reported that the committee had examined and found truly enrolled a bill of the following title, viz: S. 186. An act providing for the sale of the lands, tenements, and water privileges belonging to the United States at and near Harper's Ferry, in the county of Jefferson, West Virginia; When The Speaker signed the same. The morning hour having expired, The Speaker, by unanimous consent laid before the House communications as follows, viz: I. A letter from the Postmaster General, transmitting estimates of sums required for the service of that department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1870; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be printed. II. A letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting papers requesting that a pension be granted to Charles McCarthy, formerly an engineer on United States military railroad in Tennessee, with the recommendation of the general of the army, if facts are found true; which was referred to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. III. A letter from the Secretary of State, transmitting, in compliance with the act of March 2, 1799, an abstract of the returns made to that department by collectors of customs, of American seamen registered in the several ports of entry of the United States; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce. IV. A letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting the report of Inspector General Hardie, relative to purchasing the building known as army building," in New York city, now under lease for military purposes; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. ་་ V. A letter from the Secretary of the Interior, transmitting statement by Surgeon General Barnes of expenditures made under his direction of the appropriation by Congress for the Columbia Hospital for Women and Lying-in Asylum; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and ordered to be printed. VI. A letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting petitions for removal of their political disabilities from Robert Gilliam, J. N. Ryan, Abram Shepherd, F. F. Stribling, and N. K. Trent, of Virginia, and W. H. Grant, of Georgia; which was referred to the Committee on Reconstruction. VII. A letter from the Secretary of War, stating that it is impracti cable to state with sufficient accuracy the amount expended during the year ended June 30, 1868, on account of the Indian war, and that the amount expended for river and harbor surveys and improvements for same period was $3,430,154 68; which was laid on the table. VIII. A letter from the Secretary of the Treasury, transmitting draught of a bill allowing the Secretary to furnish collectors of internal revenue with fire and burglar proof safes; which was referred to the Committee of Ways and Means. IX. A letter from the Secretary of War, transmitting the papers and recommending that permission be granted by law to Joseph Segar, of Virginia, to erect and keep a hotel on the public grounds at Fortress Monroe, under proper restrictions by the Secretary of War; which was referred to the Committee on Military Affairs. X. A letter from the Commissioner of the General Land Office, transmitting reports of the Solicitor of the Treasury and Commissioner of Indian Affairs relative to the claim of Charles May to certain lots in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in compliance with House resolution of July 1, 1868; which was referred to the Committee of Claims. XI. Joint resolutions of the legislative assembly of the State of Oregon, rescinding resolution passed September 19, 1866, relative to amending the Constitution of the United States, and withdrawing the assent of the State of Oregon to the proposed 14th constitutional amendment; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary and ordered to be printed. Mr. Ellihu B. Washburne moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the last named communication was referred and ordered to be printed, and also moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table; which latter motion was agreed to. The Speaker also laid before the House copies of the laws of Colorado Territory; which were referred to the Committee on the Territories. Mr. Broomall moved that the rules be suspended so as to enable him to submit the following preamble and resolution, viz: Whereas the President of the United States, in his annual message to the fortieth Congress at its third session, says: "It may be assumed that the holders of our securities have already received upon their bonds a larger amount than their original investment, measured by a gold standard. Upon this statement of facts it would seem but just and equitable that the six per cent. interest now paid by the government should be applied to the reduction of the principal in semi-annual instalments, which in sixteen years and eight months would liquidate the entire national debt. Six per cent. in gold would at present rates be equal to nine per cent. in currency, and equivalent to the payment of the debt one and a half time in a fraction less than seventeen years. This, in connection with all the other advantages derived from their investment, would afford to the public creditors a fair and liberal compensation for the use of their capital, and with this they should be satisfied. The lessons of the past admonish the lender that it is not well to be over-anxious in exacting from the borrower rigid compliance with the letter of the bond;" and whereas such sentiments, if permitted to go to the world without immediate protest, may be understood to be the sentiments of the people of the United States and their representatives in Congress: Therefore, Resolved, That all forms and degrees of repudiation of national indebtedness are odious to the American people. And that under no circumstances will their representatives consent to offer the public creditor, as full compensation, a less amount of money than that which the government contracted to pay him. And the question being put, It was decided in the affirmative, Two-thirds voting in favor thereof. The yeas Yeas 135 29 57 and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. William B. Allison Oakes Ames Samuel M. Arnell John F. Benjamin Mr. Austin Blair Mr. John Coburn Mr. Ephraim R. Eckley And the question recurring, Will the House agree to the said preamble and resolutions? Mr. Randall demanded a division of the question. The Speaker put the question: Will the House agree to the preamble and first part of the resolution? the same being in the words following: Whereas the President of the United States, in his annual message to the fortieth Congress at its third session, says: "It may be assumed that the holders of our securities have already received upon their bonds a larger amount than their original investment, measured by a gold standard. Upon this statement of facts it would seem but just and equitable that the six per cent. interest now paid by the government should be applied to the reduction of the principal in semi-annual instalments, which in sixteen years and eight months would liquidate the entire national debt. Six per cent. in gold would at present rates be equal to nine per cent. in currency, and equivalent to the payment of the debt one and a half time in a fraction less than seventeen years. This, in connection with all the other advantages derived from their investment, would afford to the public creditors a fair and liberal compensation for the use of their capital, and with this they should be satisfied. lessons of the past admonish the lender that it is not well to be overanxious in exacting from the borrower rigid compliance with the letter The of the bond;" and whereas such sentiments, if permitted to go to the world without immediate protest, may be understood to be the sentiments of the people of the United States and their representatives in Congress: Therefore, Resolved, That all forms and degrees of repudiation of the national indebtedness are odious to the American people. Mr. Broomall moved the previous question; which was seconded and the main question ordered. And the question recurring, Will the House agree to the first division of the preamble and resolution? Mr. Randall moved to reconsider the vote by which the main question was ordered. Mr. Allison moved that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table. And the question being put, It was decided in the affirmative, Yeas. 134 37 50 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. William B. Allison Oakes Ames Samuel M. Arnell James M. Ashley John F. Benjamin Nathaniel Boyden John T. Deweese Mr. Oliver J. Dickey Nathan F. Dixon Mr. William H. Koontz Rufus Mallory Mr. Robert C. Schenck Worthington C. Smith Cadwal'r C. Washburn Mr. Lewis W. Ross Lawrence S. Trimble Mr. Isaac R. Hawkins Asahel W. Hubbard Mr. Benjamin F. Loan John A. Logan William Loughridge Samuel S. Marshall John Morrissey Carman A. Newcomb Mr. John A. Nicholson David A. Nunn Theodore M. Pomeroy Mr. Logan H. Roots Lewis Selye Samuel Shellabarger So the motion to reconsider was laid on the table. Mr. J. H. Sypher John Trimble Daniel M. Van Anken Robert T. Van Horn Thomas Williams, The question again recurring, Will the House agree to the first division of the preamble and resolution? Mr. Randall moved that the preamble do lie on the table. And the question being put, It was decided in the negative, Yeas. 37 133 51 The yeas and nays being desired by one-fifth of the members present, Those who voted in the affirmative are Mr. William B. Allison Oakes Ames Samuel M. Arnell Nathaniel Boyden Mr. John F. Driggs Ephraim R. Eckley W. P. Edwards Benjamin Eggleston Jacob H. Ela Thomas D. Eliot John F. Farnsworth Orange Ferriss Thomas W. Ferry William C. Fields John R. French James A. Garfield James H. Goss Joseph J. Gravely John A. Griswold Thomas Haughey William Higby Samuel Hooper Benjamin F. Hopkins Chester D. Hubbard Richard D. Hubbard Calvin T. Hulburd Morton C. Hunter Ebon C. Ingersoll Thomas A. Jenckes Alexander H. Jones Norman B. Judd George W. Julian William D. Kelley Francis W. Kellogg William H. Kelsey John H. Ketcham Bethuel M. Kitchen Mr. William H. Koontz Mr. Asahel W. Hubbard Theodore M. Pomeroy Mr. Lewis W. Ross Charles Sitgreaves Lawrence S. Trimble Mr. William H. Robertson Ellihu B. Washburne Mr. C. H. Prince So the House refused to lay the preamble on the table. Logan H. Roots Philetus Sawyer Lewis Selye Samuel Shellabarger Frederick Stone J. H. Sypher John Trimble Daniel M. Van Auken Robert T. Van Horn Cadwal'r C. Washburn Thomas Williams. |