The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-01
WASHINGTON, Feb. &c

The bill bavlng been considered IN commit
tee of the Whole, it was reported to the Senate,
After discussion the clause in regard to band
was modified so as to strike out the latter por-
ton in regard to the repeal of sections 9 and
10 of the act of March Sd, 1875, leaving an ap-
preparation of $2496 for the payment of 16
musicians for the companies, aud $14,8S0 for
the pay OF the band, and as modified il was
agreed to.
Amendments made in Committee of the
Whole were concurred in and the bill then
passed.
Bill for the relief of Daniel Ssckney of
Maine was passed.
Mr. Morrilps resolution that during the pres
ent session it shall be in order at any time to
move recess and pending an appropriation
bill to confine the debate on amendments there
to to five minutes by any Senator on pending
motion, and that such motion shall be decided
without debate,sswas taken up.
Mr.. Stevenson opposed the resolution as a
proposition to stifle debate, but Mr. Morrill, said
it was the same as adopted every session and
he introduced it in the interest of despatch.
Mr.. Bayard submitted an amendment to the
resolution But no amendment to an appro-
priation bill shall be in order which is not ger
name to such BILL" Rejected,-ye %, nays
%
The resolution was then agreed to- .-
On motion Of Mr.. Wright the Senate took up
the bill declaring the true intent and meaning
Of the Union Pacific Railroad acts approved
July I'd, 1861 Mr.. Wright said that he did
not expect to have this bill acted upon to-day.
The question had been discu ssed last session
and he hoped that the Senate would dispose of
the bill with as little delay as possible,
Mr.. Sargent asked if the effect of the bill
was not to negative several propositions which
the government had always maintained here
tofore.
Mr.. Wright replied that the bill was in entire
accord with all the departments of the govern
ment and was approved by all.
Pending discussion at g. 10, on motion of Mr..
Edmunds The Senate went into executive ses-
sion and shortly after adjourned.
HOUSE.
A message from the President was received
urging an appropriation for the deficiency in
the supplies at the Red Cloud agency.
Mr.. Randall of Pa said that in accordance
with previous request of the House on the
the motion of the Appropriation Com mittee,
an army officer had been sent to investigate the
frauds there and it would be well to wait till he
is heard from, but as the President deemed it a
matter of sufficient importance to call the at
tention of Congress to it, he thought the APP
preparation Committee might consider it at
once. Referred to the Committee on Appro.
priations
Mr. Kelley of Pa, by unanimous consent,
introduced bill empowering the Secretary. of
the Interior, the Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institute and the Librarian of Congress to re-
sort to such measures as will most effectualy
restore the writing in the original manuscript
of the Declaration of Independence with the
signatures appended thereto, now in the Patent
Office
The House took up the bill appropriating
100000 for custom house at Memphis.
Mr.. Foster of Ohio opposed it, saying that
the customs receipts there were only $330,000
per annum, costing $4,000 to collect that
amount.
After discussion Mr.. Beebe withdrew mo-
ton to recommit so az to let the vote be taken
directly on the passage of the bill. The bill
was then passed-yeas ia, nays 81.
The House went into committee, MI. Black
burn in the chair, on the bill amending the
laws granting pensions TO the soldiers of the
war of 1872, the question being on the motion
to strike out the section restoring to the pension
rolls the names of persons stricken tEerefrom
on account of their sympathy with the rebel
lion.
Mr. jerks of Pa, moved to amend the Sec
ton by providing that no arrears of pension
be paid for any portion of the time during the
rebellion to any person who either participated
in the rebellion or held any Office under the
Southern confederacy. He made an argument
in support of his amendment. He thought it
fair to say that from one to two score millions
of dollars, he was not sure but be might say
three score, were involved in this bill. The
question then was one of much Importance and
therefore when the bill should come back to
the Honse he would move to recommit it to the
Committee on Invalid Pensions. According to
the estimate of the Committee on Pensions,
the reduction of the limit of service from go
days to 10 days would place $3.50 men on the
rolls. But in the event that the 10 days limit
had been reduced to five days there was no es-
innate as to how many that would add. Un-
der the 10 days clause The number of widows
that would b. added to the rolls would be 1920,
but under the five days clause and by striking
out the proviso that they must have been mar
ried prior to 1850 there was no estimate as to
their humber.
Mr.. Cook of Ga, insisted that by decision
of the Supreme Court the whole right of these
pensioners to be restored to the pension rolls
had been settled, and that after the Presidents
proclamation at the close of the rebellion all
legal rights were restored.
The discussion was continued by Messrs.
Kasson, Dunnell, Hurlbut Caswell, Hooker
and Vance.
Mr.. Hurlbut of ILL.,, in the course of his re-
marks, said he was willing to signalze this time
by restoring to the pension rolls those who had
been dropped during the rebellion, not bee ause
they deserved it, but because he wished the
magnanimity of the nation to stand upuues-
TONED before the world, but when he was ask
ed to vote for paying the arrears of pensions he
refused to DO 1t, and he believed the public sen.
timent of the country would not bear with any
such tampering with the plain principles of
justice. There was an Impression in the public
mind that this carefully worded and skiiltullv
managed bill was but the entering wedge to
other claims of vast amount. Whenever the
the restoration Of these pensioners to the rolls
it would have his support and not till then.
Mr. Vance regarded the opposition to the
bill as essentially to soldiers of the South who
had taken up arms against the government
The war had not commenced among them but
10 the House and Senate. and many members
of the House had declared at the time that it
is sweet to die for ones country, and had quot
ed the line,
eco where glory awaits thee,''
but had taken care themselves not to 90 or
die worth cent. Naughter.) He asserted as
an humble soldier of the South that if the
country engaged in a foreign war no men would
more promptly reply to the country's call than
the men in gray.
The discussion was continued by Messrs.
Townsend, Haskins, Williams of Wis, Hen.
derson, Atkins, Reagan and Hill.
The latter expressed -egret that gentlemen
on the Republican side seemed determined to 90
back on their record of last session, when bill
similar to the pending one was passed by the
House. He had canvassed the State of Geor-
gla against secession, and he had always found
these old invalid soldiers standing by his side
ana opposed to secession. IL was curious in
cloent in history that at the very time the
southern soldiers were fighting the enemy at
New Orleans, there was convention of New
England men at Hartford proclaiming the very
doctrine of secession on which the South had
subst quently acted
Mr.. Kasson-Did auy state ever undertake to
enforce IL?
Mr.. Hill, (hardly noticing Kasson's question:
= do not know that anybody engaged in that
convention was ever struck from the rolls.
Mr.. Atkins asked what has secession to do
with the bill Secession is dead. Why should
It De brought up here and discussed in this
nall. Why should thegentleman from Georgia
hing It in our faces on this floor. As a South
ern man protest against the introduction of
such questions.