Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-15
XIX. CosaREss.
WASHINGTON, July II, 1885.

VrtSnSOtIUs Ns W aSStNs
Dir. Platt offered o resolution for
printing all presidential vetoes from the
organization Of Congress to the present
time arranged in chronological order as
Senate document. Referred to the
Committee on Printing.
The Senate took up the calendar un-
der the special order. Among the
bills passed was House bill for addi-
tional aids 10 navigation through chan
nels leading to Pensacola, Fla. AT
1890 the consideration of the calendar
closed.
The Senate took up the river.and-
harbor bill, and Mr.. Mcmillan, who
has charge OF it, moved that the bill
be recommitted to the Committee on
Commerce, with instructions TO amend,
as noted by the Senate in Committee Of
the Whole, except that in each item OF
the bill and in the aggregate there be o
reduction Of 80 per cent. /; that the
committee amend the bill accordingly
IsId not otherwise), and report the
same complete forthwith.
Messrs. Pugh and Call moved that the
vote on the amendments should first be
taken in the Senate. as there were some
items dsproportionately increased and
some 'dispropOrtionately reduced, and
the Senate should have an opportunity
of passing on them before the order pro-
posed was made.
Mr. Logan declared himself opposed
TO this manner Of cutting down the bill
by horizontal Slice" lie supposed
the idea came from the plan Of cutting
down the tariff, as proposed by an Hill
nois man in tho House. II this order
were to be adopted he wished the sp-
preparation for the Illinois canal would
first be increased.
Mr.. Vest, q member Of the Commit
tee On Commerce. opposed the order,
although he anticipated, he said, it
would prevail.
After a DEPRESSION upon the jetty sys-
TEN at the mouth of the Mississippi
river, Mr.. Harris bringing back the
discussion to the matter Immediately
before the Senate) suggested that if the
riyer.and-harbOr bill were recommitted
in its present state it would, when re-
ported back, have to take its place on
the calendar and go through precisely
The same action as if it had not been
already considered.
The Chair said he would not now de-
eide that question. Mr.. Kenna, Of
West Virginia, said no had no doubt
that the Senator for Tennessee (Nr.
Harris) was right in the position he
took. lie trusted that the motion would
be withheld until after the Senate had
acted on the various amendments 10 the
bill.
Mr.. Butler inquired OF Mr.. Mcmillan
why he had made the motion. The
Senate had spent two weeks on this bill,
and now, on the eve Of final action, this
proposition was made. 1t seemed to
him that il was absolutely child's play.
If the idea of it was the ap-
prehension that the President was
going to veto the bill, it would
be vetoed just as well with 80 per cent.
| of as it would be in its present state.
| lie would offer as a substitute for the
proposed instructions proposition APP
propriating 10000, 900, or as much
thereof as can be judiciously expended
dufiDg the fiscal year by the Secretary
Of War in the improvement of import
ant rivers and harbors.
Mr.. Mcmillan said that the original
bill was so large, and the Senate had In
creased it so largely that the Commit
| tee on Commerce was OF the opinion
that the amount should be reduced.
The motion which he had submitted
had been made after consultation with
senators familiar with the rules.
Mr.. Edmunds said the bill as it came
from the House was larger in amount
and more diversified in its objects than
any river. aud-harbor bill that ever
came from The House before. He felt
that this totally Of business, in place OF
being beneficial to the people, was ill.,
furious, and that it was teaching the
people to be looking to Congress and
the National Treasury for everything,
instead of depending on themselves.
Mr. Vest said that every session Tor
seven years past he had heard these
homllies about riyer-and-harbor bills.
There were hut two courses for Con-
cress TO take in the matter. One was to
leave the matter entirely in the hands
of the President and Of the engineer
corps Of the army and the other was
TO adhere TO the present system. Ii Don
eress saw proper ~ abnegaEe It's power
TO construct river and.hsrbor bills let
it DO so, but it was The sheeress moon
shine nonsense ever talked outside OF
lunatic asylum to say that riyer-aud'
harbor bills could be constructed anc
the motives Of mankind ignored II
doing so. The man who eX
pected q Senator or Representative
to ignore improvements in his own STATE
was a nan who would look for Utopa
The Committee on Commerce was com
postd Of senator's from thirteen states
and it was not those senators alone VIII
influenced the making up OF the bill
lie bad had grave and reverend sena
tors mot Of the committeel button-hol
him and say that if they did not get TIL
or that appropriation put in the bill the.
would be beaten at the next election
1t was a case of "hslp me, Csssias, o
| sink" Laughter Senator'S ha'
come into the chamber snd had thei
amendments put into the bill, and the.
had then stood up within three feet G
HIM aud denounced the whole schem
Ms a piece OF unconstitutional corfup
, lion. Combinations did not stop wit
members Of the committee. They Ia
| been made on this floor in relation !
this very bill. The plan was " Hell
me TO put in my appropriation ana
will help you TO put in yours. IL
= had had senators to come to him an
: say: West, you were right IN yoC
argument about the kentucky rise
} but was in the gang and could NJ
: leave the procession. had ny part
e the pork, and had to let somebody eli
have ais part" And 1t would be SO
: The end of time.
Al pr,la, alec ocoorod NJ Mem