Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-02-25
FOrty.SIxth Congress.

| tho public debt was discussed by Rev Mr. DE La
Matyr from the Greenbacker's standpoint The
constituent elements Of a Greenback harangue
were rehashed for this occasion, dashed with
complaint that the pulpit Of Maine had been
closed to him, and that the Judiciary is warped to
aid partisan success. A sharp passage occurred
between Mr.. Hayes Of Illinois and Mr. Chittenden
OF New York. growing out Of the advocacy by the
former OF some exceptionally insane ideas on
finance, which proved too much for the financial
equanimity Of the latter. After the financial de-
bate, Mr.. Joyce OF Vermont spoke against a re-
ciprocity treaty with Canada, on the ground that
1t was inimical to American interests, and was
practically the establishment OF free trade, citing
in proof the repeal OF the treaty OF 1854, and the
expressed sentiment Of opposition In Vermont and
other New England states. The subcommittee
on elections has announced its decision to Dust
Mr.. washburn Of Minnesota and seat the con-
testant, Mr.. Donnelly. Its actions will be en-
dorsed by the whole committee and by the house,
and the outrage on Minnesota will be completed
| The facts in the case appear in the minority re-
| pori. For prudential reasons the house may defer
the contamination of this outrage till after the
presidential election.
| MONDAY February Ex-senator Allison OF
Iowa made an able argument In favor Of the five
per cent refunding bill, which was successfully
refuted by Mr.. Edmnnds. The statement Of Sec
rotary Sherman to the senate finance committee
has Just been printed. The following FIVE specific
questions were asked: "First, what reason, II any
there il for refusing to pass bill authorizing the
receipt Of legal tenders for customs dues Second,
why the trade dollar should not be converted into
a standard dollar. Third, what has been the
cost Of converting the interest bearing debt as It
stood July Ia, 1870, to what 1t Is now including
double interest Fourth, The effect the abolition
OF the legal tender quality Of greenbacks has had
upon the paper currency. Fifth, the necessity
for a sinking fund, and how 1t Is managed" To
the first inquiry Secretary Sherman in substance
answers Z" The law provides that the duties on
| imported goods shall be paid In coin, and that
that coin shall be reserved AZ special fund for
the payment Of interest on the public debt and
the notes Of the United States. There is no OBJ
lection to receiving legal tenders for customs so
long as legal tenders remain at par The depart
| ment can keep up this practice only as long as
parties holding interest obligations are willing to
accept the same notes in payment therefor II
from any cause the legal tender should depreciate
| below coin, the government would still be re-
| quired to pay the interest the public debt In
| coin, and II customs dues were payable In legal
| tender notes the treasury would have no gold
| supply" The secretary thinks n provisional
law might be passed, which would remove the
objections to receiving legal tenders for Gus
| toms dues, and suggests form for such law
In response to the question why the trade dollar
should not be converted into a standard silver
dollar, Secretary Sherman says there Is no OBJ
lection to the purpose OF this bill to provide for
the exchange of the trade dollar for the standard
silver dollar The only point is whether the trade
dollar shall betreated as bullion or as coined
dollar OF the United States He is OF the opinion
that it ought to be treated as so much bullion
not entitled to any preference over any other bull
lion, because it was issued by private parties for
their benefit and at their cost but stamped by
the United States merely to enable the coin to be-
used to the better advantage in a foreign market
| The answers to the remaining questions are COW
cred by the secretary's last annual report SEN
ator Dawes bill for the relief OF the Ponca In.
dams requires the secretary Of the interior to
cause them to be returned without delay to their
old reservation in Dakota, and invests them with
all the rights and privileges they formerly en-
joyed in and to said reservation. The bill also
requires the secretary Of the interior to restore
| the houses and other Improvements OF the Pom.
| cas- to the same condition in which they were left
when the removal took place, and for purposes
above indicated provides an appropriation of $50,
600. From testimony taken by the special COM
mittee, investigating the causes OF the removal Of
the Poncas, 1t appears, when reduced to plain
| language, that the government removed these In
dams to save the trouble Of protecting them
against their formidable neghbors, the Sioux.
| The committee on elections have unanimously
agreed upon a report generating Senator Ingalls,
from the charges Of bribery preferred against
| him, but the report reflects severely upon the
method employed by Kansas politicians in secur-
ing the senatorial election In the house, the
banking and currency committee have under
consideration bill to increase the responsibility
Of the shareholders Of national banks to the ex
tent OF twice the amount OF the stock owned by
such shareholders. The house apparently await.
the information asked OF the president to furnish
the majority with an opportunity to assert the
Monroe doctrine in some plain and emphatic man
ner in reference to the construction and control
of an interoceanic canal.
TUESDAY, February IA bill was introduced a,
a substitute for the one before the senate
nominating Fitz John Porter as colonel OF infantry
with pay from date of his discharge and permit
ting him to be placed on the retired list In the
house the interminabe debate on the rules wa,
resumed over the proposed amendment prohibit
ing riders on appropriation bills Various amend
ments were proposed to secure this desirable re.
form and on one OF them the dominant ma jorily
narrowly escaped defeat by majority of one
only The full text of the refnnding bill was re-
ported to the house from the ways and means
committee. The committee decided to make the
rate Of interest on the $500 900 600 treasury
notes three and half per cent instead of four
per cent, the notes being redeemable after two
years and payable after ten years from their issue
| "WEDNESDAY, February 1S-ln the senate the
five per cent land grab bill was inconcusivey de-
bated, Senator Pryor Of Alabama, one OF the
states to be benefited, making his maiden speech
against 1t. The exodusters caught tartar In the
person Of Judge Badger OF North Carolina, who,
admitting that he was opposed TO the exodus, ex-
pressed the opinion that the government ought to
stop 1t by protecting the negroes in their civil and
political rights. He gave instance after instance
to show that the race had no protection and could
not obtain justice in either the state OF the fedora
courts In North Carolina that the system OF
labor there was as bad as slavery, and in soms
respects worse, and citing quotations from the
laws of the state to show that the oppression wa,
legalized. The case Of Mr.. Acklen occupied the
entire attention of the house. which after long
debate was carried to the judiciary committee
for reconsideration.
THURSDAY, February l9-The senate discussed
the resolution offered by Senator Gordon creating
special committee on the inter-oceanic canal,
which has the favor Of the progressive Republi-
cans Debate on the five per cent refunding bill
was resumed, Senator Morrill, making a sensible
argument against and the senators OF the states
to be benefited generally supporting the passage
Of the bill The house in committee OF whole
spent another day upon the rules, the contest
the passage OF rule twenty-one being still un-
determined. An alliance between the Republi-
cans, a few Independent Democrats, and Green
hackers led by Alexander II. Stephens, nearly
carried their point to incorporate into the rules OF
the house a principle almost universally recog-
nlzed, but the Democrats ultimately rallied their
forces, and made it evident that so long as their
partisan or revolutionary purposes can be served
by the present system, 1t shall be maintained
Mr. Stephens exposed the monstrous fallacy OF
Frank Ilurd's defence Of the principle of redress
ing grievances on appropriation bills in a republic
like this showing that such doctrine has no
| place In a representative government The pres