The Portland daily press., 1876-06-22
Forty Fourth Congress-First Session.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON. d. c., Jun

day. Referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations.
Mr.. Wright, from the Claims Committee, re-
ported favorably on the bill for the relief Of
VIM. S. Robinson of Maiden Mass. Placed
on the calendar.
Favorable reports from the same committee
were made on bills for the relief of I'll. H.
Matthews and Margaret Ireland. Placed on
the calendar
A resolution by Mr.. Morton that the Com
mttee on Privileges inquire what laws, if any,
are necessary to protect AVAILABILITY OF private
dispatches sent by magnetic telegraph, and
what legislation is necessary to prevent the
seizure of such dispatches by unauthorized or
irresponsible persons, and report by bill or
otherwise was referred.
A Joint resolution authorizing the President
to appoint commissioners to the international
conference on the relative value of gold and sill
yer was passed
Mr.. Sherman called up the House joint reso-
luton authorizing the Secretary Of the Treasu-
ry to issue $40 000 900 in silver coin in exchange
for legal tender notes. He submitted an
amendment providing that the trade dollar
shall not be legal tender hereafter, and author
izing the Secretary of the Treasury to limit the
coinage thereof to such an amount as he may
deem sufficient for the export demand for the
| same, which was agreed to.
Mr.. Sherman said he though at least 500
| 100000 should be issued and moved to amend
by inserting that amount instead of 600,
but objection was made and he withdrew the
amendment. Joint resolution then passed and
at - 45 he Senate went into executive session
| and confirmed the nomination of Mr.. Morrill,
| to be Secretary of the Treasury.
| The bill transferring the Indian bureau to
| the War Department was laid on the table ms
| tead of postponed till December as recommend
ed by the committee.
Resolutions of the Connecticut Legislature
relative to naval station at New London was
| referred to the Committee on Appropriations
| by request of the Naval Committee.
Subsequently the consideration of the indian
| appropriation bill was resumed, the pending
question being on striking out the section abol-
| lshing the Indian bureau and transferring the
/ government of the Indians to the War Depart
ment Messrs. Allison, Morton, Frelinghuy-
i sen and Logan spoke in opposition to the trans
| fer and Mr.. ingalls, in its favor.
The latter moved that the present bill be laid
/ aside informally and the House bill reported
| this morning was taken up and the discussion
/ continued thereon.
Mr. Morrill, of Maine continued the discus
| sion in opposition to the transfer and Messrs.
Dawes, Merrimon and others took part in the
/ debate
Mr.. Edmunds said it was plain this provis-
| ion in the bill to transfer the bureau was not
| harmonious. Considering the present state of
| the session and the fact that unless the appro-
| priation bills were passed within nine days the
| service would be crippled, he thought it best to
| pass the appropriation bill and leave out the
| clause in regard to the transfer Of the Indian
| bureau.
Finally ingalls, motion was agreed to, yeas
20, nays II, as follows:
| YEAs-Messrs. Barnum, Booth Caperton, Cockrell,
Cooper, Davis Harvey, Hitchcock ingalls, Johnston,
| Kelley. McCreery, Maxey, Norwood. Ransom, Rob-
| ertson, Thurman, Window and Withers-20.
NAYs-Messrs. Allison. Christiancy, COnkling,
| Conover, Cragin. Dawes Edmunds, Ferry, Freling,
| huysen, Howe, Morrill, of Me-, morrill, Of VT. Og-
| lesby, Sargent, Sherman, Wadeigh and Wright-17.
Senate then took recess.
| Evening Session.
Mr.. Edmun9s unsuccessfully attempted to
bring up the bill to amend the act enforcing
the right of tn citizens of the United States to
| vote in the several States
| Mr.. Window moved to reconsider the vote
| laying aside the Indian appropriation bill.
Mr.. IHgalls said he had already called up the
| House bill to transfer the Office of Indian af-
| fairs.
Mr. Edmunds raised point Of order that the
bill could not be taken up this evening" having
been reported today, and the point was sustain
ed by the Chair and the Indian appropriation
| bill was taken up.
A motion by Mr.. Stevenson to substitute the
House bill for the transfer of the Indian bureau
to the War Department was tabled. % to %.
both Harvey, Hitchcock and ingalls, voting
| with the Democrats in the negative
The question then being on the amendment
| of the committee to strike out the third section
| proposing the transfer, it was struck out-yeas
"a, nays %.
The bill was read third time and passed
Il
| come up as unfinished business tomorrow, and
the Senate at $40 p. m. adjourned.
| HOUSE.
House went into committee of the whole on
the sundry civil appropriation bill.
StengerI addressed the committee in refer
ence to the Freedman's Savings and Trust
| Company.
Cooke addressed the House on the subject of
| grievances in Southern States and in advocacy
OF the refunding of the cotton tax.
Message from Senate having announced the
| passage by that body OF the Senate amendment
| to the silver bill, consideration of sundry civil
| bill was temporarily interrupted and Cox
| moved concurrence in Senate anne ndments.
Randall suggested that as twas question
| involving the currency and as a change of a
| word in one of the amendments being to strike
out the ward ''now," was sometime very Sc
/ rious in legislation the matter should go over
| till tomorrow. 1t was postponed till tomorrow.
The House again went into committee of the
| whole on abe Sunday civil bull and after several
| speeches proceeded to consider the bill by Sec
| tons.
| Mr.. Warren of Massachusetts offsred an
amendment to pay the executor of the estate of
the late Henry Wilson SIC. 222, being salary for
| the unexpired term of office as Vice President
After speeches by Messrs. Hoar of Massa.
| chusetts, and Wood of New York, in favor of
| limiting the amount to one years pay, the
| amendment was adopted.
After disposing of one page of the bill the
/ COulhlptCO AocC ahu uuO lAouoC toOh d ECC6SS.
Evening Session.
House considered the sundry civil service an
| preparation bill in committee of the whole.
The first four pages of the bill consisted of
| miscellaneous items to small amount, princ-
| pally in connection with the House. On the
fourth page the item for public printing and
binding was reached, being for 81, 115, 737, in
| Guiding 100000 for printing debates and pro-
| ceedipgs of Congress. 1t embodies a proviso
forbidding the payment of any greater price for
labor by printers bookbinders, &c, than the av-
erage price paid in New York, Philadelphia and
not thoroughly skilled in the several branches
| and in regard to the purchase of materials di-
reefs advertisements for proposals and con-
| tracts with the lowest bidders; it also repeats
| the law giving the election of the Congressional
printer to the Senate and confers the appoint
| ment on the President
Mr. Mutchler of Pennsylvania moved to
strike out the provision in regard to the pay of
printers. Debate followed, during which Kel-
ley of Pennsylvania declared that the provisions
of the bill are virtual repeal of the eight hour
| law as to printers in the city of Washington
| and Banker spoke to similar effect saying al
so that the provision in the bill applied rule
to printers which was not applied to any other
| officers of the government If the rule were to
| be applied why not send to Boston, New York,
Philadelphia and Baltimore to ascertain what
| wages were paid to the starved clerks there and
| entrust the interests of the government at
| Wa8nlngtOh 10 men VINO WOulu Work at similar
| compensation.
Vance, Randall and Springer opposed Mutch-
| ler's proposition.
Springer gave the following figures illustrative
| of the economy of the present House of Repre-
sentatives: Department estimates for the year
1876 and 1877, $2O3 09S, 1856; amount of appro-
priation for the year 1876 and 1877, $685. 40O,-
35S: amount of appropriation for the present
| year, SLIT, 912 319-a reduction from the esti-
mates for 1876 and 1877 of 1854, sos, 627 and re-
duction from the estimates for 1876 and 1877 of
| $39, 421961.
Mr. Cannon of Illinois advocated Mutchler's
amendment, and Randall of Pennsylvania
made final speech in opposition to it in which
| he declared that he had expected all the abuse
| which had been heaped on the committee of APP.
| preparations. The issue between the two sides
| of the House was very distinct and who ran
| might read. The government had either to
raise more revenue by taxation or to cut down
| expenditures. The committee on appropria-
| tions had adopted this last resource and he be-
| lieved the course of the committee met the ap-
| prevail of the American people.
Finally the debate was closed and Mutchler's
proposition was adopted Is to 81.
Clause forbidding greater price for labor at
the government printing Office than the aver
age price for hours Of work or for press work in