Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-13
THE CAPITAL.
THE SENATE IN ACTIVE OPERATION
YESTERDAY.
A Host of Bills Introduced -Edmunds
Proposes to Suppress POlygamy-A Unit
cue Card Prepared ON the Same Topic
for the House-DiscusssOn on the Tariff
Observation-Disclosures sen Succeeds Blaine
Notes and Gossip.
Senate.


Senate.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12.-The chairsubmit
ted memorial from the legislature of Mime.
sofa for an appropriation for the improve
ment of the Mississippi river from st. Anth.
ony Falls to New Orleans. 1t states the i'm.
portance, commercially and in point of rev.
enue, of the region drained by the Mississippi
and its navigable tributaries, which produces
80 per cent. Of the corn, 73 per cent of the
wheat, S3 PER cent. of the oats, GA per cent. of
the tobacco, II cent of the cotton, and &c per
cent. of the value of live stock, of the whole
country. Referred to special committee on
Mississippi river improvements.
Petitions were presented for abolition of the
tax on bank checks.
Bills introduced and referred: By Edmunds,
for defraying the extraordinary liabilities and
expenses incurred in consequence of the as
sault upon the presidest of the United States.
Also, to amend section $3.50 of the revised
statutes, in reference to bieamy, and for other
purposes. By Williams, for public building
at Frankfort, KY. By Morrill,, to enable Ma
tional banking associations to extend their
corporate existence. By Mcmillan, to
amend the section of the revised
statutes relating to the license fees
of officers of steam vessels. By Harrison,
for the delivery to the society of the Army OF
the Cumberland. of condemned cannon, to aid
in the erection OF statue to Gen. Garfield.
By Butler, to establish a national fund anC ap-
ply portion of the proceeds of public lands
to public education, and provide for more
complete endowment and support of colleges
for the advancement OF scientific and indus
trial education. By Morgan, by request,
granting the right of way over public lands
in Alabama, aud to grant lands in the same
state in aid of the Georgia, Alabama d Chicago
Air Line Railroad company, and for other
purposes. By Plumb, for the sale of por-
tion of the Fort Leavenworth military reser
walton.
Pugh submitted resolution requesting the
president to communicate to the senate, if
not incompatible with the public interest, the
Instructions sent to our minister in London,
in regard to the modification of the Clayton
Bulwer treaty. Agreed to.
Blair introduced resolution instructing the
committee on education and labor to inquire
into the condition of the common school edu-
cation in the United States and report thereon,
and also as to what measures, in the opinion
Of the committee, congress can lawfully and
properly enact in aid of such education.
Adopted.
Senator Hoar introduced bill for the edu-
cation of Indian children, upon which he gave
notice of his intention TO speak.
The tariff commission bill was then taken
up, and Senator Garland made speech there
on. He maintained that tariff by tax
upon the people who consume the imports
upon which it is imposed, when fairly and
justly levied, which has always been the favor.
ite mode of raising revenue, the sums paid
enter into the current expenses OF those
paying them, and the burden is not felt
as when the payment is made direct, and at a
fixed and stated time. When citizen is called
upon to pay tax to be used in carrying on
his government, the amount so claimed to be
paid should be in proportion to the ability OF
that citizen to pay, and to the protection af-
forded him by the state. These maXims, or
iudeed, axioms, the speaker said, were violated
in every tariff enactment which Is originated
for protection or controlled by that doctrine.
In his own judgment neither the doctrine
of protection, nor that of free trade had rest
ing place in this country. After quoting
from the tariff speech of VOORHEES,, at Atlanta
and from the remarks of Morrill,, ne said the
overriding argument, that which was affllct-
ing this country to-day in regard to the tend
encies to protective policy, was that they
were but step to and up to monopolies,
which are depressing this country beyond all
others'to its injury.
Beck followed Garland and replied to Nor
rell. Beck said that Morrell had argued we
are getting rich because we are exporting
more than we are importing, but we would
only have to turn the protection wheel q little
more and we would have no imports at all; it
would be all exports. The farmer who ex
ports 100000 worth of grain must have
machinery and supplies to carry
on his operations These are offered
to him for 100000. The Morrell
protective tariff says to him, "You shall not
have them unless you pay SAC, 600 for the priv
ilege, but we have congressional pets in New
England who will sell them to you for $780,
O00," instead of the price of 100000, at
them. He pays $4,000 in New England, and
the senator from Vermont and his followers
will say our official record shows the serious
fact that the balance of trade is in our favor.
Our people must pay the foreign price with
the tax added, and the man engaged in trade
is impoverished by 1t, and the country
thereby gets no revenue, while man not en-
gagged in the same trade, and who ought not
to be entitled to any of its proceeds, receives
through congressional legislatiof all the
profits,' the exporter of the grain being forced
TO buy all his supplies from that man. En-
larging upon the practical operation of The
protective tariff Beck said In 1860, after
protective tariff of Is per cent,
our shipping interests had advanced
until our tonnage was almost equal to that of
England and greater than that of all world be-
sides. Now, under the Morrell protective tar
iff, our ships have been driven from the sea,
and SlS,OOO,0OO per year to other nations, in
stead of receiving from them STE, ,000, GOO of
balance in our favor as we did in 1860"
At the conclusion of Beck's remarks the bills
on the subject were referred to the committee
on finance.
The civil service reform bill of Pendleton
was then taken up and laid over as unfinished
business for tomorrow.
Davis, (llinois), introduced bill to estab-
lisha court of appeals. Referred.
Davis, (West Virginia) introduceda bill to
repeal certain laws relating to permanent and
indefinite appropriations. This bill was in
troduced by Davis in the last congress and
passed the senate.
After short executive session the senate
adjourned.
The bills and joint resolutions introduced
to-day were eighty in number.
General Washington Netcs.