The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-03-17


amendments to the Sundry Civil bill re.
ported to the Senate committee was one
OF $9 $50 to reimburse Mr.. Hayes for the
expenses of the McVeagh Louisiana
Commission. When the bill was reach.
ed yesterday, Senator Beck, of Kentucky,
who had charge oft, explained that the
amount had originally been advanced by
the First Ma ional Baak of New YJrk,
and had subsequently been paid by Mr..
Hayes. Mr.. Beck said that he did not
know that there was any warrant Of law
for the appointment ofthat Commission,
but he thought it would be small thing
to refuse to reimburse Mr.. Hayes. The
following debate then followed.
Mr.. Conklng-"Mr. President: This
amendment addresses itself to me as an
appeal to sympathy, The First National
Bank is located in the State of New
York, and cannot but feel the interest,
not to say the tenderness, which natur'
ally exists between a representative and
his constituents, when reflect upon the
hard and frugal road that bank had been
compelled to tread and then contem
plate the idea of its losing such sum Of
money, the possibility is one cannot
calmly contemplate. It requires more
fortitude to inf ct such an injury than l
possess. If turn to the idea of allow.
ing the President Of the United States to
take out of his meagre compensation a
sum like this to defray the expenses Of
five tourists, called in the amendment
Commissioners, it might make an ap.
neal which must be hard.hearted to re.
sist. When we think of these five gen.
tlemen, all of whose names appear in
this sometimes sumptuous bill of partic.
ulars, which fails to amount to the So 600
originally estimated. but which still does
amount to considerable sum, when we
think Of their defraying such expenses
unrewarded and unreCognized as they
are, we must be stingy indeed, par.iCu.
larly when voting the money of other
people to be willing to consent to such
cruelty.
"The distinguished citizen of Tennes-
see and one other are not like the rest of
these gentlemen in the rewards which
have waited upon them. They are also
not like the many other persons of whom
we have heard so much in Louisiana,
useful, handy and active as they were in
services rem cred about this complicated
matter. They, the legion to whom now
refer, are enjoying grand total of annu.
al salaries paid to them in official places
held as rewards for the peculiar services
they rendered to the citizens upon whom
these expenses might fall. The amend
ment comes as an urgent appeal TO sym.
pathy, and yet shall not be able to dis
cuss it without vexing the ear of the
honorable Senator from Kentucky, who
does not wish to listen to political dis
cussion. do not wish to engage in it or
to listen to it, and yet ifthe amendment
is to be adhered to l shall deem it my
duty to enter into political discussion,
30 far as such discussion is needed, to
solve the question of the propriety of
making an appropriation worse than un.
lawful, as l believe it is.
"The House of Representatives in this
bill and in other bills has decided not
TO make it. The House of Representa-.
tives has repeatedly refused to make it,
With the facts all before 1t, the House
has refused to pay the money. The com
mittee of this body has chosen, by i'm.
porting an amendment into the bill, to |
invite the Senate to consider it, and the
Senator from Kentucky says that Friday |
is the beginning Of new administration
and the day on which this session will
cease. know all this, and want this
bill and every defensibIe part of it to be.
come law. submit, however, to the
honorable Senator from Kentucky that,
if he would save time, he ough; not to
come here wi a proviso that has been
repeatedly discussed in the Senate; which
has never succeeded in winning even an
informal vote in it's favor, but has over
and over again been reported against.
and over and over again voted down on
the ayes and nays in the Senate; which
does involve political discussion; which
does involve the question whether gen.
tlemen requested to 60 as tourists not as
Commissioners with law, but as l believe
without law, on en- errand not tolerated
either by the Constitution or by any law
which obeys it-whether thay are to be
paid under the guise of expenses to them
or upon the allegation II chose that word
because wish nat to be disrespectful)
that the President has paid this money
out of his own pocket. say the Senator
from Kentucky ought not to bring suCn
a a1estion here if ne does not wish it
discussed and discussed at length.
ask that Senator to treat his amendment
as he has treated other amendments, and
spare himself and the Senate the inf CT
ion of the debate which is certain to oC-
cur if this amendment is persisted in.
"It involves not the three or four
Thousand dollars-not the items of this
bill of particulars, insignif Jant as they
are to these gentlemen, whether now
holding official stations or whether, as
the Senator remarked as to one Of them,
about to cross the threshold of distin-
guished official place. II involves prin-
Ciple much beyond that, and much more
considerable than this sum of money. l
hope the honorable Senator from Ken.
tucky will allow this cup to pass from
us and be content with the fact that this
very body as now constituted. not those
who went before US, but consisting OF
these here assembled, has again and
again passed upon it. If the Senator
will accept the fact, for one will relieve
him; but if he will not, and wants to lit.
IrSot of I uI1hn |
he ought not to complain ofany debate"
Mr.. Beck--Will the Senator from New
York allow me to interrupt him2
Mr.. COnkling-Of course.
Mr.. Beck-I desire to close the debate.
/ care nothing about This item, one way
or the other. hope the Senator will
move to lay it on the table. l shall vote
Rgaints laying it on The table because my
committee has instructed me to report
the amendment. If is laid on the ia.