Year: 1876

Senate, sitting as court OF iHPeacu'
ment, adjourned till Wednesday.


Mr. Logan moved to make the House
bill to equalize the bounties of those who
served in the late war for the Union, the
special order for tomorrow. Rejected;
yeas II, nays 20; two-thirds not voting
in the affirmative. Mr.. Key voted with
the Republicans in favor of the motion,
and Messrs. Booth, Hamilton and Sar-
gent with the Democrats against 1t.


The Senate then considered the river
and hsrbor appropriation bill.


The pending question being on the
motion of Mr.. Thurman to recommit the
bill to the Committee on Appropriations
with instructions to report bill reduc-
ing the aggregate amount of the ap.
preparations contained in 1t to q sum not
to exceed 100000.


Mr.. Herman spoke in favor of the mo-
tion and went into long discussion on
the subject of retirement. lie favored q
reduction especially in tins bill, on the
ground that many of the items of the
bill were useless, not promoting in any
manner the commercial interests of the
government.


Mr.. Edmunds opposed the motion but
favored reduction of the aggregate
amount in the bill, suggesting that
$4,000 O,0O8 be placed in the hands Of the
Secretary of War, to disburse according
to the demand of the engineer service.


M. Morton opposed the motion. In
the course of his speech he made a gen.
eral attack on the policy of retrench-
mont pursued by the House, character
iziig it as demsgoguery of the first
magnitude. When appropriations were
to be made affecting members directly
they were not willing to carry out the
principle of fretrenchment, but when the
money was to be set apart tor carrying G
on the government, then they raised the
cry Of economy, and voted to cnt down
appropriations, simply for political cap
ltal.


Mr.. Maxey spoke against the sugges-
ton of Mr.. Edmunds.


Mr.. Conkling referred to the care be-
slowed on the bill by the Committee on
Commerce and Committee on Appro.
priations of the Senate, and said some Of
them were incurably vicious. There
should be some substitute for this
plan! of appropriating for rivers and
harbors. Some change should be made
by which, each year specific budget
should be submitted by sworn officers Sc.
leeted to report the same, and he hoped
the bill would be considered the oc-
casion for the thought to begin and the
action to follow. He believed it to be
the duty of the House of Representa-.
tiyes and Sesate to look at this, and
every other appropriation bills and re-
duce them to tho lowest sum compati-
BILE with the public interest. He asked
the senators, especially on the Demo-
cratic side of Chamber, who just now
vera taking to themselves such virtue on
the subject of economy, as how they
could reconcile it to themselves TO take
bill which contained appropriations i'm
proper at any time, according to the re-
port of the engineersi how they could
take it with all its imperfections on its
head as it came from sub committee. If
there was sincerity in the idea that the
appropriations were to be reduced he
hoped the Senate would show i: in deal
ing with bill, some parts of which no
Senator had attempted to justify.


Mr.. Thurman referred to the remarks
of Mr.. Morton, and said he desired to
say TO his Democratic friends that if this
bill should pass they would hear much
more of the same sort between this time
and November next.


Mr.. Morton said the bill, as it now
stood, was as much the work of Demo-
Gratis as of any others, hence there was
an end to all talk about retrenchment.


Mr.. Thurman said it was true that the
bill had broken down all party lines. 1t
broke through everything. He did not
think the government could afford
to appropriate more than four millions
this year for rivers and harbors,
and ii was a great tallacy to advocate
extravaganza on the ground that the re-
sources of this country were bound TO lose.


The debate was continued by Messrs.
Logan, Caperton and Wallace.


Mr.. Morton said the debate had been
to the effect that the country was on the
verge of bankruptcy. Tilden, who was
nominated by the Democratic party for
President, in recent speech, when he
was serenaded, said the wolf was at the
door of every house in the country. He
(Morton) thought it was that kind OF talk
which was to enter so largely in this
campaign, and which was so largely
false. There was some distress in the
country, but it was nothing like what it
had been said 10 be. The statement that
the country was on the verge Of bank
ruptcy was false, and put out for politi.
cal effect. If appropriations should be
made according TO the House bills there
would be large surplus to supply 10 the
payment of the National debt, but the
people would have as much taxes 10 pay
as eyer.


Mr.. Herman argued that the people
would be relieved by having a surplus
revenue. Let there be such q surplus
and then taxation could be reduced.
Congress must cease TO make such large
appropriations if it ever intends TO RI.
duce taxation. The people should
BE- relieved from every dollar
of taxation that was possible,
that there were people all over the coun-
try out of work, and If Tilden was wrong
in his assertion and the Senator from
Indiana (Morton) was right, the whole
coua;ry would know it. He hoped that
persons would not be moved by the srgu-
men. Of the Senator, that the state OF the
country and the national treasury was
such that large appropriations might be
made.


Mr.. Ferry said it seemed that his
state had been the target against which
oil weapons had been aimed. He repeat
ed his argument that Michigan had
.ifteep per cent Of the cost OF The whole
country, and he would not be true
to his state if he didn't leave
the chair OF the presiding officer and take
the same pan in her defense BE defended
hi. course in moving 70 accept the House
bill and said that the bill gave Michigan
SI,4Oo less than the bill as nov before
the Senate. He denied that this was
politicsl bill ard argued that it was for