Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-12
The Senate.

ferred:
Ry Senator Kernan--In relation to the in
ternational exhibition of 1888, authorizin!
and requesting the President, whenever h
shall deem that adequate preparations ha7
ssen made, to invite the participation thereil
of foreign nations, provided there be no sx
pense to this government by it.
By Senator Beck-For the preservation o
the records of the United States district cour
at Frankfort, KY.
Senator Hosr offered resolution instruct
ing the judiciary committee to consider anC
report whether the assembling at the sea-
of government of large bodies of organized
and armed troops, and not under the COM
mand OF officers of the United States or any
national authority, be not likely to prove IN
future dangerous in practice, and whether any
legislation or opinion by Congress on the sub.
ject be desirable.
Senator Hoar said the resolution had rele-
vancy to the coming Inauguration,
but that the precedent now established by the
presence of numerous militia organizations
might hereafter, in times Of political turmoil
and excitement, prove dangerous to the peace
ful and orderly conduct of inaugural ceremo-
MES.
Senator Conkling thought the time for
inquiry, in view of the extensive preparations
by the militia organizations all over the coun
try to visit Washington inopportune, and
asked that the resolution be laid oyer under
the rules.
Senator Dawes made personal statement in
reply to O letter of Secretary Schurz'. Dawes
said he had re-read his remarks referred to in
the letter of the secretary, copies of which had
been placed on the desks of the Senator'S, and
he had found nothing in them which he was
willing to qualify or withdraw, but on the
contrary he now rearffimed all he had said on
the subject. He wasn't accountable to any
executive officer of the government for the
manner in which he discharged his duty and
he was not to be deferred in the discharge of
his duty by any such proceeding as this. The
secretary was restivs under public criticism
in the Ponca business and those acquainted
with his act didn't wonder at it.
SeLator Conkling offered resolution, which
was adopted, reciting the appropriations which
had been made for ten years for the improve
ment of the great Kanawha river in West Vir-
ginia; that company calling itself the Kan
awha board, under some pretended authority,
not of Congress, assumed to levy and collect
tolls on commerce Of the river from Charles
ton to the mouth Of the river, and instructing
the committee to inquire into the fact and au-
thority of said board to levy tolls on naviga-
BILE waters of the United States accessible to
West Virginia, and report such order as it shall
deem eXpedient-
Senator Wallace was awarded the floor on
his constitutional amendments for the district
system and popular vote by the plurality rule
in Presidential elections, and spoke for an hour
on the defects and dangers which, he argued to
show, were inherent in the present electoral
college plan and would be remeded by apply
ing the principle of county, State and Con
gresSional elections, namely, the choice of the
person having the highest number OF votes, to
the Presidential contest The anticipation
of the originators of the electoral system
that it would secure body of intelligent cti-
Zens upon whose judgment and integrity, in
the event of difficulty, the country could de-
pend, had failed, the Presidential electors be-
ing mere instruments to vote for party candi-
dates. Practically that system threatened the
country periodically with civil war, corruption
and anarchy. twas a relic of the old aristo-
cratic theory of the federalists, having origi-
mated with Hamilton and his confederates who
favored life tenure for the
President and was Sac accepted by by
Obliged to take the constitution as whole,
and could not accept or reject it in part, the
idea Of the district system was suggested in
the convention of 1889, and had since been
elaborated from time to time. 1t did not con-
template consolidation by direct
vote, but would be direct
vote for the candidate in each district as made
by each State. 1t was as different from
an election by an aggregate pop
ular vote of the county, as it was from the
present system.
Upon the conclusion of Senator Wallace's
remarks, which were listened to with attention
by the Senators and people in the galleries, the
subject was passed over and consideration of
the postal appropriation bill, appropriating,
as reported from the Senate committee, $41,-
117,132, was resumed in committee of the
whole.
The chair stated at adjournment the previous
day the pending amendment was the one
previously reported from the committee on
postofices appropriating, to be expended un-
der direction of the postmaster general, 81 $780,
600 in aid of additional foreign postal service
in American iron steam vessels, and that the
question was upon the appeal taken by
Senator Maxey from the decision of the chair,
ruling the amendment out of order as violat-
ing the twenty ninth rule, which prohibits
general legislation upon appropriation bills.
Senator Beck supported the position of the
chair and incidentally remarked that in his
opinion the only vessels to which the apprropri-
alton would be applicable were those of the
Brazilian line. He charged the postoffice
committee had deliberately held back the
amendment to avoid an adverse report on it if
submitted in time to be considered by the ap-
preparation committee before reporting the
bill, which adverse report they feared might
be fatal to it. Finally the vote was taken and
resulted adversely to the chair. Ayes, 15
noes, 90.
Messrs Allison, Breck, Davis (W. Va.), Nc
MILAN, Morgan, Saunders and Wallace an
nounced they were paired with Messrs. Ed
munds, Blaine, Window, Bruce, voorhees,
Salisbury and Cameron Pa.), respectively.
Senator Hamln said the pending amendmen
having been hastily drawn was not sufficient.
guarded, and he had prepared substitute
covering precisely the same ground, but NOR
carefully worded, which he would now submit
The substitute was read as follows:
For additional lpostal service to foreign
countries one million dollars to be eXpende'
under the direction of the postmaster general
who is authorized, ,after due publication, to ente
into contracts with the most reasonable bidde
for cash for such transportation between sucl
home and foreign ports as he may, in his dis
cretion, designate in order best to promot
the postal and commercial interests of tn
United States, in iron steamships who'll
owned by American citizens and registed unde
American registry, such ships to be dull
inspected under direction of tn
postmaster general and secretary of the navy
and be equal in construction, accommodation
safety,and speedto the best vessels on the ocean
carving freight to the same ports, at rate Q
compensation not exceeding $50 per mile on
way for twelve round trips per annum, or tn
- IL e. arfn Ia,