Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-01-18
CONGRESS YESTERDAY.
THE DEBATE ON REFUNDING,
Messrs. Plumb and Pugh on the
sherman BilI-The House COmmiI-
tees-The Istbmus COal1Dg Sta
tiOns-Justfee Hunt 10 ReIIre-An
Effort 10 stop Leaks.


fc, for the increase of pay Of members of
the life saving service, and by Mr.. Plumb,
from citizens Of Kansas, for woman suffrage,
were presented.
Mr.. Davis, Of West Virginia, from the
Committee on Appropriations, reported,
with amendments, a bill to repeal certain
laws relating to permanent and indefinite
appropriations.
Bills were introduced as follows:
By Mr.. Davis, OF Ilinois-To permit Ward
Hunt, an Associate Justice of the suprer1e
Court Of the United States, to retire.
By Mr.. Blair-Granting a pension to
Lucretia Garfield.
During the morning hour Mr.. Beck re-
sumed his remarks upon Mr.. Ingalls, reso-
luton declaring that the pension arrears
law ought not to be repealed.
At the conclusion Of Mr.. Beck's remarks
Mr. Iugalls said that as the funding bill
had precedence to day he would defer his
reply to Mr.. Beck to a more cODvenier t
time. The subject was accordingly passed
over for the present.
At 1:20 o'clock consideration of the SheI-
man funding bill was resumed. The hill
was discussed by Messrs Plumb, Pugh,
Teller, Saunders and Pendleton.
Mr.. Plumb argued that the redemption
fund for United States notes ought to be
diminished. He urged the solemn duty Of
Congress not only to cut but to limit that
fund at stated figures, thereby saving the
country an item Of interest, while allowing
money heretofore boarded Ia the Treasury
to circulate. Ha believed a reduction of
the fund to $50 000, coo could safely be
made. To make the proposition wholly
conservative, he had fixed the limit at
800 O0O, 600, so as to make full and ample
provisions for the redemption Of every gov
ernment obligation. He advocated the re-
demDtton Of the. 81 per cents. out o. the
surp US revenue over and above 800 600 900,
| and that this total ought not to be reduced
except in redemption of United States
notes.
MIR. Pugh said that Mr. Vests amend
ment, being copy OF Mr.. Carlisle's amend
ment, while applicable to the funding bill
of the last Congress, is imperative and in
consistent with some provision of the pend
lug bill. He suggested notifications, max
ing it applicable. He favored that amend
ment on the consideration, among Others,
that failure of the government to force
the banks to take new 3 per cents. would
amount to discrediJing the banks,
who, In the language OF the Senator from
Arkansas (Mr. Garland), were "mere fiscal
agents of the government" Further, If not
| compelled to take the new bonds, the in
! terest of the banks would induce them 10
! aid in preventing the establishment of three
! per cent. as The normal interest rate. He
! was not convinced of the necessity of re-
| funding under the present conditions, nor
| that the government was under any compul
! sion to pay S., 600 900 in interest as proposed
! Reviewing the operations of the bank
! ing system and criticising as impolidc
| the power Of the banks to contract the cur
rency, Mr. PUgh went on to say that the
! opposite extremes Of imitation or cOntrac
! tinn Of the currency represented by the
! Greenbsck and Republican parties respec
! lively were excuses to be avoided, and
| the Democratic party stands between these
! two extremes. and would keep the country
| on the ground of safety. There was an ir-
repressible cor Dict between the two ex-
tremes, and it was the duty Of Congress tC
restrain both.
The Senate, at O'Clock, without closing
the debate, went into executive session,
and, at 4:2O O'Clock, adjourned until to-
morrow.
HOUSE PROCEEDINGS.
In the House, Mr. Armf4ld, of North
! Carolina, offered a resolution for the ap
! pOiniment of a committee o. five members
TO irquire into and report concerning al
ternal revenue or other persons in the
| Sixth Collection District of North
| Carolina, and concerning all other
abuses peTpetrated In said district.
by internal revenue officers, which relate iu
ary way to the internal revenue law OF the
| United States or The conduct of internal
revenue officers. The resolution is pre-
ceded Oy a preamble stating that charges
| have been made IN the great expense
attending the collection of small internal
revenue taxes Is attributable to abuses
among the officers Of the internal revenue
Mr.. Houk. of Tennessee, commenting on
the resolution as a stump speech, sent to the
! Clerks desk and had read letter from Dis
tric' Attorney James Boyd, denying the
charges
The resolution was referred to the Com
mttee of Ways and Means.
! Mr.. Belford, of Colorado, offered a reso-
! luton amending rule IA so as to prevent q
member who has the floor from parceling
his time out to other members
Mr.. Belmont, of New York. offered q
resolution, rf questing the President to com
municate to the House all the correspond
! ence and communications between the GOV
ernment of the United States and It's diplo-
| matte aud other agents occurring since the
| first of April, 1879, relating to the efforts
Of this government to bring about peace
| between Chill, Peru and Bolivia, and such
! other correspondence on that subject as
| may be in possession Of the Department of
| State. Referred.
! Mr. Harris, Of Massachusetts,, Chairman
Of the Committee on Naval Affairs, reported
a resolution directing the Secretary of the
Navy to transmit to the House all the papers
aud correspondence In the department rela-
tive to the Chirequi coallng stations and the
appropriations for the purchase thereof,
and re que sting him to withhold all payments
for such stations until such information has
been laid before the House and action taken
by Congress. Adopted.
The call Of committees having been con-
cluded, Mr.. Robson, of New Jersey, called
up the report of the Committee on Rules,
Increasing the membership of the various
committees OF the House. He stated that
the thirteen committees whose membership
it was proposed to increase had before them
now nearly ninety per cent. of all the bust
ness Of the House
Mr.. Page, of California, offere an amend
ment to provide that the Committee on the
Improvement OF the Mississippi River shall
not have authority to report appropriations
on that subject.
Mr.. Kelley offered an amendment to strike
out the clause increasing the membership
Of the WaYs and Means Committee,
Mr.. Orth offered, as substitute for the
committees report, his amendment for the
election at the beginning of each Congress
of o commission charged with the duty of
assigning the memberships of committees
The motion was lost--yeas 10Y, nays 140.
Mr.. King, of Louisiana, moved to amend
the report so as to give the committee on
the Improvement Of the Mississippi River
power to report an appropriation On that
subject
Pending further action the Speaker an
nounced the appointment of Mr.. Beach. OF
New York, upon the Committee on Public
Buildings and Grounds in place of Mr.,
Hewitt, of New York, excused.
The H use then, at 4:45, adjourned.
The report Of the Committee on Rules
will come up tomorrow as unfinished bust
ness,
AN EFFORT TO STOP LEAKS.
At meeting OF the Committee on Public
Expenditures of the House today propo-
sitiOn to appoint sub committee to revise
all measures containing appropriations was
discussed, and 1t is quite probable that the
committee will insist on its right in this
respect. For many years past this COM
miJtee has not exercised its right to super
wise public expenditures, and, If it under
takes to do so now and is successful in
overcoming the opposition which such
&C ion may cause, it will become one Of the
most important committees Of the House.
Ex-Speaker Randall is chairman OF the
committee and r Representative Blackburn,
Of Kentucky holds second place.
ADDITIONAL MARINE HOSPITALS.
The House Committee on Commerce, at
its meeting to-day, authorized Representa-
tive Reagan to report to the House with
favorable recommendations his two bills for
the establishment of a quarantine station
on the Gulf poaat near Galveston and a