The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-20
CoNGnEssIoN.L PROCEEDINGS.
TIln Reunfc

CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.
The senate.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 1s.-The Senate met at
Mr.. Booth presented resolutions of tho Cali
fornia legislature. protesting again further
Pacific coast and China. Referred to the Com
mittee. on Postofices and Post Roads. =, !.
Mr.. Allison presented petition of citizens Of
Iowa, protesting against the repeal OF the re-
sumption act. which was referred to the Come
mittee on Finance.
Mr. Oglesby from the Committee on Public
of March s. 1877. relative to the Hot Springs
reservation. inn Arkansas. and recommended
III n ro he Military
Affairs, reported a bill for the reiief of Wm. A.
Hammond late Surgeon General Of the United
States Army. Placed on the calendar.
oar Mat hevs introduced a bill making n
grant to certain heirs OF o portion of the Fort
Dearborn reservation In Chicago ILL.,.
pensation of postmasters of the fourth class
He explained that under the system now pre-
vailing the compensation OF these postmasters
spectve offices. Under this system frauds had
been committed. and 1t is proposed by this bill
to remedy this by basing the compensation
Mr.. Hamlin offered an amendment extending
the franking privileges to officers of he gov
q she heads Of ad
law as 1t stands, the officers OF the government
referred to in his amendment had to frank
their official correspondence by means Of
stamps. This involved an expense which this
bill proposed to do away with.
Mr.. Edmunds desired !, the bill to go over until
extending the franking privilege to members
OF Congress 50 far as their official correspond
ence was concerned. He could see no reason
why the President Of the United States or the
Secretary Of the Senate should be permitted to
send their official correspondence under their
frank and members OF Congress should be re-
duired to pay postage upon theirs out OF their
own pockets.
Mr.. Hamlin expressed his willingness to ac-
cept the amendment.
Mr.. Ferry then. suggested that, rs there
seemed to be Il desire to debate the amendment.
the bi go over until tomorrow 1t was SO
Mr.. Withers called up the bill amending the
pensions law. relating to soldiers and sailors
of the war.
rolls the names of persons who forfeited their
right to pension by participation in the war
Of the rebellion. and grants pensions to those
vided they have been in battle.
Mr.. Edmunds moved the yeas and nays upon
the section, restoring to tho pension rolls those
Mr.. ingalls, explained that not more than 100
persons would be affected by the amendment
M. Maxey referred to the expressions Of Pres
ident Grant that the pensioners referred to in
this bill weretoo old to have been able to parti
ctpate In the war of the rebellion. but that the
to their country.
Mr., Edmunds was smuch In favor as any one
to obiterate all animosities. With him. how
ever. it was q question of principle. He admit
ted he had not the broad stat. smanshp which
characterized the other side of this chamber,
was admitted @ the m next step Would w t be to allow
for the property taken during
the war to all persons, making no discrimina,
those who helped the Confederacy. CORE
spending change in the pension laws relating
to the late war weuld follow next.
Senator from Vermont led him to say that in
his opinion there had been entirely too much
wiplng out. He. however. was not Q party TO
he should not have wiped out quite so much
but he thought 1t absurd to deprive of their PEN
sons few , persons who In n years W gone by had
the rebellion must have been too old to partici-
pate In It,
Mr.. Edmunds withdrew his demand for the
yeas and nays, and the amendment was dis
tNoTE.--The amendment Of the committee re-
la es to, persons whose disabilities haye been
or who have made applicatiorefor re-
moval The section, as it now stands. restoresn
q the pension rolls all soldiers and sailo, ,s Of
The war of 1872. or of any Of the Indian wars,
who took np arms against the government or
the rebellion.
Mr.. Sargent asked permission at this time to
bill to reorganize the ife-taying
and coast-guard service. Referred to the Conn
mittee on Civil Service Aff,irs.
Mr.. Wallace asked that the bill relating to the
Chinese indemnity fund. which had been re-
ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs be
referred to the Committee on Naval Affairs 30
ordered.
Mr.. Oglesby said he could not vote for law
which invited back to the pension roll men who,
though they rendered service to the couutry in
oygune years. had allowed themselves to stray
away from the flag and array themselves against
he Union. He moved TO strike out the fifth
section.
Mr.. Blaine said it was Impossible that any
survivor OF the War OF 1872 at the breaking out
of the war Of rebellion. could have been less
han sixty. years old. They were old men. espe-
disabled, They could not have done any harm
Turing the late war, II you wish to punish
hem for their sympathy, that is another mat
,er. But it would b. absurd to expect that they
would desert their children and grandchildren
and seek the Northern man. III hey rendered
second war Of Independence. There are plenty
of men holding office to-day who could not
have done 50 had 1t not been Tor the vote OF the
Senator from Illinois. He wished that there
had not been quite 80 much progress in that
direction obut as to depriying by his vote, the
poor old man south Of the Potomac or the Ohio
Of his pension. he would never do it. never.
After further discussion by Messrs Oglesby,
Blaioe and ingalls,, the yeas and nays were de-
manded upon Mr.. Ogtesby's amendment to
strike out the fifth section of the bill which is
The one restoring these pensioners to the rolls.
The vote resulted: Yeas 7, nays 50.
!, Those voting affirma lively were Messrs. An
MILAN, Morrill,, Oglesby and Tiller.
The yeas and nays were then taken upon the
passage OF the bill. AMI the vote resulted: Yeas
II, nays 8, Mr.. Hamlin voting in the negative
With the other seven Senators named above
Mr. Edmunds called up the bill from the Com