Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-08-16
FIFTY-THIRD CONGRESS.
WASHINGTON. August IS, 1898.
SENATE.

| SENATE.
Among the petitions presented in the
morning hour was one from Cass coun-
ty, Ind, at was directed" said Mr..
VOORHEES, in presenting it, "against the
manifold iniquities of the present civil
service, in which opinion l heartily
concur"
Mr.. Henderson introduced two bills,
which, he said, had been prepared and
sent to him by a gentleman of financial
ability, and which were read by their
titles and referred to the finance COM
mittee. The titles are: Directing the
purchase of silver bullion and the issu-
ance of Treasury notes therefor, and
for the appointment of a mint commits
sion; providing for the issue of treasury
notes, their redemption and for other
purposes.
Mr.. Morrill, gave notice that as he in
tended to leave the city soon, he would
address the Senate on Monday next on
the Vest bimetalic resolution very
briefly.
Mr.. Quay offered a resolution, which
was agreed to, directing the architect OF
the Capitol to examine forthwith the
government property Known as the
Malhtt55y building and to report whether
the structure is secure and can be occu-
pied with safety to life and property.
He said that facts developed before the
committee on public buildings and
grounds showed necessity for eXamina-
ton.
In connection with the Maltby build
ing and other buildings in Washington
occupied by the government Mr.. Vest
said thu t public documents were piled
up on the first floor of the Maltby
building to such an enormous weight as
to be pulling it down The folding
room of the Senate and the Maltby
contained now over 10000 volumes
belonging to Senators, large portion
of which would never be called for,
and Congress was continuing to order,
needlessly, the printing of books and
documents at enormous expense. The
old fetid smell of decaying paper in the
folding room of the Senate affected the
whole Capitol and was polluting the air
all the time.
Mr.. Hoar suggested the propriety of
furnishing all surplus books and docu-
ments printed by order of Congress to
public libraries in the States; and in
furtherance of that idea, resolution
was offered by Mr.. Butler directing the
sergeant-at-arms of the Senate to dis
tribute to public libraries in the United
States all public documents found on
hand and not claimed by Senators on
the 18th of September next. No action
was taken on the resolution, but Mr..
Vest argued in favor Of the passage of a
bill appropriating $500, 600 for site and
building to be known as the Hall of Rec
ords. The bill was passed.
Senator PETER introduced bill pro-
vidipg for the issue Of six hundred mil
lion dollars of legal tender money on
sheets of aluminium or silk-threaded
paper, with which to redeem the inter-
est bearing bonds; also one for the pur-
chase of all gold and silver bullion and
subsidiary coins offered at any price
less the cost of transportationand mint
age, without regard to the price in any
foreign country, which is to be coined in
to standard coins at ratio of 16 to l.
For every dollar of gold and silver
coined, the government is to issue two
dollars in greenbacks to supply the
place of national bank notes.
Notice was given by Mr.. Voorhees,,
chairman of the finance committee,
that he would not ask action to-day on
the bill to allow national banks to in
crease their circulation to the par value
of the bonds deposited by them, but
that he would do SO tomorrow. There
upon all amendment to that bill was of
fered by Mr.. Cockrell authorizing the
Secretary of the Treasury to redeem
lat par and accrued INTEREST," such of
the two per cent. bonds as may be pre-
sented for redemption, and to pay
for them in new legal tender notes.
This proposition appeared to Mr.. sher-
man as unwise and unbusinesslike, and
he stated the objections which occurred
to him against the amendment. This
precipitated a discussion in which Mr..
Cockrell ridiculed the idea of letting
the national banks increase their circu-
lation, while his proposition to increase
the greenback circulation was opposed
by the Senator from Ohio, the friend
and supporter of national banks and
the great gold mopometallists.
Mr.. Berry then addressed the Senate
in advocacy of the double standard of
gold and silver,
HOUSE.