New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-03
WASHINGTON NEWS.
VOTING AWAY MILLIONS.

| FOIING AWAY MILLIONS.
HOW THE SENATE AMENDED THE RIVER AND HAR
BoR BnL-GREATLY INCREASING THE APpRo
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES RIVERS PROVIDED FOR
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIaUNEI
WASHINGTON, June 2.-The Senate has spent two
days in discussing the River and HarbOr bill.
good deal of the time was consumed in finding out
the geographical location Of certain small streams
which never cut much of figure except in bills OF
this sort.
While an amendment toincrease the appropriation
| for the improvement Of the Shenandoah River in
West Virginia from $4,000 to $4,000. was under
discussion, Senator Hereford was asked If there
were any steamboats, on that river. He replied,
Not nOw." He did net deign to answer the
| further inquiry as to whether any steamboats, had
ever piled on that stream. 1t may be that 900
| will make the Shenandoah navigablc for skfs and
| dugouts, but nothing less than $4,000, 900 will
| ever make it passable for steamboats,.
The bill, as 1t came from the House, appropriated
over $8.000000. The Seuate amended" 1t so
that the total appropriation is between nine and
| ten millions of dollars.
Senator Morgan moved to reduce the entire ap-
preparation to $5 015 000 that being the amount for
which estimates had been submitted by the Secre-
tary of the Treasury Senator Bayard was in favor
OF limiting tho amount and suggested SO, 100000
as proper figure. Both of these propositions were
o
| stump speech in favor of the BILL
In the course of his remarks, the North Carolina
Senator declared that the bill was q very fair one.
He did not believe that it contained items amount
ing to more than 100000 or $2OO,O00 that ought
not to be appropriated-aud this was mere baga-
tclle hardly worth considering.
Some of the Democratic Senators opposed the bill
on the ground that the Republicans would make
party capital out of the fact that the appropriation
for this purpose was nearly double the amount
asked for in the estimates.
Senator Voorhees, vigorously opposed this view Of
the case. He said the Treasury is overhowing with
money and declared, in his broad. generous way,
that he wanted to see rivers Of silver flowing
through Indiana.
On the final passage of the bill its opponents
could muster only thirteen votes. Three OF these
were cast by Senators Bayard, Thurman, and Davis,
OF ILLINOIS, The last named Senator struggled hard
on yesterday, but failed, to get certain items in the
bill increased. Of course he knew. as did the
others, that the bill would pass notwithstanding his
vote against IL.
The bill appropriates about four times as much
when ali branches of the Government were in tho
hands of what Democratic statesmen are fond OF
styling ian extravagant and corrupt Republican
1t is creditable to some Of the Democrats that
they !. resisted this latest example OF Democratic
very small minority or their party.
READY TO VOTE ON THE DEFICIENCY BILL.
The HOUSE CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF THE
BTLL-THE SILVER DRBATERs INCOMPETENT
--DEMOCRATIC LEADERS.
fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUNR.l
WASHINGTON, June 2.-After two days work
and much wrangling over side issues, the House of
Representatives has completed the consideration Of
the General Deficiency bill, which appropriates
nearly So, 100000. That the bill was passed soon
and mutilated so little, was mainly due to the
efforts of Mr.. Hiscock, to whom tho Democratic
leaders rtacitly yielded its management when they
realized that they could not manage it themselves.
The House Committee on Appropriations always
fares better when it delegates Republican member
to take charge of of its bills in the House. In
this instance. however Mr.. Cobb, of Indiana, "a
Democrat, had nominal control Of the bill, but he
very soon made mess Of it, and Mr. Hiscock. who
had large share in preparing the measure in Com
mttce, came to the rescue, and with Republican
assistance carried 1t through the House.
The item appropriating money to pay the fees of
United States marshals which are eleven months in
arrears, is loaded with rider" which prohibits
the payment of dollar to the marshals who were ;
employed to enforce the election laws in California
last Fall.
motion made by Mr.. Hscock to strike out the
pruhibitOry clause was defeated by vote of 76 to
90. The Democrats in the House have, therefore,
committed themselves anew 10 the revolutionary
policy of nullifymg law Of the United States,
which they have not the power to repeal, by refus
ing the means necessary to its enforcement.
A good deal of time was devoted to discussion Of
the silver question, and various means were sug-
gested to get the silver dollars into circulation.
The silver men were not united Oh any plan.
An amendment providing that all Congressional
salaries should be paid in silver was adopted yester-
day. and afterward struck ont. A similar PROPOSE
ton made by Mr. Bland to-day, received only eleven
votes.
In discussing an item to provide for paying the
expenses of collecting customs dues, that erudite
state sman. Mr.. TOwnshend. sOf Illinois, complained
that it cost thousands OF dollars to collect the
revenue at ports where the duties do not amount to
hundreds OF dollars. Mr.. TOwnshend thinks that
the Government ought not to have custom houses
except where there are heavy imp0rtatOns.
The beauty of this idea of craftsmanship was hap
pily churacter by General Hawley, who said
That if the Government should ever go into the
circus business and station guard.ony at the main
door it would soon be discovered that the tent was
full of people who had crlwled under the canvas
and paid no admission fee.
WASHINGTON NOTES.
WAsHINGTON, Wednesday, June 2. 1880.
The Secretary Of the Treasury to-day instructed Assist
ant United Treasurer Illhouse, at WORK, to
purchase So 100000 OF United States bonds for the
AAnn