Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-02
The Senate,

WASHINGTON, Feb. l-Petitions were pre-.
scented for the suppression of polygamy.
The bill was reported favorably appropri
ating $4,000 to enable the National Board Of
Health to supply pure vaccine virus to the
people at cost price.
On motion of Senator Window, resolution
was adopted requesting the president to com.
municate the correspondence between the ex-
ecutive department and diplomatic agents of
the United States relating to the proposed
congress Of American nations or any of them
in 1882.
The senate then took up Morgan's pending
resolution calling for an authentic statement
of all tests made by the mixed commission in
reference to heavy ordnance being built by the
United States and also for printing the testi-
mony taken in the last congress on the sub
ject of heavy ordnance and plojectiles and the
tests to which they have been subjected. Dis
cussion followed, in which Morgan explained
his purpose was to have published matters
which the ordnance bureau has in the hands
of ga ring" interested in certain inventions,
and it's chief officer held patents on inventions
which s'the ring" has caused to be patented.
He wants to have the whole matter sifted to
the bottom and an opportunity given Ameri.
can inventors to compete with thu favOrites of
the bureau. The resolution was finally laid
aside informally without action.
The senate then took up the 8 per cent.
bond bill and Morgan advocated as an addi-
tional section an amendment as follows
"That the agreement made with holders of
bonds OF the United States, since the adjourn
ment of the forty-sixth congress, by which
the note of interest, on such bonds, was re-
duced to 3h per cent. per annum, is hereby
fully ratified and confirmed, according to the
terms and intent of said agreement. After a
long discussion upon the suggestion, Ingalls,
amendment was modified by the insertion of
au express recognition of the agreement is
valid and binding upon the government, The
amendment was then adopted without vote,
as also the provision offered by Senator Davis,
of West Virginia, declaring that nothing in
the act should be construed as to authorize an
increase of the public debt. The bill then re-
verted to the senate from the committee of
the whole, and the question being upon agree
inG> to the amendments as whole, Senator
Sherman asked for seperate vote on Plumb's
amendment applying the surplus revenues
over SiOe, 000, 600 to a reduction of the public
debt He said if the proposition was not
stricken out, he and Others who had acted
with him, would be compelled to vote against
the bill. He urged upon the senate to appre-
ciate the importance of maintaining suf8-
cient reserve in the treasury, as heretofore,
in order that sudden emergencies might be
provided against, and argued that if the pro-
posed reduction was now made 1t would open
The door to further attempts in the same d.
rection. The next move he feared would be
to dispose of the revenues in excess of $780,
DOC, GOO. He had been informed, even to-day,
the flow of gold from our own country had
begun, and he was apprehensive the balances
in our favor heretofore, might be turning
against us. He added that on previous even
ming he had felt like initiating the example Of
French ministers and resigning.
Senator Plumb said the senator complained
that somebody might some day reduce the re-
demption fund to fifty millions. He (Plumb)
knew one man, secretary OF the treasury,
might to-day reduce it to nothing, and he
wanted to restrict this one mans power. The
senator sought to alarm the country by
charging that panic might occur if the sur
plus revenues were reduced, and had spoken
of the outflow Of gold, and in this he was
helping to bring on the very EVIL he professed
to fear. He (Plumb) believed now was TIC
acdepted time for applying usefully the reve-
nue. which had been lying uselessly in the
treasury vaults.
Senator Teller said the financial statements
laid upon the desks of senator's, from official
sources, disproved Sherman's assertion that
gold exports had begun.
Senator Bayard here took the floor, but
yielded for motion for an executive session.
The house concurrent resolution fixing the
9th of February as the day for the Garfield
memorial services was concurred in.
Senator Morrill, reported from the finance
committee the bill proposing amendments to
the revised statutes, to authorize collections,
naval officers, surveyors and inspectors who
may have cause to suspect conceaiment of
merchandise in particular store or dwelling,
to search for and seize the same.
After executive eessiOn the senate ad-
journed.