Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1877-11-09
FORTY-FIFTH CONGRESS.
Extra Session.
SENATE.

/ oPPioNtu Jan. III, 1910.
Edmunds submitted a resolution ins,ruc,ino IN,
Judiciary comm ittee to inquire and report II nm,
/ regulation Is necessary Ia order to authorize nav
ment out OF any moneys received or tn he 70
ceived IRON the republic of Mexico or otherwise
to American claimants of awards made bv IN,
commission created under the treaty between IN,
U. 5. and that republic, ratifcaiions wb.reo
were exchanged February LIST, a. ID, 1869, Ayree,
to.
A resolution offered by Maxcy, Tuesday last
ca Hing upon the President for Information in re
gard to the rescue OF prisoners from STARK co
Texas jail, by outlaws from Mexico, in Aug. LAT
was taken up and agreed TO.
Also resolution by Mitchell Tuesday, calling
upon the Secretary OF the Interior for inforlns
ton rs to the number Of miles of Northern Pacit,
railroad Is constructed, and what changes hay,
been made In the line, &c.
The President sent in the following nomina
tons Henry ). Sanford of Fla, minister to Bel
gum; John McClntock, U. 5. marshal for Mary.
land.
The Senate at 1925 went into executive ses.
sion.
Bills introduced:
~ by Anthony. To authorize the Secy of the
treasury 10 purchase a lot OF land for the use of
the government IN Providence, RI.
Also JOINT resolution authorizing Commander
+. y. Matthews of the U. ) navy to accent "A 0ilt
teapot from the Emperor of Siam.
Chafee offered preamble and resolution re-
guessing the President tn inform the Senate what
legal appointments, II any, exist which prevent
hun executing the law in accordance with the oh
hgatiols accepted and the agreement made by the
Union Paclhc *. X. Co. and branches with the II
D, as stipulated and agreed upon in several acts
OF congress. That SAID railroad and branches
should be operated and used for all purpose, Of
communication, travel and transportation, as fsr
as the pubic and government are concerned. A.
one connected, continuous line II was laid ov.,
for the present.
Edmunds introduced bill TO grant Mary X, S
Eaton, widow Of the late Gen. Amos Is. Eaton "A
pension OF 500 a month. Referred.
Inc nee President was ordered to fill yacap
cies on the committees on foreign relations rail.
roads and priv lleges and elections, occasioned b,
the death OF Morton
1t was agreed that the House bill for remopet
naton of silver be taken up for consideration b,
the committee next Tuesday, and there seems to
Do some probability that vote npon 1t will b,
taken the same day.
Adjourned TIL Tomorrow.
House.
There being no chaplain present, the House
was opened " thout prayer.
The House went INTO committee of the whole,
Cox OF n. Y III the chair, on the army appropri-
alton bill
The general debate upon the bill was limited to
two hours.
The House was addressed by Atkins of Tenn.
chairman OF the appropriation committee. lie
explained that We estimate of the War depart
ment Tor the present year amounted to $50 500 900
while the bill appropriated S25 700, 600, a decrease
0i 13,OOp,0OO from the appropriation of last year
The bill has been drawn up on the basis of % 600
men Tor the first four months of the year and
~ OOO tor tbs remaining eight months. The gen.
eral OF the Amy had been before the committee
and mad stated positively that there were less than
ZO,OOO men III The sci vice at the present time. lie
SAID he was still n favor OF reducing the army to
lo,UOO men, but he did not ia INK that it was the
pIOper do q. the hal haap
long without pay, aud the question of reducing
tue force mt hi delay the passage OF the bill. IL
regard to the restriction placed upon last years
bd he SAID that 1t had been left out of the recent
Dill because the committee did not feel that, in
view of the action OF the President in carving
out the time -honoled custom of non intervention
ID and allowing states to regulate thel own affairs
IN their own way, 1t was necessary to place a re-
strcung clause III the present bill He supposed
that some OF his friends would find fault with the
committee for that omission, but he declared that
If the same circumstances existed now as months
ago he would have stood squarely by the lestric-
ton, no matter what was tue consequence.
In answer TO question by Hooker, Singleton
OF Miss, member OF the Appropriation commit.
tee, SAID that Gen. Sherman had appeared before
that committee and stated that at the time of the
presidential inauguration there were in Southern
States four regiments OF 800 men each, two vi
which had since been Withdrawn.
Schlescher inquired whether the committee had
thhtu 10 examine Wuethef ne strength
OF thS army suticed for the protection of the
border
Atkins replied that, in his opinion, the army
was sufficiently large for that purpose.
Foster, member of the appropriation commit
tee, in reply to Schleicher, re mark.d that the
committee had taken pains to inform itself
and that all officers said that the present force
was not ST. ffiClent.
Atkins said be would now yield ten minutes to
the gentleman from n. Y. Wood.
Wood said the remarks he proposed to submit
had reference 10 the general conditioh of expeudi
lures and receipts of the government, but as his
statement would occupy longer than ten IN inntes,
he would take some other opportunity to express
his views
Foster said it was the opinion of the General O f
the army that on the first of November not more
than 10000 men were in the army. To-day, how
ever, statement has been read from the Paymas-
ter General, asking an increase in the pay sppro-
piatlon, because mistake was made as to the
number of men. His information being that the
present force is about p 600 The difficulty into
which the law of appropriations had fallen, arose
from the fact that it felt it its bounden duty to re-
duce the app OPERATION for the army and the army
Itself. The members OF the minority had no de-
sire to emharrass the action of the majority. They
believed, however, that a force of $1,000 was as
small as the needs of the country warranted. They
were not disposed TO make factious opposition to
the action OF the ma GRITTY. They would perhaps
test the sense of the House in one or two ques-
tons, but not further. His own impression was
that Congress ought to make an appropriation Tor
$4,000 men.
The time for general debate having expired, the
clerk proceeded to read the bill by sections.
SchleIcher offered an am. ndment striking out
the clause which prohibits recruiting OF the army
above the present strength. lie said that if the
army was composed of only $4,000 men, as some
gents had stated, the bill would not allow that
number to be increased. lie called attention to
the fact that though the President had given Or
ders far the army to follow the Mexican maIaud
ers over the border, Gen. Ord had been afraid TO
do so, because the only available movable force
he had GU the border, ater garrsoning the posts,
WAS 500 men, while there were thousands OF men
on the other side of the Rio Grsnde who detied
the u. 5. government anu defed their own gov
ernmcnt.
Blount opposed tie amendment.
Cslkins OF Ind was III favor of increasing the
army TO 30 600 men.
Mr.. Blackburn moved to reduce the army to
10 600 mem aud moved the yeas and nays on his
amendment.
Friedman thought an Amy of $4,000 sufficient
TO protect the bur.ur