National Republican., 1878-05-02
HOUSE OF REPR REsESTaTIyEs.

notes. (Tbe bill provides that when fractional
silver coin is presented in sums Of one
hundred dollars or multiples thereof the
party presenting IL shall receive an equal
amount in United States notes.) Referred. TO
Committee on Coinage.
On motion of Mr. CLARK IN. J.) the Secreta.
ries of War, Treasury, and of tho Interior wore
directed to send to the House list Of all per.
sons holding office In their respective Depart
ments who were discharged from the military
service Of the United Statos In consequence Of
wounds or other disability, and also to report
the date Of discharge, md tho length Of SER
vice.
BY unanimous consent, the Senate bills on
the Speakers table were taken up and referred
to the appropriate committees.
Mr. LYNDE introduced bill In relation 10
foreclosure Of mortgages under deeds of trust
in the District of Columbia. Referred TO the
Judiciary Committee.
On motion of Mr.. ATKINS, the House wont
into Committee Of the Whole on the legislative
appropriation bill, Mr.. EDEN In the chair.
On motion of Mr.. ATKINS, the number Of
clerks of class one In the Quartermaster Gene
rails office was reduced to twenty, and the
number of copyists to twenty, and the contin-
gent expenses for the Commissary Generals
Office was reduced to 5000.
Mr.. FINLEY moved to strike out the clause
which required the entire clerical force Of the
Surgcon-Generaps Office, now employed on
the medical and surgical history ofthe war, to
be employed on work necessary to the prompt
payment Of pensions.
He said he wanted tho work on tho medical
and surgical history TO go on because Il was
necessary. lie desired. in the same connection,
to say that be ropudated the assertion so
often made that this House was responsible
lor the backwarduess Of pension claims. The
House had given tho adequate force II IL was
properly administered.
Mr.. SAMPSON disputed this, and insisted
that tho force was not sufficient
Mr.. CONGER wanted to imprsss tho fact
upon tho House land country that there were
2O,OD pensioners who desired to have their
cases heard and acted on, and yet the work of
tho Pension Office was one wear behind hand
And yet this House resorts to the pitiful dc.
vice of borrowing clerks from tho Surgeon.
Generals office. Can't we employ moro clerks?
Has 1t come to this, that the country Is so poor
that 1t can't employ add itional clerks, but that
ono bureau must borrow from another? That
Is the kind Of economy this House Is pursuing.
You save money by Withholding Just dues
from the MANNED, sick, and woanded pension
"rS until losing oil hope they die and pass out
Of sight.
mr. DD LIEN bdlu IL ala not cost more TO
employ one hundred men one day than one
man one hundred days, and an adequate force
should be employed to bring this work up.
Mr.. cox (Ohio) said II was such pinching
| economy as this that was the disgrace of this
House of Representatives The committee
does not come here and say In so many words
| that thoy want to stop the preparation of the
| Medical and Surgical History, but they pro-
pose TO deprive the Surgeon General of the
IN Df lninp | W W. mn hay
say we are stopping the payment of pensions
| II would be better to increase the number of
clerks than to stop the publication Of this val.
liable work.
Mr.. ATKINS inquired If the gentleman
knew how many clerks were In the Pension
Office in the Forty-third Congress.
Mr.. BAKER lind said ho could answer.
Mr.. ATKINS did not want an answer. lie
would answer II himself. There were l35 in
that Congress, and now 1t Is proposed to give
1856, and yet gentlemen on the other side try
to make political capital out Of this. All Of
the committee were agreed that the number
was sufficient, except Mr.. BAKER Ind.) and
he could not understand why be opposed the
bill to-day.
Mr.. BkEBE said the reason why the pension
work was behindhand was because clerks had
been detailed for political work. lie asserted
that some of the clerks were detailed last year
for duty at the Republican Congressional Com
mittce.
The motion of Mr.. FINLEY to strike out the
paragraph was then agreed to.
A further amendment was agreed to increas-
ing tho number Of clerks flfty.eight in the
Surgeon Generals Office.
On motion Of Mr.. ATKINS, the apprOpria-
tion for the rent Of the building occupied by
the Paymaster. General was increased to 1000,
Mr.. GOODE offered an amendment author
izing the chief clerk of the Navy Department
to act as Assistant Secretary of the Navy and
making his salary $1,000 when so acting.
Ruled out on point Of order.
The clerical force Of the office Of the Secre-
tary Of the Interior was slightly increased.
An appropriation of $500 was inserted for
the rent of tho Wright building, corner of
Eighth and streets.
Five clerks of class one were added to the
clerical force Of the General Land.Onice.
Thirty five tlrst.class clerks were added to
the force oftho Pension Office.
Mr.. HASKELL offered an amendment in
creasing the clerical force in the Indian Bu-
rcau. Rejected
In discussing the amendment,
Ar. WIGGISTON made the charge that the
Commissioner OF Indian Affairs was never in
his office, but that he was nearly always alb
sent in New York.
Mr.. SPARKS defended the Commissioner as
being faithful worker.
Mr.. WlGGlSrOS said he had been trying
to see him for two weeks on important busi-
ness and could not do SO. lie was told he was
in New York.
Mr.. SPARKS replied that whom the Com.
missioner accepted the office II was with the
understanding that ho was to settle up some
unfinished private business. When that was
done he would devote his whole time to the
office.
Pending motion to increase the salary of
the Commissioner Of Pensions to $1,000 the
committee rose
Eighteen pages of the bill were completed
to-day, making sixty-one pages altogether.
The amount of increase in the bill is $1,000.
Mr.. ROBERTSON, from the Committee on
Mississippi Levccs, reported bill appropriut.
ing the sum of 1851 ,57i for closing the Gro.
vases and strengthening the leyces of the
Mississippi. Ordered printed aud recommittcd.
Mr.. VANCE reported from the Committee on
Patents bill to amend the statutes relating
to patents. Ordered printed aud rccUmmitted.
Mr.. FINLEY introduced bill to limit
charges for freight and passengers over tho
Pacific Railroad bridge at Omaha. Referred.
The House then, at 5:03 took recess till
7;3O.
EVENING SESSION,
Tho evening session was for debate only,
and Mr.. COVERT presided rs Speaker pro ten.
There were just half dozen members
present when the House was called to order
Mr. TIROCKMORrON read speech on
the bill for reorganization of the army, OPP
posing reduction and advocating an army of at
~ luLn