Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-28
CONGRESSIONAL.

petition signed by Bishop Simpson, Joseph Cook
Wendell Phillips and $1,000 Others, beside churches
I'd societies representing $4,000 people, praying
Congr, IS to observe the Indian treaties ana deal
Justly with them. Referred to the Committee on
Indian Affairs. 1T was very bulky package, and
attracted much attention.
bill was introduced by Garland for uniform
bankruptcy system.
Beck advocated free ships, speaking to the resou-
ton for repeal OF the laws prohibiting citizens
gagng in the foreign carrying trade, or preventing
their registration as American ships. He argued
that we were handicapped by the whole world
through these oppressive laws. Every dollar we
made our ships cost above what was paid by the
people OF other countries only handicapped us and
diminished our chances Of successful competition
Before the war we could buy ship cheaper but
the effect of policy had since been to build up
navy for England, which now had the finest body OF
sailors in the world, while the United States was
without marine. The imminent danger to the
United States in a foreign war, with our defense
less ocean and gulf coasts, was next referred to-
Our surplus being largely agricultural, and so great
that it cannot be consumed at home, we
are obliged to float cur exports i'll foreign
ships, and thus Germany, England and France
were doing carrying trade If these nations
went to war, although might be on the best Of
terms with the belljgerents, we would suffer more
than they. because our products would go to the
bottom as the cruisers of each destroyed the mer-
chant vessels Of the other. The only remedy was
for us to do our own hauling. The great producing
interest of the West was perhaps the one most in
terested in this question Of cheap transportation,
because all the of transportation, both TO the
seahoard and over the ocean to market, comes out
OF man who raises the product that is to be trans
ported Whatever dIHlnlsheS the cost Is to
his benefit and whatever adds to it has to
come out Of his pocket AL subsidies and bounties
only add so much his burden In taxation, and fail
TO accomplish remedy. Cheapness OF transporta-
tion is the only remedy, and ship only wagon
adapted TO the highway over which 1t travels. Our
treaties with Germany, Norway, Sweden and other
countries gives them all the privileges of cur own
citizens in our ports, and while all those are
doing their carrying trade in free cheap ships we
keeping up cur navigation laws to inl ire our
own people.
Beck then proceeded with an elaborate discussion
of the tariff, with its inequalities OF protection and
practical operation in favorng monopolies at the
pense of poor men, incidentally depressing in this
connection TO notice the estimate of the Commits
souer of Pensions that over $500 GOO, 600 would be
required to meet The expense of the pension
age Act He remarked that the pension Act (Which
| he was fortunate in having voted against) would
prove heavier taxation and more emu lring burden
| than the national debt.
Blaine followed in reply to Beck. He construed
the Senator speech as an admission that his policy
| looked forward to and proclaimed the permanent
| dependence of this country upon England for her
| ships. Il was remarkable fact that for twenty
years. or from the time Of the war to this hour, the
Congress OF the United States had not done sol
tay thing to uphold the navigation interests of the
| United States. y great march forward OF our
commercial Iival has been witnessed and everywhere
recognized. lie representatives u luS people Ol
the United States had sat in their two halls CT egis-
| lation as dumb as though they coulI not
| speak, and had not offered single remedy
or aid until tie Senator from kentucy
| Oh ck) h ID iisen in his seat and proposed
to make proclamation of the perpetual dependence
of this country upon England for such commerce as
she may enjoy holding up to Germany, Italy and
other European countries that absolutely de-
| pendent on Great Britain for the commerce they
enjoy the District Of Columbia is upon Congress.
During these twenty ears this Congress had passed
ninetytwo Acts in aid of internal transmission by
rail- II has given 200 coo 900 acres of public land
added COO 600 in cash. to the same end, and yet
il had not extended tie aid of single dollar to that
vast international transportation? whose importance
has not been exaggerated by the Senator (Beck)
from Kentucky The United States could not win
in this great international struggle without adopt
ing exactly the same means that had achieved VIC
tory for others. What was that! 1t was not to
keep John Roach anybody else, but 10 make a
great and comprehensive policy that shall give
every man and every company specific aid of SO
much for such term of years. Let the American
marine feel that the Government OF the
United States is behind them /; let the United
States only take from her treasury per annum
81, 600, Goethe same sum that Great Britain
is paving only postscript to her $500 1000 COO of
investment. He was not a prophet or the son Of
one, but if this done he ventured to predict that
lony-deferred and much desired event. revival of
American marine, would soon arrive. He
would have the cosntry do thing more, to
which England had pointed tRe way for the United
States. We have nine navy yards, and without
q navy. Ii would put the expense Of these
navy yards into the building up of great private
shipyards, this would form subsidy enough, aid
enough, if Senator Beck liked that word better
1t would help enough from saving in the
construction OF naval vessels to float this
whole scheme for revival of American navigation.
The election had shown that the public opinion of
this country in favor Of keeping up America
against foreign manufacturers and he would say
to the upholders of protection that this could not
be done by the destruction If the commercial marine
Of the country.
Beck was glad of this presentation OF the
Premier of the next Administration. The
Senator from Maine had not denied, because
he knew it was true, that We had no
foreign carrying trade. nor that it had dwindled
since the war; nor that we gave 500, 000, COO per
year TO build up the trade of our rival and weaken
ourselves, nor that while give the right to Ger
many, England and France to carry our goods from
our ports in cheap free ships We are handicapping
ourselves, nor that instead of having $1,000 or
10000 American sailors, as We had in the war, we
now have none.
On motion OF Window the Senate took up the
naval appropriation bill.
Window stated the amendments Of the commit.
tee, and that the net amount added to the bill as
passed by the House was $3.50, 49, making the to-
tai, reported to the Senate, si,472 ISL which
was SOL SOB less than the estimates and 81 1857
in excess Of the bill Of last session.
In Committee Of the Whole the amendments Of
the Senate Committee were agreed to, as also the
amendment offered by Burnside, admitting boys 70
the naval training school at Il instead OF 10 years Of
age.
The bill was then reported to the Senate and
passed finally.
House.
WASHINGTON, January 27th.-The Post Route bill
WAS reported and recommitted
Spear called up the Yeates- Martin contest case
and after sarcastic illusions by Conger to the
Speakers ruling yesterday 10 questions of rriyi
lege the case vas taken up and Spear argued in
favor Of contestee Yeates-
The discussion protracted.
Kefer presented the case of contestee Martin
and at the conclusion of his speech warned the
democratic party that if it did not place the seal of
diSapproyal upon such practices had been re
sorted to in certain cases the day coming when
they would be swept from the halls OF Congress by
the American people.
Russell also warned the Democratic party that il
the reasonings Of Committee on Elections were
adopted some fifteen or twenty gentlemen from the
South in the next Congress would walk of some
morning and give pace to men who had been count
ed in whether elected or net.
Demoerat-We will see about that
At the conclusion Of RusselPs speech, Springer
demanded the previous question, and the Republi
cans refusing to vote the House was left without q
quorum
Adjourned.