| Show I I t CONGRESSIONAL The Senate WASHINGTON < February Cameron of Pennsylvania called up the resolution resolu-tion directing the committee on finance to inquire whether it would be expedient to expend the surylus revenue of the United States of any portion thereof for the purpose of reviving the shipping and export trade by allowing a rebate from the tariff duties on foreign goods imported in ships built and owned in the United States and by also allowing a premium on Americangrown products pro-ducts and articles of American manufacture man-ufacture exported in American vessels deferred to the committee on finance Van Wyck received unanimous con kc fJ althOSHg sent for the consideration of the House bill to prevent the unlawful closure of public lands better known as the fenc mg bill hetirneddmCtits of the Senate committee ie conc ried in At 1 oclock the bill went over and the unfinished finished business was laid before the Senate being the antisilver coinage bill and Mr Beck proceeded tO address the Senate Beck supported those provisions of the bill calling for the redemption re-demption of the trade dollar < but strongly opposed the suspension of the coinage of tile standard dollar The proposition to suspend the silver coinage had no necessary orprpper connection con-nection with thetrade dollar bill which the House had sent Over He believed he trade dollar had now passed from the hands of the people who were compelled com-pelled to part with them at a discount and were now in the hands of bankeis and brok rs He had felt confident that these bankers would be able to make themselves heard by Congress and the result proved that he guessed aright It was said that the trade dollars were not cOi sof the Unitede States i but had been given a legal tender character by accident acci-dent or inadvertence and that th re fore we ought not take to them up There was no accident or inadvertence about it Beck said they were made i coins of the United just as gold was so coined The provisions prohibiting counterfeiting applied equally to the trade dollar as to the gold eagle Whe Congress concluded to limit the issue of the trade dollar to the quantity required re-quired for export it did not take the coin character or coin value from them and certainly as to all those that had actually been issued it could with no reason whatever be said they were not coins of the United Uni-ted States The Secretray of the Treasurjl been constituted bv law the judge of the number Twhicli he should issue and he had chosen to issue is-sue Beck wanted specialty to know what the inadvertence wl that had been alluded to Morrill said that by inadvertence he Merrill meant that as the trade dollars had beenminted solely for export ex-port it was wrong to have given them a legal tender quality at all Beck said thatjyould be equivalent to saying no silver should be minted at all The diffculty TTe added was ur own Fiscal agents hadconspired to defy the laws of the United States and the present proposition to suspend the silver coinage was the result of that conspiracy con-spiracy He inquired why banks should be permitted to conspire against the laws There were already laws enough but not one of our public officers wanted to execute those laws The people needed new officers Morgan said he had at the last session ses-sion submitted a resolution calling for an inquiry into the matters alluded to which resolution had been referred to the finance committee where it still was It now appeared on the statement state-ment of a member of that committee BeckY that the committee was cognizant cogniz-ant of the commission of crimes by banks that the President also was cognizant of it but the crimes were not punished Morgau said there was no use in multiplying the statutes merely that the Senate of the United States itself might dishonor them by constantly con-stantly and persistently ignoring their existence The pension appropriation bill was then taken up A long discussion ensued regarding the interpretation of the Senate rule forbidding the proposing of geaera legislation on appropriation bills A discussion arose on point ot order raised by fligallson the 1 < amendment proposed the Senate appropriation committee to this bill Sherman thought it would be well to pass now a resolution expressing I for the present session at least the sense of the Senatato be that the true construction struction of the rule was that amend ments may be made to general legisla tivemeasures found by the Senate on appropriation bills Edmunds taking floor spoke strongly against opening the door tony to-ny proposition which would permit uch amendments There was no embarrassment em-barrassment he said involved in the position of the Senate Hoar said that if the decision of the chair was not sustained the Senate night as well propose an amendment to the Constitution declaring the House to be the only lawmaking body Hoar did not wish an extra session but better an extra session than practice the attaching of legislation to appro bationbills Hoarzn alluding to the allure of the House to consider the bankruptcy bill said he did not be l eve the American people would long tolerate that one of their legislative chambers should be fettered by the rules that made it possible for a dozen twenty men by methods not in ac cQ dance to the spiritjof the Constitution to prevent the consideration of a measure meas-ure so urgently demanded by the country coun-try Bayard strongly urged the Senate to nke its stand now forthe principle incorporated in-corporated in its rule which he said was the correct principle Hale that if something was not done to relax the rigor of the Senate I rule hitherto interpreted there was I danger that an extra session would be necessary Were the senators ready or that Plathelieved the Senate had only Joe rAfter be finn once After debatethedecision of theChair was sustained yead 35 nays 23 Adjourned House WASHINGTON February 9 When the louse met this mprning in continuation of Saturdays session Townshend moved to go into committee of the whole consideration of the postoffice appropriation bills Willis opposed the motion and argued that the House should continue cod sideratiou of the river and harbor bill At 1230 Townshend moved that the committee rise Agreed to 123 to 93 After argument the House went into committee ofthe whole on the river and harbor bill Horr opposed the provision of the postal appropriation bill which changed the method of compensating railroads for mail transportation Instead qf resulting a saving of 1500000 to the government as stated by the gentleman from Illinois Townshend it would in his opinion Increase the compensation to the railroad rail-road companies It Vas wrong in principle and uneven in application and would rob poor roads and put an excess into the pockets of roads which had already got a Jarge amount The provision seemed to be based on the principle that to him who hath shall be given and to him that hath not shall be taken awayjeven that which he hath Pending further debate the committee com-mittee arose A resolution was adopted reserving the whole of the east gallery of the House for the accommodation of the familieS of Senators and members during the counting of the electoral vote on Wednesday next The House then took arecess until 11 oclock tomorrow |
