Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-13

MT. Voorhees, said the Attorney Geners was within the scope of the action of tn Senate and was bound to pay attention to tn resolution. The resolution was adopted. MT. Vorohees introduced bill to prohibi officers and employees of the United State from contributing money for political pur poses He said It was notorious that at thi time. in spite of the existing law, politica assessments are going on as much as before ssThe bill," he said, provides the onl, remedy for this evil. It makes it a pena offense to make such contributions I not only punishes the officer wh, asks, but the man who pays. Whii, of every one hundred employees desir, such legislation, which arms them with ar effective answer to the political managers that he could not contribute without becom ing liable to the law. All the evils which threaten the purity and stability of our in stitutions sink into utter insignifcance witt the corrupt use of money for political pur poses. We have heard much, '' he continued ''about civil service reform. I wish could see the good old times again when 8 mar using money in elections would as quickly lose his rank and position as would horse thief"
 Mir. Hawley thought the bill ought to go to the Civil Service committee. Congress had done everything possible to give govern.
 
 To say to any man who happens to be in the service of the government that he must give nothing for the support of any political machine was an extraordinary and unjustifia- ble provision and one which they ought to be ashamed to have on the statute book. Many people looked upon politics as disrep- utable. For himself he regarded politics next to the worship of God as the most honorable vocation in which men could engage. He favored honest civil service reform, but thought this measure harsh, unsatisfactory and unjustifable.
 MT. Beck favored the bill, which he said was the same as that before the Senate three years ago. While members or Senators do not go round personally for contributions they send their clerks to prod the employees for voluntary contributions. He knew of government officials who retained certain per cent. of the salaries of the employees for political purposes.
 MT. Dawes asked the Senator for specific information on this point.
 'I do not care to give names now" he re- piled.
 ''Does the Senator know" pressed Mir. Dawes, ''that any official of this government has retained a cent of salary of employees for political purposes?"
 s'Yes,' replied Mir. Beck, CT know it, and the Finance committee all know it.''
 ''Then the Senator ought to have laid his 1uIOEmdt1On OolOES tuc puDllc Ill some way.
 sIt will be laid before the committee when the bill comes up."
 ''I only wanted to know the fact, y said MT. Dawes. '1 am not disputing the state- ment. If the Senator has specific informa- tion that any official of this government has retained percentage of the salary of an em- ploye for political purposes hope he will see that that person is arraigned before the proper tribunal and impeached for high criminal misdemeanor under the existing law"
 Mr. Vance said the fact had already been officially proven before committee of the Senate.
 Under the existing law?" inquired MT. Dawes.
 No, sir," replied Mir. Vance, mot since the passage of the civil service bill. Col lectors in North Carolina have frequently retained money for political purposes"
 II have no doubt," said Mir. Hawley, there have been such abuses and they were condemned by the passage of the civil service act last session."
 MT. Harrison said he would like to call the attention of his colleague (Voorhses) to something which had not called forth his by Democrats, when the heads of depart ments became themselves the instruments for collecting political assessments. sI have read the history of those times in vain, ''sa1d MT. Harrison, ito find that my colleague, who was then somewhat prominent in politics, ever lifted his voice on the stump or in the halls of Congress in depreciation of those practices. I agree that men grow in virtue sometimes as they grow in years, but I have more faith in their virtue when it is used to expose and denouncs the practices of one's own party than in that virtue which lies dormant while one's own party scoffers are being benefited by contributions, and is only stirred when the money goes into the coffers of the opposition party" He said he would never vote for a bill which deprives members of Congress or any public officer, high or low, of the priv iIege of converting any part of his salary he pleases to legitimate campaign expenses
 The bill was referred to the Committee on Judiciary.
 After some debate the bill for the construction of 8 Congressional library was passed.
 At 4:1o the Senate went into executive session and shortly afterward adjourned.
 HOUSE On motion of Mir. Stewart, of Vermont, resolution was adopted directing the Committee on Expenditures in the De- pertinent of Justice in making investigation into the expenditures on account of prosecu- tiops of persons charged with frauds on the government, and especially in the Star route u1hI1 SSINIGSs bO 1D4uAEO 1HLO IH6 AhuueE III which such prosecutions have been and are being conducted and into the conduct, eff ciency and good faith of all officials or per sons in the pay of the government in counec tion with such prosecutions and whether guilty parties have been duly prosecuted
 MT. Bland moved as privileged motion to discharge the Committee on Banking and Currency from the consideration Of the bill to retire the trade dollars and that it be re- ferred to the Committee on Coinage Weights and Measures. There was short but lively controversy over this motion, both commit tees claiming to have bill upon the subject ready to report to the House. The motion was adopted.
 Mir. Cosgrove, of Missouri, called up his motion to reconsider the vote refusing the authorization of sub committee to visit and investigate the work on the Hot Springs in Arkansas. A prolonged debate ensued. The resolution was amended by reducing the committee from five to three and enlarging the scope of the investigation. It was then adopted.
 The committees were then called for re- ports. Mir. Dowd, of North Carolina, from the Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures, reported bill to retire the trade dollars, placed on the calendar. The bill makes the trade dollar receivable for all dues to the United States and exchangeable for standard dollars until July l, 1888. United States officers are prohibited from paying them out again, but are required to turn them into the treasury for recoinage.
 MT. Skinner, of New York. reported back from the Committee on Postoffices the bill providing for special delivery stamp.
 Mir. Murphy, of Iowa, from the Com mittee on Railways and Canals, reported g bill for the construction of the Michigan and Mississippi canal and to cheapen transports- ton. This measure is better known as the Hennepin canal scheme.
 Mir. Hunt, from the Committee on Ship ping, reported bill to encourage the Ameri can merchant marine and to promote postal and commercial relations with foreign coun- tries.
 These with sundry private bills were placed on the several calendars.
 At o'clock on motion of Mr. Hutchins, of New York, the House went into Commit tee of the Whole on the naval appropriation bill, Mr. Converse in the chair. The bill and report were read by the clerk. MT. Calkins criticised the clause pro- viding that no vacancies in the lire and staff shall be filled by promo tion until such grades shall be reduced tc the number fixed by act of August, 1882. He referred to what he called remarkable omission in the bill in neglecting to provide for the armament of the four steel cruisers which will be furnished by October next and for the armament of which the estimates were $473, GOO. He criticised the policy oi building these expensive vessels and leaving them in useless condition for want of arna.