The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-01-23
XIV CONGRESS.
SENATE.

WASHINGTON, Jan. Ex-senator Blaine
spoke on the naval appropriation bill; in
the course of his remarks he said he did
not intend to criticise any administration
of the navy department.. 1t was the duty
of congress to make reforms and correct
errors. He spoke of the large number of
officers Of the navy, saying we had one
officer to little over three men. There
never was navy which did not grow out
OF commercial marine and In that respect
we were sadly deficient; that we paid in one
year $50 100000, gold, for freight and
that it would not be possible thing for
this county to maintain specie resumption
with that draft upon its resources.
Yet we continued appropriating for our
navy to protect commerce which did not
exist. He asked that congress would give
to the revival of commerce some part of
the sum now being wasted on a navy. He
believed $4,000,000 or S5.000,000 could be
taken from the navy without impairing its
efficiency and this $400O,0O0 or 81, 100000
would turn $50,000,000 into our Golfers.
The government of the United States
should give to any man or company of meO,
aid from the Treasury of the United
States if be or they should establish and
maintain a llne of steamships to any
foreign port, or he might limit it to any
European, South American or Asiastic
port. He would invite competition from
all over the country.
At the close of considerable argument,
Mr.. Blaine withdrew his amendments to
the bill. was then read for the third time
time and passed.
HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-Quite a stormy
deDate arose IN regard to the southern
claim Olll,lnlthe course of which MIR. Bragg
referred to the $35,00O,0 900 it was claimed
| by the southern members had hann iIla.
gally collected from captured and aband
oned property, and which they claimed be-
l0nged to the south, and called on those
members to count the billions of money
spent to put down the war, and then strike
a balance with $35,000,000 on the credit
side, AID al! the countless miseries on the
debit side. He was willing that the dead
past should remain dead, but he was not
willing to sit by and allow it to be brought
up in one form or another, by one member
or another, and from one committee or an
other, for the purpose of getting money
out OF the treasury on the plea of loyalty.
| When the people of the country felt that
they could not trust the treasury and the
interests OF the government with the dem
ocratlc party, with no danger of the demo-
Gratis OF the north selling out body and
soul to the democrats of the south, that
party could gather recruits iu the northern
states that would ell up it's ranks to the
maximum, and it would have no need of
that class of gentlemen whom it could hold
ready by giving them all they wanted.
Mr.. Ellis, OF Louisiana. agreed that the
percentage of loyal persons in the south.
as the gentleman understood it, was very
small, but southern man who had been
born there, who had been reared there.
and who had been identified with that
people, could only have been loyal when be
entered the confederate army and did his
lull duty as a soldier. They had been the
only loyal people in the south. They had
been loyal to their country, to their God,
and to the noblest, highest and manifest
emotions ever breathed By human soul.
Mr. Couger desired TO ask q question.
but MIR. Ellis refused to yield. aud contin
uing said that here and there there might
have been few persons who had espoused
the union cause, but he did not knew more
J than three met 10 his state who had beer
|
and now to vofe for constitutional amend
> ment which should close the books. anC
forever settle the accounts between then
: with the government. The lecture whicI
the gentleman from Wisconsing bragg
: had seen f: to read the democrats of th
i south, car.e from him with rather a baC
grace. No democrat had proposed t,
desert the democratic party. No south
ern democrat had minated such a pro
I posal.
! Mr.. Stephens introduced a bill defnin
. and describing the duties of the secretar
;. of the treasury in certain cases. Referred
? One of lis provisions is that when any 0
: the national banks shall fail to redeem it
notes, or shall! desire to withdraw them
4 the secretary of the treasury shall sell t
. highest bidder the United States bond
i deposited TO secure the same, for coin @
: treasury notes, and issue certificates of de
l. post for the c0iB or notes thus received
q which he shall deliver 10 exchange for th
n notes Of the. bank, if axactly the same de-
nOmiuation'' and pay over the balance c
- those certificates to the bank which ha
q deposited and owned the bonds. These Gel
n tifcates shall be receivable for public due
a aUd be redeemable in coin or treasur
! notes at the United States Treasury.