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Show FORTY -FIFTH CONGRESS. I SEN ATI-;. Washington, 24. Uamlin submitted submit-ted a resolution directing the committee com-mittee on appropriations to examine into the afiaira and management ot thetreedm in's hospital in the District Dis-trict ot Columbia. Agreed to. Burnsido submitted a reolution directing tbe judiciary committee to notify Col. B. P. Buukle when his ease is taken up and providing that he may appear personally or by counsel coun-sel before the commit toe and be beard in rogard to bis case. Edmunds itatrd that the practice of the judiciary judi-ciary had always been to allow parties par-ties to tile written briefs stating their case. After some debate it was decided de-cided that the judiciary committee would not hear oral statements Irom parties or counsels in either the Kunkel or Draper carets. Howe and Cameron (Wis.) presented pre-sented resolutions of the Milwaukee chamber of commerce in lavor of extending the time for completing tho Northern Pacifio railway, on certain cer-tain conditions, Keferred. Antiiony from the committee on printing, reported favorably on the resolutions to print copies of tho eulogies en the late Senators Morton and Bogy. 8argent called up the senate bill to provide for the removal of the naval observatory, and submitted an amendment therefor in the nature of a substitute, which authorizes the president, by consent of the senate, to unnniut a commission of three nersons to select a site for a naval observatory and report at the present session ol congress upon the cost of tho same, and also the cost of removing the institution. Agreed to. At the expiration of the morning hour the senate resumed consideration ot the resolution of Matthews to pay the interest and principal of bonds in silver, and Lamar Bpoke in regard thereto. The question being on tbe amendment amend-ment of Conkling to make the resolution reso-lution a joint instead of a concurrent one, Conkling said, as the constitution constitu-tion of the United States deposited i with the president one-sixth of the' whole law-making power of the government, gov-ernment, he thought it should have the sanction of the executive as well the two houses of congress. Thurman opposed tbt ameudmsnt. It was not bis purpose to speak upon the silver question uutil the bill itself should come before the senate, but there was one thing to wnich he deeirnd to refer. Senator after senator had declared that tho act of 1S73 demonetized the silver dollar. It dos no such thing. The silver dollar was demonetized by the revised statutes, but they were not intended to change any existing law, they were Biuiply a compilation of laws as they existed at the date of the adoption of the itat utes. The silver dollar of 412J grains was a lull legal tender for all purposes, and had not been legally demonetized. demone-tized. Argument had been made that silver dollars were not in existence at that time, and therefore the bondholders bond-holders did not expect to bo paid in silver. As well might such an argument argu-ment be made agaiust gold, bscause there was but little of tbat coin in use. The .coinage act ol 1873 was a step in the direction of demonetizing silver, hui.it was not actually demonetized demone-tized until tbe adoption o! the revised statutes in 1874. It had been argued thai injustice would be done to thuse who purchased bosda since 1873, if government should pay its bonds in silver, but he (Thurman) would endeavor to show, when the bill itself etivjiald tuaiu jp for ooneiiWrnticra, that the payment of the bonds in silver would not do injustice to anyone. Kernan said it had been argued that cur bonds wero held by those who ware wealthy. He made no distinction on account ot wealth. Mery man in this country should have equal protection before the law, be he poor or rich. He (Kernan) denied, however, that the bonds were held by the rich, and ho adduced figures and reports to sustain his de-j de-j uiiil. Thurman said he bad never indulged in-dulged in any remarks as to who held government bonds. No matter who held them, they had tho right to be paid. He argued that the remon etization of silver would place it side by side with gold in less than twenty-four twenty-four hours, and no injustice would be done to anyone. The debate was continued in a colloquial manner by Edmunds, Thurman and Kernan, and the senate, sen-ate, on motion ot Davis (Ills.), adjourned. ad-journed. HOUSE. The house proceeded to the consideration con-sideration ol the bill for amending the laws concerning commerce and navigation navi-gation and regulation of sail vessels: Townsend movd to strike out the section which provides that whenever damage is sustained by any passenger on a steam veisel through tire, explosion ex-plosion or other causes, sueh casualty occurring without the fault or knowledge knowl-edge of the owner of the vessel, the owner shall only be liable to the extent ex-tent of his interest in such ves?.!. Townsend said thai under that section he might bo roasted alive on the Hudeon rivaron a steamboat owned by Vanderbiit, who was worth bis millions, and yet that gentleman could only be held liable to the extent of the value of the hulk of tho vessel. Beebe oflered an amendment, providing pro-viding lhatauy person sustaining loss through tho carelessness or wilful misconduct of the mate, engineer or pilot, he micht uue the owuer for damages. He accused lleagan of bringing into the house the bill in tbe interests of property. Keagan denied this charge, but opposed demagoguery. Beebe'g amendment was rejected lC2to81. On motion, Field's words, "On indictment and conviction ot euch carelessness," were inserted, and Hooker's amendment, relieving the owner from liability if an explosion occurred without hu fault, was rejected. re-jected. Townsend (New York) moved to strikeout tho whole paragraph regarding re-garding the liability of owners. Rejected, Re-jected, 137 to 94. The paragraph as amended is ai tallows: "Whenever damage is sustained by any passenger, in person or property, from explosion fire, collision or any other cause! to which bis negligence doe not contribute, the masters and owners of such vessel, or either ol them, and the vesel, shall be liable to each and every person to injured, to the ml) amount of tbe da'"ge, if it happen through any negif or failure to comply com-ply w;th the provisions of this bill, or-lurciigh or-lurciigh the detecta or injperfectuu& of tho teaiuing apparatus or of ;he vestel, which cnuld have been detected detect-ed and provided against by reasonable reason-able care; but if inch explosion, fire, collision or casualty shall occur without with-out the negligence, fault, privity or tncwiedge ot tho owner or owners, the total liabilities of such owner or owners, respectively, shall in no cojo exceed tbe amount equal to the amount or valuo of his or their interest in-terest in tuoh veel at the com 1 rutmcement of the voyage or trip, and any person sustaining loss or 1 injury as aiurestid, without guilt I K negligence on hia part, through j ;he careJessnesi, negligence or wvl- 1 !ul to i conduct of any master, j mate, engineer or pilot, or his neglect or refusal to obey the Uwo governing! the navigation of such steamers, may sue such master, mate, engineer or pilot, and recover damages for any i such injury caused by any such master, mate, engineer or pilot, and such officer, on indictment and con-1 viction of such carelessness, negli-l gence, wilful misconduct, neglect or refusal, may also be imprisoned not exceeding three years. Lookwood moved an amendment to the lection fixing tbe salaries of fleam boat inspectors, claittifying tbim from 1,700 a year down to 700. Fending diacueeion, the house adjourned. |