Daily globe., 1879-05-28
House Of Representatives.
cOIRT trRANSEERE

COURT TRANSFERS.
WASHINGTON, May 27.-The bill relative to
the removal of cases from State to federal
courts came up in the morning hour, the pend
ing question being on seconding the previous
question. Fernando Wood appealed to Mr..
Townshend, of Illinois, who has charge of the
bill, to permit its reference or recommital, SO
as not to have it blocking up the business of
all the other committees. Mr.. Townshend re-
garded it as his duty to press for action on the
bill. The Republicans then resorted to the
policy of Withholding their votes, and this
made necessary q call of the House.
The call was followed by roll call on a mo-
ton to dispense with further procet dings, and
the morning hour having expired, the bill went
over without action.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
The House then proceeded to consideration
of the bill to prevent the introduction of con-
tagious or infectious diseases into the United
States the Senate bill in relation to that sub
iect being substituted for the House bill.
Mr. MCGOWAN spoke in favor of the bill.
Mr.. Rice opposed It.
Mr.. Conger advocated the bill, which, it it
meant anything, meant that the federal gov.
ernment had supreme and absolute authority
over the States. If State rights could inter-
fere with the exercise of tho omnipotent power
of Congress to defend the people, lot them
the rights of States. to forbid Congress from
following the impulse of its nature. Let State
rights men pass this bill and they would have
passed the rubicon. Let them pass this billy
which the scourge OF pestilence
compelled them ~ h to - . pass, for
of pestilence from the land and they would
have overstepped all their finely drawn dis
tinctions The friends of States rights dare
not make that question paramount when the
lives of thousands of their fe1low-citizens were
uuiyering in the balance between the decline
of State rights and the power of the general
government to fence out pestilence, disease and
death. Ten years ago when he had first be-
come member of the committee on commerce,
States rights men had come in obedience to the
command of their constituents to urge appro-
priations for rivers and harbors, saying at the
same time that they had been brought up to be.
lieve that the general government had no right
to make such appropriations. The committee
had said: "Then you cannot have the appro
priations," and the gentle urging and the little
petitions of their constituents at home
had sapped the foundations of States
rights in the minds of those immortal
Statesmen, and they had yielded the point
Laughter. BE had for the last two year
looked with eager eyes for the Southern Stat.
rights Democrat who did not come to Congress
and proclaim the right of the general govern
s9OO,OOO year for the Big Kanawba, $3.50, ,OO
for the Little Kanawba. He was thankful
however, that he could point to two or thre
States rights men who until now had main
tained the integrity of the State. He had on
of them in his minds eye now but the one ha
no rivers in his district. lLaughter.l Grad
ually his friends were stepping from thei
moorings. States rights men were o
one question or another drifting ou
into the unknown seas. Who woul
recall them. What fog-horn would call the,
back. His own was insufficient. daughter
To-day, on this bill, in the interest Of human
ity. in the interest Of health and life, it VI
gratifying to see his States rights friends T
iinquishing their principles and their doctrine
driven by the dire necessity which the pest
lence and plague brought upon them, ca
behind them their antiquated notions of Sta
rights and rise in the strength of their huma
ity to stand by government, national go
ernment in the performance of its duty to
people. He would hail the passage of tt
bill, as not only saving from the plague tho
sands of lives. but redeeming the count
by one more effort from that worse pestilenc
that worse disase, that woese PLACE. State righ
Mr. Hooker expressed his surprise that t
pending measure should have provoked d