago to reconsider the vote by which
the bill reducing the salary of the President
from $4,000 to $25, 900 per annum was passed,
aud the Senate by yeas a. nays 81, refused to
reconsider the vote.
On motion of Mr.. Cameron of Pennsylvania,
at 2.05 the Senate went into executive session.
While the Senate was in executive session
Mr.. Adams, Clerk of the House of Representa-
tives, appeared and announced that the House
had adopted articles of impeachment against
w. W. Beiknap, late Secretary of War, and
had appointed managers to conduct the prose-
cution on the part of the House of Represen-
tatyes.
At 5 o'clock the doors were reopened and the
Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
A large number of bills were introduced, in
Guiding one by Mr.. Farwell of Illinois for re-