The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-12-17
CONGRESS YESTERDAY.
SENATE.

w ASHINGTON, Dec. Ex-senator HOar s
resolution for special committee on wo
mems rights was opposed by Senator Vest
in the interest of economy. The Senate
had forty-on committees with idle mes
sengers and clerks. This committee would
necessitate six more messengers. The
Committees on Territories and Elections
were open to inquiry, and the Revolution
ary Claims Committee would do ample
justice to the subject.
Senator Vest proceeded to make hu-
merous speech on the appropriateness of
referring the woman suffrage to the Com
mittee on Revolutionary Claims, which had
only considered one bill in thirty years.
The committee was typical of the verse in
Watts hymn:
''There shall bathe my weary soul,
In of heavenly rest,
And not wave of trouble roll
ACROSS my peaceful breast
However if woman could get this COM
mittee stirred up and get a report from
them, it would end the question forever,
because the public at large, himself includ-
ed, would consider that such a proof of
female Establishment and influence that
suffrage would become constitutional and
legal He moved to refer it to that COM
mittee.
Lost-31 to 81.
Senator Bayard moved to refer it to the
Judiciary Committee, as being a subject
for grave legal consideration and present
ing questions not fit for discussion here.
Senator Logan, getting unanimous con-
sent urged that a special committee be ap-
pointed, and although the morning hour
had expired, Senator Morrell asked that
the resolution be disposed Of
Senator Voorhees, objected.
Senator Jones, who had the floor on the
regular order of the Presidential success
sion BILL yielded to Senator Voorhees,. who
spoke on his resolution, referring to the
finance committee the recommendations in
the Presidents message on the silver ques-
ton. He held that demonetization was
potent factor in the depression of 1878.
He traversed the whole ground of panics,
tight money markets, greenbackism and
gold standard. By democratic measures
the currency had been expanded, rendered
stable and uniform, and the country was
prosperous. He characterized the recon-
mendations of Secretary Folger for the
retirement of silver certificates, as a wan
ton and criminal assault on the fnan-
cial stability and business prosperity of
the whole country. 1t was proposed
to destroy S66, 100000 of money,
and bare proportion would create a
paniQp But Congress is wiser than the
President. 1t will pay no heed to the
recommendations. The Secretary evidently
wants to drive silver entirely out of circu-
1ation He claims that he cannot circulate
the silver in the vaults, yet he shows that
$66, 900, ,060 of paper, based on this very
coin, is circulating freely There are
$100, ,000,0 silver circulating, according
to his uncandid report, and yet he alleges
that silver is drug and people do not
want it, The Secretary. with ignorant
complacency, says the national banks,
tnoSe plttlesS uSuTpcIs, Cdn AeSutaeo 'h0
currency of the country according to Its
needs; by issuing their notes. Senator
VOORHEES, vehemently attacked the national
bank system.
The resolution was agreed to.
On motion of Senator Garland, the bill
the election of the Legislature OF
New Mexico, December I'd, 1880, was
passed.
Adjourned till Monday.
HOUSE.