Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-05
18th tCongress---Sec0nd Session.
WASHINGTON February 4 1885

WASHINGTON, February 4, 1885.
SENATE-The chair laidS before the Senate
the communication from the President re-
commencing legislation necessary to place
General Grant on the retired list of the
army.
Mr.. Plumb from the Committee on APP
preparations reported the District of Colum-
bia appropriation bill with amendments.
Mr.. Hoar from the Committee on Privi-
leges and Elections, to which was referred
the so-called credentials of William NJ .Evarts,
reported the same back, accompanied by a
report stating that the papers referred to the
committee appeared to be merely a transcript
of the proceedings of the two houses of the
New York legislature; that such transcript
was not required by law as
evidence of the election of a senator;
that the document was not signed by
the executive of the State as required by
law; and that the committee was of the opin-
Hoar moved that the credentials lie on the
table until the omissions therein shall have
been supplied; SO ordered.
The Interstate commerce bill was then
taken up. Two hours and more were ex-
pended in efforts to amend the Senate sub
stitute, but except in unimpertant particu
lars these efforts were unsuccessful. At 3
yesterday, vote was taken on the adoption
of the Senate or Cullom interstate COM
merce commission bill as substitute forsthe
House bill, and it was passed by a to 12.
The vote in detail was as follows Yeas
Aldrieh, Allison, Blair, Call, Cameron of
Wisconsin, Chaee,. Conger, Cullom, Dawes,
Dolph, Edmunds, Frye, Groome, Hampton,
Harris, Harrison, Hawley, Hill, Hoar, In
gals, jackson, Jonas, Jones of Florida,
Jones of Nevada, Lamar Lapham, McMil-
Ian, Henderson, Miller Of California, Miller
Of New York, Mitchell, Morrill,, Pike, Platt,
Plumb, Pugh, Riddleberger, Sabin, Sawyer,
Sewell, Sherman, Slater, Vest and Wilson.
quit, Mcpherson, Maxey, Morgan, Pendle
ton, Salisbury, Vance and Van Wyck
This bill being thus disposed of the chair
laid before the Senate the next special order,
which was the House bill FORGETTING the
lands granted to the Texas Pacific railroad.
Mr.. Morrill, moved to take up in prefer
ence the bill for the recoinage of the trade
dollars amended by the Senate Finance
committee; agreed to- 81 to g.
Mr.. Morrill, said he did not regard the
United States as under the slightest legal or
moral obligation to retire the trade dollar, but
from s9,O0O,00O to 100000 900 of these coins
We're held by our own people and had
become public nuisance and some measure
of relief was called for. He called attention
to the fact that the bill as proposed by the
Senate only interrupted the purchase of sill
yer bullion for the coinage of the standard
silver dollar to the extent of $1,000 a
month until after one more effort should
have been made to get the States of the Latin
union to remonetize the silver dollar. He
did not wish to demonetize silver or to re-
duce the amount in circulation. The coun-
try needed both gold and silver and
if it should ever be driven
to the single standard of silver
it would bea disaster affecting the country
Mr.. Mcpherson controverted the position
hot fhara
on the part of the United States to redeem
the trade dollar and read extracts from the
report of the Secretary of the Treasury for
1888 (Mr. Folger) to establish the legal re-
sponsibiity of the government for the ISSUE
He also read extracts from letters from bank
ers and others showing that they and their
customer held large amounts of trade dollars
received by them at their face value not
purchased as bullion and upon which they
were unable to realize. The coinage of
money was a right conferred on the govern
ment by the constitution, but what right
had any government TO change it's laws as to
coinage without retiring the coins it had pre-
viously authorized? He supported the bill
reported by Mr.. Morrill, from the Finance
committee.
Mr. Beck desired it to be understood that
the Finance committee not by any
means unanimous on the bill.
Mr.. Bowen took the floor to address the
Senate on the question, when at 40 an e1-
ecutive session was called.
Nothing of Importance occurred i'll exec
utive session, however, and when the doors
were reopened the Senate adjourned.
HoUsE-When the House met this morn
ing it proceeded, under the new rule, to con-
slider bills to (which not more than ten
members objected. Mr.. Pussy, of Iowa,
asked the House to consider bill making an
additional appropriation of $1,000 for the
completion of public building at Council
Bluffs, Iowa. More than ten members OBJ
jected and the bill was set aside.
A dozen OF more bills were then proposed,
but all met the same fate, and when the
morning hour had expired the House went
into committee on the river and harbor bill.
Four items for the coast of Maine appro-
priating a total of $500 and an item of
$4,000 for the harbor at Portsmouth, N. H.
were passed at intervals between the debate
on pro forna amendments.
general debate, although under the five
minute rule, on the Mississippi river and
Galveston harbor improvements and Captain
Eads then ensued, but without further prog
ress ssthe committee rose and at 5 p. m. the
House took recess until p. m.
At the night session there but small
attendance and Mr.. White, of Kentucky,
made the point of no quorum. After an
hours Intellectual effort to get quorum the
House at sos, without transacting any bust
ness, adjourned.