The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-04-06
XLVIIth Congress list Session,
SENATE.

Mr.. Jones of Florida presented memorial
received by telegraph from the various ex-
changes of New Orleans earnestly petitioning
for favorable action on the Mississippi levee
appropriation bill and opposing any experiment
tai schemes to which the best engineering
talent of the country is opposed. Read and
referred.
Mr.. Mitchell presented petition for relief
of the estate of John W. Forney of Philadel-
phia asking for the refunaing of the amount
paid by him when Secretary of the
Senate to make good defalcation in his office.
He explained that an Investigation made at
the time exculpated Mr.. Forney and traced the
responsibility to the financial clerk of the
Senate. Referred to the committee on claims.
MIR. Saunders from tho committee on terri
tories reported without amendment the bill
recently recommitted to that committee for
the admission of Dakota into the Union. He
said majority of the committee had not
changed the views they expressed when the
bill was first reported They regarded the
alleged reputation of bonds by the Yankten
county authorities as matter for the courts,
and not pertinent TO the question of admission
of the territory. He asked for the considers
ton of the bill next Monday.
Mr.. Vest of the minority of that committee
said that on account of i'll health he had been
unable to attend the committee meetings or
prepare a minority report and hoped the bill
would not be passed until the views of the
minority were submitted.
L
notification Just given did not imply that the
bill would be taken up on the day indicated as
prior notifications had been filed in behalf of
the bills. The bill went to the calendar.
Mr.. Morgan called up the resolution look
ing to a reciprocal treaty with Mexico and in
viting the President to bring the subject to the
attention of both countries Passed without
objection
AT 2 o'clock the Presidential count bill came
up as unfinished business. but after considera-
BILE debate during which precedence was claim
cd for the Chinese bill as over all other bus-
ness, the Senate voted to lay aside the presi-
Dental count bill and the vetoed Chinese bill
was taken up without opposition. ~
Mr.. Sherman moved TO refer the bill and
message to the committee on foreign relations.
He supported and elabora ed the objections of
the President and particularly of the Chinese
minister, and urged that as there was no occa-
sion for haste the measure should be carefully
perfected in committee with view of obviat-
ing these objections.
Mr.. Morgan argued that the motion by in
volving the virtue of reconsideration of the
measure was an evasion of the constitutional
ty of the requirement of direct vote. Refer
ring to the memorandum of five objections to
the bill by the Chinese minister which accom-
panied the veto, he said he believed this 10 be
the first instance in American history in which
the President of the United States had con-
suited foreign power about which Congress
was legislatiDg as toIg neither the proposed legs-
lation would be agreeable to that power for, as
concerned the President the objections of the
Chinese minister had been worth more than
the arguments on which the bill had passed
Congress.
Mr.. Baysrd said it was useless for the friends
of the bill to expect by referring the bill to
change its feat1 res in accordance v it'll the
Presidents objections, and that they were
compelled to see it knocked in the head by
what he called the "Chinese veto.' He pro-
pOsad n nhiapfOpc which
the President had seen fit to return the bill,
and to show he had no justification. He said
the phraseology of the veto did not seam to be
that which ought properly to characterize COM
munications between the great departments of
this government This language coming from
the Executive in regard to an act OF Congress
deliberately discussed and passed by both
Houses and unanimously recommended by the
committee of the Senate, was an impugment
of the act of Congress and of the votes OF those
who passed it. Mr.. Bayard took up and read
at length from memoranda of conversations
between the commissioners, pending nego.ia-
lions TO show that Chinese government and its
commissioners voluntarily conceded that the
power to regulated limit or suspend the coming
of Chinese laborers into this country was by
treaty evested solely in the discretion Of the
United States. That fact was admitted and
proof of the concession was clear and positive.
This power was spoken of in the veto as 'unilat-
eral. 1T might be SO termed but it was conceded
not by unilateral vote but by consent of both
nations He asked special attention to the de-
finition given by the Chinese representatives
as to what they considered reasonable restric-
ton as to numbers This was that the govern
ment of the United States would prevent a
greater number leaving in any one year than
the minimum or maximum of departures in
the preceding year; and further that the total
of those already here should never be exceed
ed. He urged that the Congressional interpre-
tation of the treaty, fixing twenty years as a
reasonable limitation was unreasonable and
stood long way inside of the proportion of the
Chinese themselves-that under no eircumstan-
ces should the number of their people in this
country be increased. The veto was Chinese
message from beginning to end, and while it
deseapted upon the value we had received in
building of railroads it contained notone word
of pity, or reprobation for any wrong the pe0-
Pile of the Pacific coast had suffered
The pending questioi being divided at the
request Of Mr.. Garland vote upon the first
brancn-to refer the bill to the committee on
foreign relations resulted, ayes lS, nays ~.
The second branch-to refer the message and
papers-was also negatved, ayes 10, nays 20.
On the question shall the bill pass notwith-
standing the objections of the President the
vote was yeas 20, nays 81. So the bill failed,
two-thirds not having voted in the affirmative.
The vote is as follows
Yeas-Bayard Beck, Call, Cameron of Wisconsin
Cockrell, Cook, Davis of West Virginia Fair Ear
",
orado. Johnston, Jones Of Nevada. Lamar, NC
Pherson, Maxey, miller of California Miller ~, OF
New York. Morgan, Pendle- on, Pugh Slater, Tel
Ter, Vest voorhees, and Walker.-29,
Nays-Aldrich, Anthony, Blair Davis OF
Illinois Dawes, Frye Harrison. Hawley,, Hoar,
Ingalls,, Kellogg, Mcmillan, MITCHELL, Morrill, Platt
Plumb Rollins, Sawyer, Sewall, Sherman and VIM
dom.-21.
Messrs. Garland, jackson, Jones, Ransom,
Salisbury, Williams and Vance in the sfirma-
tive were paired with Edmunds, McDill, ALI
son, Logan, Ferry, Saunders and Conger In the
negative.
was restored to its place 10 unfinished business
and the Senate adjourned.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Ketchum of New York, from the COM
mittee on appropriations, reported the Dlstrlct
of Columbia appropriation bill ordered
printed and recommitted.
The House then went into committee OF the
whole, Mr. Haskell of Kansas in the chair, on
the army appropriation bill.
The pending question was on the appeals
taken yesterday from the decision OF the chair
ruling in order that portion of the clause I'M
der consideration which provides for the Tran
fer of claims now pending ia sthe Quartermas-
ter-General's department to the Court OF
Claims; and out of order that portion which
regulates the manner in which that court
snail proceed to the adjudication OF the
claims. The chair states that he had yesterday
uSClu0u Ou tu0 poiut Va OtuCf % nh "a ~
but had merely indicated what portions OF the
text would be and what would not be in order
bad separate points been raised against them.
There were therefore, he said, no appeals
pending and he proceeded to render his aecis-
ion sustaining the point of order and holding
that as the transfer feature was in part obnox-
ious to the rules the whole clause must be
eliminated.
Mr.. Butterworth of Ohio appealed from the
decision Decision sustained, 93 to 81.
Mr.. Hiscock then offered an amendment
providing that no sum appropriated in the Dill
shall be used in the investigation of claims by
the Quarermaster Generals department.
Adopted.
At 80 the committee rose and reported the
bill to the House.
Mr. Reed demanded vote upon Mr.. His
cock s amendment aud it was adopted The
bill then passed and the House adjourned.
Walter Roundtree a University student,w was
shot Wednesday evening at Athens, Ga, by