The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-14

petitions to Congress. representing they canhot
instructing the Committee on Public Lands to
consider and report what assistance can be
given by the government to those who desire to
emigrate to the West and engage In agrteul-
Mr.. Wright inquired what committee that
Fuc 81 sp pefksf q we eGt bs 70 s Is
'asI&'sWv Mr.. Wvyight-rhere is where it ought to 60
Mr. Townsend Of Illinois. offered q .resolu.
ton requiring the Committee on Banking and
Currency 70 report bill withdraw Il, the ne
with greenbaeks. Referred.
The House then went into Committee Of the
Whole on the naval deficiency bill. Mr.. Black
Mr. Blount. In explaining tho bill called ut,
tention to sums. which had been appropriated
er rspead FROM 'f .as @s'S to s''ss s Wn ana
said II was angular that M soon rs Demo
cratic House came INTO power the amount do
although the force Of the navy was 1000 less
than In previous years Tho deficiency In the
bill had been running through series Of
years,
Al tho fret session Of the Forty fourth Con-
gress the Committee on Appropriations, guided
by the light Of experience made what was re-
garded as proper and adequate appropriations.
and in order TO ereHte Sentiment against the
House the. late Secretary Of the Navy withheld
At the last session Of Congress the House COM
mittee and the House voted for the, pay of the
navy within nifty thousand dollars of the amount
asked for BY the Navy Department. and yet we
are sometimes told that thig deficiency In part
grows out Of the failure Of this House to make
an r,',, ra,de44as ,,t % apptopria,t9n. Il, , ,,, Il,
up to the failure to mako appropriation but 1t
could GOV be 1omqnstrated st A. that The late Secretary
that very thing-takng eight or ming, million
dollars from the surplus fund. Of tho Treasury
n the very teeth Of the law. The truth is. that
the deficiency arose out Of an unlawful use of
money and violation of law Taking ths
most charitable View Of the matter, it has
seemed to be the design for the last few years to
tered for less nm unit than the appropriation.
when in truth payment was made wrongfully
from the surplus fund.
have been done for the purpose OF deceiving.
He proposed to point with bis rsmarks ? state
the administration of the navy now and before
the war, when the expenditure was confined 10
the amount actually appropriated. Under ths
and he could state by au hority that money for
the pay nf the marine corps. for example. had
been used for other purposes. It was due to
tho people of this country that O further inves-
ttgaion OF the latc management OF tho Navy
Department should bs rplentlessly pursued In
6s dr 2 s9 ana be t 0"1 nq
There % ample law to prohibit tho diversion
Of funds or their wrongful nse but when IN
officer evadss the law tho remedy for the moral
sense Of the people t4 to fix the responsibility.
Mr.. Goode said this bill was u sece4sity. and that
early In the session tho Committee on Naval
tons TO report 1t. He had no doubt that fur
thnr investigation was demanded but let this
Pill ns pasGGd % sna h9 avsssaon eoad
first pags this b |. because officers had been
paying heavy rates Of interest for money and
must must pay that interest until Congress comes to
Mr.. Atkins inquired why it was that they were
Mr.. doodo did not deem it necessary to go
into that question now. He had heard. how
ever, that 1t was because OF diversion Of
Mr. Hale said that all no doubt desired to pass
this BILL for there WIS no doubt about the money
being due. but instead Of explaining how the
Of the bill branched off into tirade against the
late Secretary Of the Navy.
tho &c gentleman % a should m % hive studied shows % that
this deficiency has been running through II
series of years.
Mr.. Hale went on to explain that for years It
had been the practice for the Secretary to take
from one fund to make up temporary .deleien
cies in others, and in that way there had often
ton to the fact that the Secretary had instituted
reform whereby he required annual settle
ments of accounts from abroad.
Mr.. Hale called attention to the fnct that the
late Secretary had Instituted reform whereby
he required annual settlements from abroad in.,
% not permit tho pay for the thee current year " TO be
incroached npon for the end Of the last fiscal
year. Mr.. Hale gould have wished that the late
now n private citizen, and still II is proposed to
MIR. Hale would defy Investigators to find that
u single dollar had ever been diverted for an
improper purpose. or to show that the late Sec
retary had done aught than follow the practice
Of the department whether Republican or
Democrat was Mt its head.
Mr.. Glover inquired whether the transfer Of
the funds in London to Jay Cooke & Co. was
Mr.. Hale replied. that matter was transferred
from the investigation committee to the law
committee of the House, and Mr.. Robson had
been exonerated. The government never lost a
dollar by the transfer. for the security demand
ed by the Secretary was ample -
Referring. to to another question. Mr. ., Hale
navy did Inc not I destroy it. v The estab sRment
must be kept up. and the effort to keep, 1t up be-
comes ega M Only aer the he nayy has been DIS
gle dollar had been illegally diverted or used.
Mr.. Danford remarked that the last investiga-
ton discovered nothing, He hoped new com
with good intentions. Wien the latter had said
theory but It would not be in practice. He will
soon change from this decision. The necessity
Of defcienGGisss Gs grows out Of on our way Of doing
Der and organization Of the navy, but 1t makes
no appropriation. The Appropriation Com,
o Of Th
makes what appropriation It chooses. So long
as the department. is administered on laws
made by another there will always be deficit.
Mr.. Blonnt approved the conduct of the pres
ent Secretary OF the Navy in processing to re-
Secretary had gone ont of office was no reason
why his acts should not be discussed. There
had been, misuse of public money and the
tracts illegally made AS an illustration he
stated that last year. when the appropriation
was asked for clothing. he himself had gone to
the clothing bureau, and was informed by the
head of the bureau that there was clothing on
hand to last three years. whereupon a clerk in
Blount, should not have been told that. as the
Secretary had made contract for new work.
Mr. Blount could see no relief for the laboring
classes. except by a reduction OF government
expenses.
The bill was read through and no amend
ments were offered.
The committee rose and the bill was reported
to the House.
The House resumed the consideration of the
bill to repeal the resumption act.
N.Y. &c fN4fn n ont