The Portland daily press., 1885-01-19
XLVIIIth Congress-2d Session
SENATE.

By designation of the President of the Senate,
Mr.. Allison presided over the Senate to-day.
message from the President was read trans-
mitting. In compliance with the Hswley resolution
the communication of Gen. sherman to the Secre-
tary Of War regarding the policy of the confederate
executive department 1t was laid on the table.
Among the bills introduced and appropriately re-
terred was one by Mr.. Frye, for the encouragement
of the American merchant marine and to promote
postal and commercial relations With foreign
countries.
The Senate proceeded to the consideration Of the
bills upon its calendar.
Debate was resumed on the bill for the relief of
the First National Bank of Newton, Mass. Tho
bill provides for the payment to that bank of IN
terest at per cent per annum from 1857 to date
on 100000 of the banks money. which the court
of claims had decided to have illegally come into
the nossession of the Unitad States 1he mi ere.t
amounts to nearly $3.50 900.
Mr.. Cockrell strongly opposed the payment of in
terest, except on 80 much OF the principal con-
sisted of United States interest bearing securities!
This would bring the amount Of the interest to $685.,
Messrs. Morrill, Conger. Sherman, Morgan, Sauls-
bury, Harris and Harris thought the payment of
interest in such cases not good public policy.
Messrs. Hoar Frye and Bayard favored the provi-
ieve the government or people of the United States
proposed 10 fatten on stolen goois. The bill was
Consideration of the interstate commerce bill was
then resumed. Mr.. Hawley opposed Mr. Slster's
amendment. He said that corporations had been
Immense factors In the progress of the human race,
but they had extra0r mary powers. They had
eternal life given to them by law; power to acq uire
property to ali ernity. They surpassed in power
any private individual; surdassed indeed, the
nobility of any nation in the world. There
mnch uneasiness In the public mind with regard to
ed to have come when the federal government
should take some position with regard 70 the regu-
lsliou of commerce between the states. Admitting
all these facts 10 be true however, Mr. hawley
thought it would be uuwise and indeed useless, to
attempt TO cover the whole ground at the start 1t
would be wiser TO pro eed sl0 Wy and tentatively In
matter of 90 much Importance. For his part he
could not. for the life of him, see why railroad
should charge more for carrying load OF freight
or 1900 miles Clearly we had to 10 something and
Congress, in Mr. Hawley's opinion, had undoubied
constitutional power IN the premises SO tar as eou-
should be exercised that the remedy TO be applied
was such as would be Just.
Mr.. Slater's amendment was rejected-11 to 81.
An amendment proposed by Mr.. Allison agreed
to. increasing the number Of commissioners from
hve TO nine, and providing that no5 more than five
OF them shall belong to one political power. Mr..
Alisons amendment also provides that one of the
commissioners shall be selected frem each of the
amendment offered by Mr.. Pugh was agreed to,
limiting the powers of the commission to the
powers specifically gwen by the bill. The amend
ments having been completed, some question arose
as to the parliamentary status of the measure which
having been ascertained the House bill was taken
from The calendar and Mr.. Cu.lo0 moved to amend
1t by striking out all after the enacting clause and
inserting the provisions of the Senate Diu. On this
matter, M. Vest called for the yeas and nays but
without action the Senate adj burned. ~
HOUSE.
In the Houte today, Mr.. Gibson of Virginia, ris-
ing to personal explanation said that his atten-
tion had been called to a newspaper paragraph.
charging him with having indulged In very harsh
aud unjust criticism upon the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. RandalD The paragraph had
reference to conference between himself and
some friends in Wheeling. At that conference the
tariff had been spoken of, and of course, Mr. Ran
dall's name had been mentioned. So far from max
ing any unkind illusions TO that gentleman he had
declared that, while he might differ from him on
some subjects Mr.. Randalls long record had
taught him to respect his capacity and integrity.
The speaker appointed Messrs. Cobb Henley and
Payson as conferees the Oregon Central land
grant bill.
Mr.. Hopkins of Pennsylvania from the commit
tee labor, reported resolutions directing the
Postmaster General 10 ask the Attorney General
for his opinion as to whether the Shour Law applies
to letter carriers. Adopted.
Mr.. Young of Tennessee, rising to a personal ex-
planation sent to the clerks aesk and had read an
article published in Washington paper yesterd ay
criticsing the expenditures of the contingent fund
of the House, aud making the statement that Mr..
Young's expenses during the Hot Springs investi-
CATION amounted to $l25. He declared tn, there
no hing connected with the Hot Springs inves-
tigaton which authorized any such statement
The Senate amer dmeht 10 the military academy
bill were noncoucurred in.
The House then went into committee on the
Diplomatic appropriation bill. MIR. Townshend Of
President to invite the co-opera ion of
the governments of the American nations
in securing the establishing Of commercial
league by and between said nations to be known as
the Customs Union of America
Mr.. Randall of Pennsy lvania raised a point OF
order against the amendment. Tie object Of 1t
might be very proper one, but the Senate had ad-
vised the House that it would agree to no egsla-
tion appropriation bills, and the adoption the
amendment would only bring on controversy
which ought to be avoided.
Mr.. 1ownshend said that the object of the propo-
the products of the country and this object could
be gained much more effectually IN this way than
by reciprocity treaties.
The chair sustain d the point Of order. aud the
amendment was not received.
The members then INDUCED In a debate tho
present business depression and the emeiies
therefor, which consumed the greater part of the
day.
Sr. Cox Of New York regretted that Mr.. Town.
shends amendment had been ruled out. 1t was
about time that Congress should understand that
times we're hard and that the best protected
industries, like that of iron, we're going down and
the best Judgment of he best men in the country
was tnat he times would become worse. hat was
the remedy? keciproc city. Not lopsided reciproc-
ity, but real reciprocity with the republics of
own hemisphere.
Mr.. Dorshemer of New York thought that the
most important gift which 1t was in the power OF
che government to give to the people was freer
trade with foreign countries. He belle ed in recp-
rocal treaties with other countries; reciprocal
treaties aud liberal arrangements Of trade will
secure to our people the great markets of the
world. He f4vored the proposed treaty with Mex
ico and was di poset TO favor the Spanish treaty.
The treaty with Nicaragua, in his Judgment, fur
nished to The cou try method of avoi ling great
peril in The future, as we'll securing an immed.
ate advantage oi n Importance.
Mr.. biscock of New York said that his two col
leagues had announced the old Democratic doc
thine that this country should be a purely agricu-
tural country. They had maintained that the
United states oud have free trade and exchange
of commodities with nations What had this coun-
try to exchange but agricultural products? The
mineral resources of the laid were to be surren-
dered and this was to be country of farmers and
nothing else. The country understood tnat to be
the policy of the next administration. Expecting
the country heard the noise from Pittsburg of the
failure of great iron industry; news came from
New York of the insolvency of banking institutions.
He had no hesitation In declaring that before this
| Congress adjourned from other manufactur ng and
| business centres would come announcement OF dis
tIess and failure e-ail precipita ed by the agitation
that was threatened the country the part of the
next administration. Referring to the peudiDg
treaties, he asked his cole gue (Mr. Dorsheimsr)
what the United States would have to sell provided
| they ratified. The United States had nothing
10 take to sell in the market of South America un
less 1t could compete with England, and to do so it
must reduce the price of labor. Did his colleague
propose to degrade labor down that point that 1t
| could not compete with foreign labor?
| Mr.. Cox of New York centended that the Demo-
cratic party was misrepresented by his colleague
| (Mr. Hiscock) when he said the incoming admins
tration was in favor Of making this country purely
agricultural country Mr.. Cox denied that the dts
trsss which now existed was attribut able
to Democratic success. The Republican
| party is responsible for that sort Of
| hotbed growth which gave the country a surplus
production, and sad 1t was that the very man who
did the most to cook up last tariff (Mr. Oliver
was the first 10 fail beneath the vicious lsgis
lation. Who had authorized his colleague to speak
| for Grover Cleveland? AL the gentleman could
find out about the future policy Of the Democratic
party written in its platform.
| Mr. Reed of Maine wondered that the gentleman
| from New York (Mr. DoTsheimer) did not consider
what would be the sole result of the action which
| he advocated. 1t certainly could not be possible
that he was ignorant that today the United state
had the most perfect acc ss to all the markets of
| The world 1he difficulty was that it could not sell
goods in the markets Of the world because IL cou d
| not produce them as cheaply as other nations
This because hesUnted States for every dollar
that competing nations paid tor, paid 81 80 The
United States could only compete by taking The GO
| cents from the aboring man. Did The gentleman
from New York dare to avow that that was his our.
pose? In no other way could the markets of the
world be open to any greater extent than they now
were.