Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-06-07
CONGRESSIONAL.
The House Agrees to a Reduction of Il
Tax on TObaccO-Text of that Clause
OF the New Revenue Bill, as
Adeptee.
The Senate Increases the Army to I've
ty-Five Thousand Men, and Spends
the Day in Discussing the Army
Appropriation Bill.
I'm the House.

i / . -,
soldiers reunion at Centreville, Iowa, passe
| Sessions were ordered for Friday and Tue
day evenings next.
Mr.. Upton introduced bill authorizir
Ohio, Illinois and Indiana to prosecute sui
against the United States in the supren
court. Referred.
A resolution appointing committee to a
with the senate committee to receive on tt
twenty second of February, 1879, the Unite
| States centennial safe and its contents. w:
| adopted
The committee on printing reported BAG
the bill for printing the agricultural repo
for 1877, with the senate amendment Orc
viding tor the printing of five thousan
copies of the colonial charters and constitu
tions, and recommending non-concurrenc
| In the amendment
Mr.. Frye moved to concur. Agreed to-
yeas, 1872; nays, lis, and the bill passed.
With Mr. Baker in the chair, consideration
| of the bill amending the revenue laws wa
| resumed, the pending question being on tn
amendment OF MIR. Covert, as amended b.
| Mr.. Tucker.
The amendment reads as follows: sTha
on and after the passage of this act Their
shall be levied and collected upon all snuff
manufactured of tobacco, or any substi
tute for tobacco, ground, dry, damp, picked
scented, or otherwise, of all description
when prepared for use, and upon all chewing
and smoking tobacco, fine-cut, cavendish
plug or twist, cut or graHulated, of ever,
description, on tobacco twisted by hand or re
duced into a condition to be consumed or IL
any manner other than the ordinary mode Of
drying and curing prepared for sale or con
sumption, even II prepared without the use
OF any machine or instrument and withou;
being pressed or sweetened, and on all fine.
cut, shorts and refuse scraps, clippings, cut.
tlngs and sweepings of tobacco, tax of Ie
II
tons, which shall be manufactured and sold
or removed for consumption or use made OF
tobacco, or any substitute thereof, there shall
be LEVIED and collected tax of SIS per thou
sand; on cigarettes, weighing not more
than three pounds and half per thousand,
81 25 per thousand; on cigarettes, weigh
ing more than three pounds per thousand.
SO per thousand. And all laws and parts of
laws inconsistent with this section shall be
and are hereby repealed On and after the
date hereinafter said.'
Mr.. Smith Pal submitted the conference
report ON the bill making appropriations for
the payment Of invalid and other pensions.
Agreed to.
The speaker appointed the following con-
ference committees: On the legislative appro-
pration bill, Messrs. Atkins, Durham and
Foster; on the postoffice appropriation BILL
Messrs. Blount, Clymer and Baker.
Mr.. Blount explained the provisions of the
bill. The total deficiency for 1878 only
amounted to one million nine hundred and
seventy thousand dollars. The remainder
was made up OF reappropr iations and appropri-
atoms prior to 1876. Included in this was
also an appropriation of over one million dol
lars fur tha.1RaRsan ant aG olas1a Je4,sS-1- the
country and the party-the gentlemen on the
Democratic side of the house-upon the re-
auctions made last year IN the expenses of
the government. There was difference of
L I'LL
for 1876 and 1873, so that, even
counting in the deficiency bills for the latter
year and the deficiencies accruing prior to
1876, there would be shown to be saving of
twenty three million dollars. If the aporopri
atoms for the deficiencies accruing prior to
1876 were deducted, it would appear incon
trovertible that the saving to the government
had amounted to over twenty-eight million
dollars.
Mr. Foster denied that statement The
books of the treasury would only show saw
ing of nineteen million dollars.
Mr.. Blount replied that the annual state
ment of the register of the treasury would
bear him out in the statement he had made.
Mr.: Ciymer explained the appropriation
for the pay of the navy. This deficiency
arose from the fact that under the last ad
ministration the navy fund for the pay of the
officers and seaman was ruthlessly seized
and used in the different bureaus Of the navy
for the purpose of allowing the secretary of
the navy to enter into large contracts. The
navy was in debt for years prior to those leg
islated for by the forty fourth and forty-fif
congresses nearly the sum of one million
six hundred thousand dollars, which had been
grabbed in defiance of law by the last secre-
tary of the navy, and appropriated to pay his
pet contractors for work not authorized by
law.
Mr.. Herbert spoke in opposition to the
Texas Pacific railroad bill.
Mr. Willis n. Y. chairman of the COM
mittee on naval expenditures, explained the
provisions of the deficiency bill in regard to
the payment of claims against the navy de-
partment. The committee on naval eXpen-
ditures had closely examined the contracts
for which payment was asked, and had rec
commended to the committee on appropria-
lions the payment of claims to the amount of
three million two hundred and seventeen
thousand dollars. 1t was true that In enter
ing into contracts the government officials
had in many cases ignored the law, but did
that IN any way interfere with the rights Of
the men who had rendered services to the
government?
Mr.. Whltthorne, member of the commit
teee on naval expenditures, defended his &C.
ton in refusing to give his assent to the re-
port OF the committee recommending the APP
preparation of three million two hundred and
seventeen thousand dollars for the payment
of claims against the navy department. He
undertook to say that eight out of every ten
of the contracts for which payment was asked
had been entered into without legal sanction.
General debate upon the bill closed and
the committee rose and the house adjourned.
I'm the Senate.
During the morning hour Senator Voor-
bees spoke in favor of the early consideration
of the bill to repeal the specie resumption
act, and said that the senate might as well
look this matter in the face. If it was not
going to repeal the act, let it say so by its
vote. No greater question had ever engaged
the American congress, and he would take
every opportunity frem now till the close of
the session to insist that the matter should
be disposed of. The senate had time to pass
all sorts of bills to bridge rivulets, but nc
time to meet the question which involved
more peril and distress than had ever been
produced by war and pestlence. He thought
that it could be disposed of in sixty minutes
Senator Allison submitted an amendment
to strike out of the house bill the clause in.
tending to permanently fix the number of en-
| listed men. Agreed to.
Senator Howe called up the senate bill re-
lating to Geographic communication between
| the United States and foreiR On countries here
| tofore discussed. In explanation of the bill
| Senator Howe said the object Of 1t wa
merely to give any country the privilege t.
| land a cable here, provided such country
| should be as liberal to the United States
| After brief discussion, the bill passed.
| Senator Dorsey, from the committee on the
District of Columbia, reported, with amend
ments, the senate bill to levy tax on th'
sale of spirituous and malt liquors in bar
| rooms and all places where intoxicating
| liquors were sold by the drink in the Distric
of Columbia. Placed on the calendar.
Senator Davis I'LL. called up the senat
bill to amend the act of May %, 1872, t
| provide for furnishing trusses to disabled sol
diers. Passed.
At the expiration of the morning hour
and after long discussion, the senate, by