The Portland daily press., 1885-02-06
XLVIIIth Congress--2d Session
SENATE.

tion which was agreed to directing the committee
on naval affairs to investigate the organization of
the navy and all questions touching its line and
staH corps and all ranks and forces together with
questions OF pay and promotion.
A resolution seeking information from the secre-
tary OF the interior as to the exact condition of af
fairs between the Union Pacific and the United
States government was passed.
Mr.. ingalls, gave notice that tomorrow he would
move TO amend one OF the Senate rules by striking
out the words mo amendment which proposes gem
eral legislation shall be received TO any general ap-
preparation billn and amending the rules SO as to
ane ae ~ Isau . NO amendment not germane or rel
ersl appropriation bills shall be received
Reading the report on the bill consumed the time
till two, and was unfinished at that hour when It
was displaced by the bill for the redemption of the
trade dollar and suspension of coinage of the stand
ard dollar. Upon this Mr.. Bowen took the floor.
He opposed the Senate committees amendment to
the Honse bill and hoped the House bill providing
merely for the redemption of the trade dollar
would be passed by the Senate and thar the Senate
provision to suspend the coinage ofstandard dollars
would not be passed.
Mr.. Bayard followed. He strongly opposed the
redemption of the trade dollar at its face value.
Indeed he objected to the word "Redemption'' in
connection with it. Trade dollars in the same
category as silver bars. 1t was absolutely in the
face of reason and of history and in denial of ac-
tual experience to allege that the trade dollar had
ever been in circulation in the United States as
money. Mr. Bayard advocated the suspension of
the silver coinage act. He would favor more
prompt suspension than that provided by the SEN
ate committees amendment under consideration
but it the present measure the best that could
now be had he would support it. There were laws
of commerce that could not be set aside at the be-
hest OF legislators. To be the supreme court
had said that Congress could destroy every pecu-
MARY obligation expressed in lawful money of the
United States. MIR. Bayard added that in dealing
with the subject OF money no experiment should be,
tried, but just and admitted laws of business should
be recognized. Those whould suffer most by the
silver mono-metalism were the aborers. MIR. Bay
| ard did not wish to comment further upon that
most remarkable and startling decision of the Su.
preme Court, but there was one thing that Con
q tha rrofaa
that could be raised could not do and that was to
create or maintain value against the belief of the
| person to whom it was rendered. Mr.. Bayard be-
eyed that all the currency necessary for the Uni
TED states at the present time was here.
Adjourned.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Randall from the committee on rules report
ted an amendment to section ten of the objection
rule, 50 as to provide that objections shall not be
called for until ten minute debate has proceeded
Mr.. Reed of Maine, dsclaimed having taken any
part in the formation of the amendment or the
original rule
spoke well for both amendment and rule.
MIR. Reed said that he knew that the gentleman
from tennessee intended only impertinence. That
was his only object; but he r. keed), did not in
tend to reply in that ven because there were seri
GUS questions involved in the method of proceeding
In the question to which the gentleman from Ten
nessee would address himself provided he was cap
able OF comprehendng the Importance of them, He
then went on to attack the system of rules under
OF the House and made it impossible to transact
pubic business. This special rule this hybrid af-
fair, would not relieve the House. 1t was attempt
ing to run Niagara through quill.
MIR. MCMILLAN said that in response to the charge
OF the Representative from Maine, concerning the
pertinence or impertinence of his remark he had
only this to say that the House would bear him wit
ness, that among all of its 325 members there was
not one who had less cause to criticize impertinence
on the part of others than the Representative from
Maine. Who ever raised debate here that his re-
marks not in it, in season and out of season2
iOta aI,oIxI ;@
would be rashness on the part of any man to G M
paie himself with what he, (AIr. Reed thought he
was. daughter and applause) That gentleman had
spoken in way that was critical about others on
more occasions here than he could anywhere else
where the protection OF the rules did net not hang
around him.
MIR. Reed thought that in that last sentence the
gentleman his struck his natural level. The other
heights to which he had assembled had been furn-
ished him by the gentlemen who surrounded him.
Mr.. Mcmillan suggested that Mr.. Reed might i'm
prove his remarks by borrowing.
Mr.. Randall in reply to Mr.. Reeds attacks upon
the rules said that they had in almost three entire
volumes come down from former generations.
Mr.. Reed denied that the rules had come down
from former generations. A majority of the rules
were the same as they had been before Mr. Randall
took them in charge in the 46th Congress- but the
whole system OF operating business had been
changed and uprooted, and the House was cribbed
cOned and confined by the present system of rules
single member.
The amendment to the rule was adopted.
MI: Mr:Breckenridge of Arkansas, rising to question
SSAAS ~ oooA
extracts from speeches made yesterday by Messrs
Reed of Maine and Hiscock of New York, refecting
upon the committee on rivers and harbors. At a
full meeting of the committee this morning he said
it had been unanimously adopted that those re-
marks should be denounced on the floor of the
House as slander upon the committee. The COM
mittee unanimously denounced the imputations
upon it as groundless. The committee had no de-
sire to have the insolent remarks taken from the
record, but it was willing to let them stand as evil
dence of the kind of criticism that was directed
against the action of the committee. AS member
Of and har
which the gentlemen sought to heap upon their as
sociates.
MIR. Reed said he felt somewhat panied to think
that the committee on rivers and harbors should
not feel it had sufficient affairs its hands already
but should undertake to indct fellow members Yfor
words spoken in debate. He had felt that it was
enough the gentlemen of the committee sat
with closed doors and that they absorbed general
discussion without giving themselves supervisory
power over the utterances of gentlemen who had
been obliged to condense important subjects into
| five minutes. He expressed his personal sorrow
that the gentleman from Arkansas (Breckenridge),
exempihed in his attack the objection able thing
which he thought he found in what he (BIr. Reed
9 70 stad no 70 DS De now ara gLUVeng ior
tives having characterized the action of any men,
ber. Were he asked to name members to whom he
would attach suspicion :of improperly he would
exhaust the long list before he had finished the ng
ers of one hand.
Mr.. Breckenridge said that the disclaimer was en-
| to make against the gentleman.
Mr.. Reed said he had in substance expressed be-
expenditure of money in their section than in prop
or measures for navigation of the Mississippi river
and that was proper statement to be made.
MIR. Hunt of Louisiana.-Mhat do you mean when
you say representatives are more influenced by q
desire to secure the expenditure of money than by
desire for the improvement of navigation of the
Mississippi river. What does that mean? ~
Mr.. Reed.-The gentleman can judge for him
| self.
solutely untrue as shown by the record an untrue
statement made in an improper spirit and uncharit
/ able.
Mr.. Reed-I simply allow the gentleman's re-
marks to pass in conjunction with his manner of
| making them.
| MI. Hunt-It will pass and SO will you.
| Mr.. Hiscock replied to the remarks in which he
| was criticised to the effect that the committee on
rivers and harbors had not been sufficiently open
| with the House. He did not make any charge of
| improperly against the committe. He would throw
it the mantle of charity for nothing but chari
ty would cover its omissions. The matter was then
| dropped.
The House then proceeded to business under the
| new rule.
Three minor bills passed the ordeal by escaping
10 objections and the House then went in to commit
| tee on the river and harbOr bill.
| Mr.. Spooner of Rhode Island while favoring the
general principle of international improvements,
protested against the bill discriminating against
| the locality which he represented. Nh. Spooner
| managed by pro fOrn1a amendments, offered every
| five minutes to make an bour's speech, devoted es-
| pecally to a comparison of the commerce of Texas
| with that of Rhode Island.
| Mr.. Long of Massachusetts, offered an amendment
appropriating $4,000 for improvement OF bingham
| harbor Mass. Adopted.
| Mr.. Stone of Massachusetts,, under instruction
| from the committee on rivers and harbors, offered
as substitute for the paragraph appropriating for
amendment appropriating 100000 for improve
ment of national harbor of refuge Of the first
class at Sandy Bay, Mass, provided that no part of
this appropriation be expended until new board of
engineers shall decide the point of the best location
| on the coast for such harbor.
Pending action the committee rose
| Mr.. Holman of Indiana, from the committee on
appropriations reported the legislative executive
and special appropriation bill and it was referred
to the committee of the whole.
The House then took recess until 10 o'clock to-