Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-03-07
Congressional. Summary.

sion chose Senator Ferry. president prt
tenn. of the senate. The democrat;
voted for Thurman, the vote was 8
strictly patty vote, Davis of H., voting
with the democrats. The rest of the
day was devoted to the discussion Of
unimportant matters.
TUESDAY, Feb. 26-House. se.-The read
ing of the journal was not completed
until shortly before one o'clock. Mr.
Reagan, chairman of the commit
tee on commerce. reported back the
bill to regulate interstate commerce
and to prohibit unjust determinations
by common carriers. Printed and re-
committed A petition 700 yards long
and signed by fifty thousand names, for
the repeal of the law in relation to the
transmission of matter through the
mails, was referred, The speaker then
called for reports from all committees
having bills in their hands; after which
the house adjourned.
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 27-Sendte. In the
senate Mr.. Allison introduced a bill to
provide for the entry of lands by In
dians under the homestead law. Mr.
Maxey introduced bill to establish the
rank of senior inspector general of the
United States army. Mr.. Dawes, from
the committee on public buildings and
grounds, reported bill for continuing
the work of improving the capitol
grounds, and asked for its present
consideration. 1t led to some dis
cussion, during which Conkling
spoke of repeated changes made in
improving the capitol grounds, and said
if the late board of public woks in
Washington, that stalking horse for
vituperation which he had denounced
often, had done what it had done in the
vicinity of this building, his impression
was the country would not be big
enough to hold the noise. After some
further discussion the bill passed. The
long savings bond bill was then consid-
cred 1t was finally laid aside without
action Consideration was then re-
sumed of the bill relative to the pay
ment of pensions in New York city.
The newly appointed pension agent in
that city, having failed to give the re-
quired bond, the bill in question pro-
vides for making the regular March
payments through the appointment of
a regular army officer, to be detailed
for the purpose Of filling the duties of
said office. After a lengthy debate in
which Senator Conkling attacked the
president for allowing the appointed
agent to take so much time in filing a
bond, the bill passed and the senate ad-
Ijourned.
WEDNESDAY, Feb -House.-The
senate bill amending the act, providing
for the publication of the new edition
of the revised statutes was taken from
the speakers table and passed. Mr.
Chittenden offered resolution that
the judiciary committee inquire
whether the Union Pacific railroad
company has invested its funds in stock
bonds or other evidence of debt of anv
other corporation, and whether the
Union Pacific has violated its charter
by so doing. Banning, chairman of the
committee on military affairs, reported a
bill authorizing the secretary of war to
sell the following ordnance establish
ments: Waterville arsenal, New York
Washington arsenal, District of Column
liza; Allegheny arsenal, Pennsylvania
Pikesville arsenal, Maryland; and Wa
tertown arsenal, Mississippi. Referred.
The bill granting the use of ammuni-
ton, tents, etc, to the soldiers reunion
at Marietta, Ohio, passed. The bill is
suing arms and ammunition to the ter
ritory of Idaho passed. After a long
discussion on the pension bill, the house
adjourned.
THURSDAY, Feb. 2S-Seadte.- SEN
ate received the silver bill from the
house, it having passed that body not
| 4lo1+, hN
taken, and the bill passed the senate;
ayes 46, noes 10.
THURSDAY, Feb. 2S-House- pres
ident sent to the house the following
message. vetoing the silver bill:
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON, u. c., Feb. 28, 1873.
To the House Of Representatives:
After very careful consideration of
house bill 1898, entitled "an act to au-
thorize the coinage Of the silver dollar
and to restore its legal tender charac-
ter" [ feel compelled to return it to the
house of representative in which it
originated, with my objection to its pas
sage, holding the opinion which ex-
pressed in my annual message, that
neither the interests of the government
nor of the people of the United States
would be promoted by disparaging sill
yer as one of the two precious metals
which furnish the coinage Of the world,
and that legislation which looks to the
contracting of the volume of intrinsic
money to as full a measure Of both
, metals as their relative commercial
value will permit would be neither un-
just nor inexpedient. It has been my
| oct 70
in the adoption of such measures to in
crease the silver coinage of the country
as would not impair the obligation of con
tracts, either public or private, or in
juriously affect the public credit
} 1t is only on the conviction that
this bill does not meet these essential
; requirements that | feel it my duty tC
withhold from it my approval. My
present official duty as to that bill per
mits only an attention to the specific
J objects Of the bill for which, it seems tC
me, the constitution has provided. The
) bill provides for the coinage of silver
dollars of the weight of 4122 grains
each of standard silver, to be a lega
tender to their nominal value for al
: debts and duties. public and private
except where otherwise expressly stlp
+ ulated in the contract. 1t is we'll knowr
| that the market value of that number
of grains, standard silver, during the
past year, has been from ninety tC
ninety-two cents, as compared with the
standard gold dollar. Thus the silye,
dollar authorized by this bill is wortl
from s to 10 per cent. less than it pur
ports to be worth, and is made lega
5 tender for debts contracted when th'