The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-23
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

WASHINGTON, req. - 1917.
The morning hour having expired Mr.. SPRINGER,
(dem) of H., Chairman of the Committee on Expen-
ditures the State Department presented the report
of that committee, concluding with order direct
ing the Speaker to issue his warrant directing the
Sergeant-atA Arms to take into custody the body o.
George f. Seward and bring him before the bar OF
the House to show cause why he should not be pun
ished for content q contumacious witness The
report ordered printed, also the report Of
the minority presented by. Mr.. Bundy. and Mr..
Springer gave notice that would call 1t up
ton next Monday.
Mr. TUCKER ldem.) of Va. moved to proceed to
business the Speakers table. Agreed to- The
first bin on tho Speakers table House bill. with
Senate amendments. to amend act to amend Gus
toms revenue laws and to repeal moicties The
Senate amendments agreed to- The second bill
on the table was the House bill for the repeal the
Resumption net amended by the Senate providing
that the passage of this United States
shall be receivable the coin in the payment
of four per cent bonds which authorized by law
to be issued and after October |. 1879. they shall be
receivable for duties on imports.
GREENBACKs FOR CUSTOMS DUTIEs
Mr.. EWING, (deui-) OF Ohio, acting under authority
of the Committee on Banking and Currency, sub
mtted smendments-thc first striking out October
diatey receivable for payment of customs duties.
The second amendment offered by him is
follows:-"provided that the money hercat;
States bonds shall be applied only TO the
redemption of other bonds bearing the highest rate
OF interest aud subject to call. and provided that
whenever from time to time the proceeds OF the
sales OF bonds shall aggregate s30OO0o0. the Secre
tary of the Treasury shall issue call for that
amount of bonds and the interest the bonds
called tor redemption shall in thirty days from
the date of such CALL aud all United States notes
ceved into the Treasury shall be reissued and kept
in circulation without change in the aggregate
amount of the several denominations existing on
May 81 1873 and shall not be lawful to issue legal
tender notes of larger denomination than 81 900"
MIR. Ewing proceeded to speak in support of his
amendment. The Senate amendment to the repeal
BILL which authorized the Secretary of the Treasury
20 receive grccnbacks for customs would bring
into the Treasury sl30.0oo,0Oo in grccnbacks every
year In that way $3.50 900 GOO of the paper money,
which was the active mobis money of business,
would be taken into the Treasury ard held for three
or months until the time came round to use it
for the pay ment OF the interest of the public debt.
Though he felt that that provision would interfere
with the business country, still he was IN favor of
it, because he wanted to dignity the grecnback and
give ii all the powers of money, and because he
wanted Legislative declaration that the odious pur-
pose OF the Resumption act to destroy the best
money the people ever had had or ever would have.
had been defeated forever, and that the green
back should go down to postcrity as the
most prominent and useful money of the country.
The amendment offered by him, providing that
calei bonds should bear interest only thirty days
the date OF CALL would save to the people the
interest for sixty days upon those bonds But the
man point in his amendment was that which pre-
vented the further sale OF bonds of any denomiua-
ton for ufnptCn purposes. RFferring TO the
scheme of resumption. he said that the people could
not get a chance to obtain gold There was only
counter which gold was passed, and then in
sums of not less than $50.
WHAT FOREIGNERS.
This country was in condition Of practical en-
slavement 10 the foreigner No less than 900
OF it's debt held abroad II had to pay no less
than 500 year to foreign shipping In this
way. and by the spendings OF Americans residing
or travelling abroad there o drain Of prob
ably $i5O.O00.0oO year from this country.
IL was that drain which threatened the hoard of
sii 900 900 Of gold In the Treasury WAS petty and
contemplate provision on which to base the TIRE
mendous industries OF the country which were TO
live die according to the failure of the
resumption scheme. The pile OF gold in the Treas
ury although it might be fenced against the people
the United States, could be fenced against the
foreigner. In conclusion he id-Now, fellow
citizens rosrs of laughter, which tor some time
seemed to discomfort the gcntlemanl. II did believe
IL desirable that resumption should be maintained
just as 1t is would still put stop to the power OF
adding 20 this hoard in the Treasury thereby adding
IT, the calamity which will come from the withdrawal
OF greeubacks to procure gold for this foreign drain
That il the purpose OF tho amendment reported
by the Committee on Banking and Currency
Mr.. PnuILrs, (rep.) of Kan. supported the amend
ment offered by Mr.. Ewing. lie said that last May
the House, by twothrds majority. passed a law
that the legal tender currency should not BE- can
ccllcd but should be kept in circulation. and that
law had met with such universal public approval.
in order to main tain the legal tender at par
he thought IL well to adopt the Senate amendment
that legal tcndcr notes shall be received for customs
du,icsl, and also 10 adopt the amendment submitted
from the Committee ON Banking and Currency
MIR. TowNsurNp: DEM OF H., spoke In favor of q
proposition which he desired to offer amend
ment to the effect that in payment of the obliea-
tions 81 the government mot specially required to
be paid in conn., gold. silver and currency should be
used in equal proportion TO the amount OF those
forms OF money then In the Treasury.
KELLEY "rtrs HIS roor DOWN"
Mr.. KELLEY. (rcp.) of Pa, declared himself infeN-
IDLY opposed to an increase of the bonded debt and
also to the artificial contraction of the volume OF
currency TO which prices aud business had adjusted
themselves. He regarded the Senate amendment as