The Portland daily press., 1888-04-17
Lth CONGRESS--.PIRST SESSION.
SENATE.

w WASdlNd1ONs APAh Ao'
Senator Stewart introduced bill grant
ing pension of 5000 year to the widow of
Chief Justice Waite.
Senator Breckenridge of Kentucky, intro
duced a resolution declaratory of the sense
of the House that the Secretary of the Treas
ury has power to use the surplus at any time
in the treasury for the purchase OF bonds OF
the United States and that so much of the
surplus as may from time to, time accumu-
late in the treasury ought to be so used.
A resolution was adopted instructing Sc
lect committee on the operations of civil
service to inquire and report whether there
has been within two years any fraud or NAL
administration in the New York Custom
house in the importation of sugar.
Senator Riddleberger offered resolution
for the suspension of the Senate rules as to
executive sessions during the consideration
Of the fisheries treaty. 1t was laid over.
The bill providing for the investment Of
certain funds In the treasury was taken up,
and Senator Farwell of Illinois, delivered an
address on the subject. referring to the inn
portance Of preserving the national bank
system as basis for the circulating medium.
de gave notice of two amendments to the
bill to meet this emergency. One directs
the secretary of the treasury to issue and
sell to the national banks, at par, for United
States notes, United States q per cent:
bonds redeemable, after 80 years, to be used
by the banks as security for their circulating
notes, the notes to be issued to the full par
value of the bonds. This amendment also
directs the Secretary of the Treasury to in
vest the surplus funds held In the treasury,
including the amount received Tor these
bonds in the purchase Of any United States
the sinking fund laws.
The other amendment authorizes the Sec
retary of the Treasury in order to enable the
national banks to, maintain the increase in
their circulation and prevent the ultimate
destruction Of the banks by the purchase or
from the banks, to secure their circulating
notes, State, county or municipal bonds OF
the United States, upon which the interest
has heretofore been promptly paid and
than, their par value. bearing interest at not
less than four per cent. Such bonds, how
ever will not be received by the Treasurer
of the United States at more than 75 per
cent of their par value, or until the appro-
val of the Secretary Of the Treasury, or of
the Treasurer Of the United States and the
comptroller of the currency shall have been
endorsed upon them.
Senate rs Reagan and Stewart spoke in op
position to Senator Farwell.
The Senate then resumed consideration OF
the bill for the admission of the.State of
South Dakota and the organization Of the
Territory oflNorth Dakota. -,
Senator Spooner favored the bill, and said
the OppOsitiOn was unjust partisanShip."
Every senator from the Southern States
stood athwart the pathway of South Dakota.
He said the question of the division of the
Territory had been submitted to the whole
people. and they had decided in favor of di-
vision by a majority of over 5000. As to the
recent suggestion by Senator Butler that
SO 900 natives of Dakota had been so indiffer-
ent that they had stayed away from the
polls. and. therefore, the vote was not fair
Expression of the popular will, he drew a
distinction between the cases Of voters in
the Northern States, who remained away
from the polls through indifference, and vot-
ers in the Southern States, who were kept
awav through intimidation. In the former
case there was no impeachment Of the fair
ness of the elections. In the latter case
there was. A large number of men was
KENT away from the polls, not because Of
their indifference, but by the memories of
dlftrapes perpetrated and tolerated by the in
telligent men of communities and whole
States. wear after year; outrages lby Ku
Kmx clubs and night riders; because OF It's
sue ballots. blood, intimidation and fraud /;
because of thememories of burning shanties
| of colored Republicans driven into swamps,
| lashed. exiled, pursued and hunted down
| because of memories Of Yazoo and Copiah.
| Then an election was not fair expression
| Of the popular will. No complaint was
made of the smallness of the votes in the
! Southern States, although for ten representa-
tiyes from Georgia only $4,000 votes in the