The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1886-01-20
CONGRESSIONAL PRoCEEDMas.
House,.

duced q bill repeating 80 much OF the act Q
June 9, 1879, as provided for exchange and
redemption Of subsidiary coin. Referred:
Mr.. Dockery, from the COMMITTEES on Ac
counts, reported joint resolution allow
ing discharged employees Of the House ont
month extra pay. After considerable de
bate the resolution was deieated-yeas, "a
nays. 1S9.
Mr. Tarsney offered q resolution callini
on the Secretary Of the Treasury for in
formation as to the amount of money Il
the Treasury than can be legally applies
to the payment of bonds or any other in
terest-bearing debt of the United States
and if there be any such moneys in tn
Treasury applicable to the payment of tn
obligations aforesaid, which has been oe
applied. Referred.
Private business having been disposed Of
the House resumed the consideration q
tn. Presidential Succession bill, and itl
passage was advocated by Mr.. Dibble, who
regarded 1T as far better statutory pro
vision than the existing law. He proceeded
to argue that neither the President pro ten
of the Senate nor the Speaker of the Houss
WAS United States officer, and in support
of his position, quoted from the Four
teenth Amendment of the Constitution
where a distinction is made between q
member of Congress and a United States
officer. He picked out flaws which he con.
tended existed in the present statute, and
the manner in which. if called into opera.
ton, would destroy the symmetry OF our
ing that the pending measure did not, and
no statatutory provision could meet every
exigency which might arise in the Presi.
Dental succession, he answered any Of the
objections made to it, and showed wherein
it was an improvement Cver the law OI
1892.
After considerable debate, Mr.. Ca ldwell,
(Tennessee,) demanded the previous ques-
tion, which, after a little preliminary
fencing, was ordered.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Adams.
illinois, striking out the clause which re-
peals the sections of the Revised Statutes
providing for a special election, was re-
jeeted-yeas, 113; nays, 1853.
A substitute, offered by Mr.. Mckinley,
(Ohio,) leaving in force the present law.
with the addition of q provision for the
purpose Of having the Speaker of tho
House of Representatives in office contin-
uously, was divided by party lines.
After a couple of further attempts
to recommit and amend the bill, it passed
years. 1873; nays, II, precisely as it came
from the Senate. A negative vote was cast
by Republicans and by Bennett and Green,
OF New Jersey. Among the Republicans
who voted with the Democrats in the
affirmative we're Herman and Markham.
The House Committee on Rivers and
Harbors to-day resolved to limit the total
amount of appropriation for improving
the rivers and harbors to $11, 900, ,O0O.I
The sums recommended for appropriation
will in no case be made public in advance
of the report OF the bill.
A meeting of the House Naval Affairs
Committee took a sensational turn to-day.
Mr.. Boutelle's resolution, inquiring about
the dismissal of Union soldiers from the
Norfolk navy yard and the appointment
of ex-Confederates in their places. and as
to the statement that certain inscrip-
tions commemorative of victories over
the Confederates had been defaced,
was called up, and led to heated polite
al discussion. Mr.. Wise, California;
made speech denouncing the resolution
and impugning the motives of it's mover.
He insinuated that the resolution was in
troduced from desire to make party cap
ital, and expressed the opinion that it
should be amended so as to allow a general
investigation into the conduct of the navy
yards. He urged that mere newspaper res
ports were the sole foundation for the pro-
posed inquiry. and that it was not becom-
ing the dignity of Congress to heed such
stories. Mr.. Boutelle vigorously defended
the resolution. He said he had been as
sured by a brother member that the publi-
cation was substantially correct. He
wanted the matter investigated. Mr..
Thomas pointed out that the resolution
was not for an investigation; it was simple
inquiry, and if the story was without foun-
dation, the Navy Department could easily
prick the bubble. Mr.. McAdoo contends
that the Investigations should be general.
had been discharged from
other navy yards on the Eastern coast,
and why not at Norfolk? Mr.. Hewitt
inquired if it will be contended that the
victors were not entitled to the spoils. Mr..
Thomas acquiesced in that assumption,
but said in the case under consideration it
was a question not OF politics not whether
q Republican had been displaced by
but whether the statute giving
preference to Union soldiers had been viO-
lated. He wanted to know whether Unio1.
soldiers had been discharged to make way for
rebel soldiers. and whether memorial stones
commemorating 60 Union vic tories had been
Mr.. Hewitt inquired If the
gentleman would have tolerated a Confed-
crate monument commemorating the VIC
tory of Bull Run. MIR. Thomas replied that
he would have it pulled down. Forum
ately the rebels failed in their object. He
was not ashamed OF having fought for the
Union. Other members of the committee
expressed themselves in strong language,
and the session ended without action on
the resolutions, which will come up for
at the next meeting.