The Portland daily press., 1888-02-08
Lth CONGRESS--.FIRST SESSION.
SENATE.


bridges over navigable waters within State
limits.
Senator Platt resumed his speech on the
Presidents message. He said he had shown
yesterday that the message meant the fina
destruction of the protective system, and yir
tual free trade. He assumed the Democratic
party intended to follow the Presidents
recommendations. He admitted the neces'
sity Of some reduction of income, but de-
clared the surplus was unnecessary. He
charged the Democrats with failure to origi'
nate legislation reducing taxation, although
the Senate had waited three years for such Q
bill from the House. The Democratic party
had refused appropriations, resisted neces
sary expenditures and failed to pass bills for
Notifications, coast defences. and river and
harbor improvements for the sake of being
able to hold up the surplus as menace. tC
the business interests of the country and tC
force Congress into the destruction of the
protective system. The administration ought
to try to pay off in advance the three hun.
bonds due in 1891. There was no force in
the Presidents objection that the bOndhold-
ers would combine to put up prices. When
the Secretary of the Treasury was purchas-
ing bonds recently, he, himself. fixed the
price. The price Of those bonds had, since
the purchase, been constantly lower than the
Secretary's price. There was no need of re-
ducing the revenue hundred millions. q
wise regard to the condition of the national
finances would not permit it. He advocated
the abolition Of the duty on, tobacco, ten
millions; the duty on alcohol used in the
arts, ten millions; a reduction in the duty
on sugar of twenty five per cent; reduction
of the tax on both whiskey and tobacco, fifty
per cent, fifty-nine millions.
The benefits of protection were as extern
sive as the country's boundaries. Protec-
tlOn was the policy that united America In
competition with the world. Unless the
Democratic President and the so called
Democratic party were permitted to destroy
this safeguard, United America would con-
tinue to beat the world in the grand struggle
for human advancement. Senator Platt con-
cluded his speech at 2.15 p. m. and Senator
Dolph addressed the Senate in favor of the
bill reported by him, for the payment of the
Fregon and Washington Indian war claims,
for the suppression of Indian hostilities in
1855 and 1856.
to grant an American register to the foreign
built bark Nordstjerner, now in San Fran
cisco harbor, was taken up.
Senator Vest said he gave his hearty ap-
yroval to the bill, and was glad the senator
from Maine had at last found one foreign
to American registry. There was bill
pending to admit to American registry the
steamers of the Red Star line, which that
company had been compelled under the
American navigation laws,) to have built
abroad. He hoped the senator from Maine
would carry out his good resolution, and
help "naturalize" these steamers. They be-
longed to American citizens. The only diff
ference between the two cases was that the
case before the Senate was that of vessel,
which, by stress Of weather, had been COM
PEELED to put 2aoad INTO ooadition an american bsre
she had been purchased and repaired,
by residents of California, while IN
the case he Vest presented, residents lof
Philadelphia had been compelled, by the de-
fects in the navigation laws, which were the
most infamous on the statute book, to have
vessels built abroad. They could sail ships
between foreign ports, but when they want
ed to come to our own country and attempt
to increase her commerce by putting proper
ty under the American flag, the law PIE
vented them.
Senator Frye replied. He said he would
never assist in passing the bill referred to;
The Red Star Company, because they could
build vessels little cheaper abroad, employ
ed cheap labor abroad, and had taxed capital
abroad. No reason could be given why II
should be made the exception to the rule.
He differed entirely with the Senator from
Missouri and declared the navigation laws
not infamous. They were benign, and
through them the United States coastwise
fleet was the finest in all the world.
After further colloquy the bill passed.
The Senate, at 3.15, proceeded to executive
business, and at 4.35 adjourned.
HOUSE.
Mr. Kelley of Pennsylvania, presented q
petition from 100 woolen and worsted mills
located in II States and large number of
New York merchants, praying for the pas
sage of the Breckenridge bill, classifying
worsted cloth as woolen cloth. Referred.
Mr.. Belmont of New York, from the CON-
mittee on foreign affairs, reported the diplo-
matte consular appropriation bill. Referred
to the committee of the whole. 1t appro-
pirates 81 ,403S67.
Mr.. Anderson of Illinois, from the commit
tee on post offices and post roads. reported
the bill to provide for a fourth assistant
postmaster general. Committee of the
whole.
Mr.. Stone, of Kentucky. from the commit
tee on war claims, reported bin to settle
and adjust the claims of any State for expen-
ses incurred in the defence of the United
States. Private calendar.
Mr.. Randall, of Pennsylvania, from the
committee on appropriations, reported back
the resolution offered by Mr.. Weaver, of
Iowa, calling on the secretary OF the Treas
ury for detailed information relative to the
recent policy of the department in purchas-
ing bonds with surplus money, and as to the
present policy in depositing public funds in
large number of national banks. Adopted.
The House passed the bill to amend sec
tion 5209, Revised Statutes. One of the pro-
visions declares guilty of misdemeanor,
any president, director, cashier, teller, clerk
or agent of any national bank, who makes q
false entry in any book, report or statement
of an association with intent to deceive any
officer of the association, or any agent ap-
pointed to examine into its affairs. This
does not apply to the making Of false entry
with the intent to deceive the comptroller Of
the currency, or for suppressing and conceal
ing any material fact with intent to deceive
that officer. The only effect of the passage
of the bill will be to supply those omissions
of the existing law. The change is approved
by the comptroller.
The House passed the bill amending sec
tions 1866 and 1866 of the Revised Statutes.
These sections prescribe the death penalty
for the unlawful casting away of vessel ON
the following: provided, that whenever a
jury shall find that no loss of life, injury to
any person, or peril,or suffering to any person
on such vessel ensued in consequence OF
such casting away or otherwise destroying,
the person convicted of such offence may be
sentenced to Imprisonment for life, or any
number of years not less than three, or to q
fine not exceeding $4,000, or to both lmpris-
onment and fine.
The Speaker laid before the House a mes
sage from the President, transmitting COM
munication from the Secretary of the Interi-
or, submitting the draft of a bill to accept
and ratify the agreement with the Shoshone
and Bannock Indians for their surrender
and REIMBURSEMENT to the United States of a
portion of the Fort Hall reservation, in Ida
ho, for the purposes of a town site and for
the grant of right of way through said res
eryation to Utah and the Northern Railroad
Company. Referred.
Mr.. Boutelle asked unanimous consent for
the present consideration of the bill to re-
lieye certain appointed or enlisted men of
the navy and marine corps from the charge
of desertion. He stated that the bill had the
endorsement Of the committee on naval af-
fairs and had been formulated by the judge
advocate general of the navy. 1t merely ap-
pled to the naval service, the same legisla-
tion which is now applied to the army. The
bill passed. 1t relieves from the charge of
desertion such appointed or enlisted man in
the naval service who can show upon satis-
factory evidence that he served until the ex-
piration of his term of enlistment or until
May 1, 1865, or was prevented from COM
pleting his term of service by reason OF
wounds received and disease contracted in
the line of his duty, and who failed TO be
mustered out. When the charge OF desertion
is removed. such man or his heirs, shall re-
eeiye All paw or bounty Withheld on account
of the charge desertion. All applications
for relief under the act must be nled within
fua uaara after its MASSAGE.