The Leavenworth weekly times., 1877-11-15
HOUSE.

day, came up for consideration, as the reg
ular order.
The first amendment was that OF Mr..
TER striking out the clause pro-
hibiting the recruiting OF the army beyond
the number of enlisted men on the rolls on
the first Of November. Concurred in.
The amendment of Mr.. CULBERSON,
providing that four cavalry regiments be
to one hundred men each, and
that each company be employed on the de-
fence of the Mexican and Indian frontiers
of Texas, provided that nothing herein shall
authorize recruiting beyond 10000 men,
was concurred in-yeas, 1888; nays, 121.
The Republicans voted solidly against the
amendment, and joined by Messrs. Giddings,
Mills and Schlech,er
The amendment providing that staff Off
GERS shall not be entitled to, or receive, any
additional rank pay or allowance was re-
jected-yyeas, l23 nayes, l3l. A negative
vote was given by the Republicans, backed
by Messrs. Black, Carlisle, Cook, Harrison,
Miller, Potter, Willis and Randolph.
Mr.. GARFIELD sent to the Clerks desk
and had read letter from the Secretary OF
War, defending himself from the charges
made against him in regard to the recruit
ing of soldiers since the army bill was be-
fore the committee on appropriations. The
Secretary claims that the enlistment of re-
cruits is expressly authorized by law, and,
therefore, it can be carried on
even in the absence of an appropriation,
but, nevertheless, he had not deemed it best
to continue the recruiting after the first OF
July, not for the want OF authority, but be-
cause he thought it inexpedient to muster
a.
to pay them. Orders had been accord
ingly issued to stop the recruiting from the
first of July. Subsequently, urgent appeal
had come from Mcdowell, commanding the
military division of the Pacific, approved
and urged by the General of the army,
asking authority to enlist recruits for the
cavalry regiments engaged in that depart
ment, in carrying on the then-existing In
dian war The Secretary yielded to that
appeal, and recruiting had been, for short
time, permitted for that purpose. The or
der for this recruiting was not only
lawful but urgent ans necessary,
and refusal to make il
under the then existing circumstances
would have subjected the department to
grave censure, and especially as the small
ness of the force engaged in the Indian wal
was the occasion of the greatest delay in con-
quering the Indians and OF the death ol
brave officers and men. This order .for re-
cruting had been countermanded as soon a.
the emergency seemed over, and no enlist
ments had been made since. The impres
sion that some 5000 men had been enlisted
recently, was an entire mistake, growing Ou
of misunderstanding of the Adjutan
Generals telegram. A supplementary tele
gram from the Secretary of War was also
read, stating that the order for enlistmen
was made, not by himself, but by the Gen
eral of the army on the 9TH of July.
Mr.. HEWITT, of New York, a member
of the appropriation committee, criticiset
the Secretary's letter, and said that if there
had been any mistake or misapprehen
sion, it was due to the concealmen
of the facts on the par
of the Secretary of War and the officers o
the army, and to their want OF candor II
stating to the committee the facts. H'
then discussed and denied the right asserted
by the Secretary of War to authorize en-
listments in the absence OF appropriations
and claimed that there was no such righ
on the part OF the President. .
Mr.. GARFIELD replied that the Hous'
would compare the candor OF the letter JUS
read from the Secretary of War, with tina
of Mr.. Hewitt in such a way as would no
be unfavorable to the secretary. He Gar
field wished to know if the gentleman
thought the President should have dissolved
the army because there had been no appro
priation made, or that the army snouid b
allowed to melt away by death or desertior
until it should become too inetii
cient to protect the frontier? Ih'
whole regular army bill had beeI
passed without dollar of appropriation
1t stood entirely seperate from the appro
priation bill. refuse TO appro
pirate money, but the army would still
stand. The law fixed the number OF TN
army at 25,OOO men but in the great pres
sure OF danger on the pacific coast, gallan
men had gone to the army headquarters il
order to assist in protecting their home
against the savages, and had been told tina
there being no appropriations, they would
have to trust to the Justice Of Congress fol
their pay. When, by this means, the coun
try had been saved, it was Haunted in tn,
face of the Secretary of Wan that he wa
impeachable for high crimes and misde
meanors He did not believe that major
ity OF the gentlemen on the Democratic sid
of the House sympathized with that talk
and the country would set it down as bein:
made for the purpose Of throwing obloqu,
on the gallant army, which had done 81
much to save the country from great peril
1t was As unkind rs it was unpatrIOtic, an,
cruel to the army. Congress might, o
course, refuse to pay these thousand mel
who had been recruited, but the countr,
would then know whether or not Congress
was an enemy or friend OF the army.
The discussion finally closed, and the bill
passed without division.
Large numbers of bill were then introduce,
and referred, including bill to amend tn,
laws in relation to mailable matter of tn,
third class; the evis,ing banking laws
designating the time for the meeting Of Con
gress on the first Monday in June TO re
duce the number of military cadets for the
payment for all cotton seized after the 29tf
of May, 1865. Also to refund the tax on
raw cotton collected from 1868 to 1868.
BY Mr.. HUNTER-To prohibit, by Con
stitutional amendment, the payment OF the
claims arising out of the late rebellion.
By Mr.. .BUCkNER-For an examination
OF the claims of Missouri against the United
States. Also to prohibit the sale of policy
or lottery tickets in the District Of Colum
bia.
By Mr.. PfIILLIPS-For the payment oi
import duties in legal tender notes as soor
as they are quoted at par with the legal
tender coin of the United States.
Many bills were also introduced and refer.
red for the improvement Of harbors, rivers
&c.
Mr.. SPRINGER offered resolution call.
ing on the Secretary of State for informa-
ton as to the indemnity paid by the Spanish
government on account of the execution OF
General Ryan and others in Cuba in Nov :,
1875. Adopted. The House then adjourn.
ed.
WAsHISGToS, ID. c., November l3.-The
reading of the Journal was not finished un-
til l2:55. The House at Ills went into
committee of the whole, Mr.. Blackburn in
the Chair, on the deficiency bill.
The total amount appropriated by the
bill is So, ,2i0, ,665. of which 81 ,446. .6SS is
for the navy; S3ll,953 the amount due
Seligman Bros, London; 81, 900 for the
marine corpse. The bill also provides for
the payment of United States Judges, &c.
After considerable discussion in which
Mr.. Blunt, who had charge of the bill,
promised a rigid inquiry into the diversion
Of the pay fund and Hale said the late
secretary might be scrutinized from cellar
to garret, and there would not be found a
single dollar of all the millions that had
passed through his hands, which had been
appropriated to any purpose outside of the
maintenance of the American Navy in a
proper manner. The bill passed without
division.
The House then proceeded to the consid-