146 



CONGRESS, UNITED STATES (1874). 



allowances, 170; the amendment is correct, 

 170; will the courts set aside our action? 171 ; 

 salaries of judges and the President, 171 ; 

 amendment to the amendment rejected, 171 ; 

 further amendment offered, 171 ; rejected, 172 ; 

 other amendments, 172; votes, 173; bill 

 passed, 174. 



In the House, the amendments of the Senate 

 considered, 174; their effect, 174; practically 

 a new bill, 174 ; concurred in, 174 ; title 

 amended, 174. 



In the House, the bill to establish an educa- 

 tional fund considered, 174; one-fourth the 

 voters of the country unable to read and write, 

 175 ; two main objects to be reached by the 

 bill, 175 ; to set apart the national domain to 

 education, 175 ;' statistics of illiteracy, 175 ; 

 distribution of the lands, 176 ; mechanism of 

 the bill, 176 ; reports made to the Government, 

 176 ; this is a new departure, 176 ; cannot rely 

 on the General Government to foster free- 

 school development, 177 ; homestead and pre- 

 emption policy, 177; does any one desire to 

 further centralize this Government? 177; this 

 is a stretch of power, 178 ; the principles of 

 this bill may put us under a majority who do 

 not appreciate our school-district system, 178; 

 high time the land question be considered apart 

 from all such propositions, 178 ; whoever op- 

 poses the civil-rights bill must oppose this one, 

 179 ; failure of the bill to pass, 179. 



In the Senate, resolutions that it is the duty 

 of Congress to adopt definite measures to re- 

 deem United States notes in coin at once, con- 

 sidered, 179 ; amendment that the committee 

 be instructed to report such measures as will 

 restore confidence, 179 ; report of minority of 

 Finance Committee, 180 ; one resolution con- 

 templates legislation with regard to the cur- 

 rency, while the other looks only to measures 

 for the redemption of the existing currency in 

 coin, 180 ; it is five years since Congress made 

 the pledge of redemption, 180; what could 

 sound fairer ? 180 ; interpretation of the na- 

 tion's obligation, 180; constitutionality of the 

 greenback law questioned, 181 ; objections, 

 181 ; 'how shall the redemption be made ? 181 ; 

 where is the coin to come from ? 182 ; extent 

 of importations of foreign goods, 182 ; extrav- 

 agant importation of luxuries, 183 ; amount of 

 national cnrrency, 183 ; the bank circulation, 

 184 ; the West calls for more currency, 184 ; 

 an unfavorable balance of trade not the prime 



cause of our evils, 184; our currency should 

 be made equivalent to gold, 184 ; amount of 

 gold in the country, 185 ; there must be a re- 

 duction of paper for a resumption, 185. 



Is it the duty of Congress to take measures 

 at this session for a redemption of the currency 

 in coin ? 185 ; we should come to specie pay- 

 ments in prosperous times, 186 ; causes of the 

 recent panic, 186 ; what is the remedy for a 

 panic ? 186 ; the action of the Government, 

 187 ; let us follow the lights of experience, 

 187 ; what plan shall we adopt to render the 

 legal tenders convertible into gold ? 187 ; one 

 suggested, 187; objections considered, 187, 

 188 ; reasons why the precious metals are tho 

 most reliable measures of value, 188 ; resump- 

 tion or inflation is the alternative, 189; the 

 remedy for the present difficulties, 189 ; the 

 proposition to do nothing, 189. 



Some general propositions established by ex- 

 perience, 190; bound by good faith and policy 

 to bring the currency to the gold standard, 

 190 ; the effect of the promise, 190 ; facts, 191 ; 

 what has been done? 191; meaning of the 

 pledge given, 192 ; the time for resumption 

 considered, 192 ; effects of postponement, 192 ; 

 this is the first proposition to accumulate gold 

 in the Treasury with a view to the actual re- 

 demption of our notes, 193 ; second plan, the 

 actual payment of the notes, 193 ; two difficul- 

 ties, 193 ; is the supply of coin sufficient for 

 the wants of trade? 193; admitted that con- 

 traction is vain, 194 ; apply contraction, and 

 what would result? 194; the question before 

 us, 194; what does resumption mean? 194; 

 money-holders' side of the question, 195 ; two 

 parties to the question, 195 ; the same contest 

 in England, 195 ; in four years an advance has 

 been made toward resumption, 196; what is 

 the cause of the decline in the price of gold ? 

 196 ; suspension of the debate, 196. 



In the Senate, a bill considered to provide 

 for the redemption and reissue of United States 

 notes, and free banking, 196; delay of the 

 committee, 196; the bill, 197; substitute of- 

 fered, 197 ; only difference from the bill, 197; 

 substitute agreed to, 198 ; this is inflation, ut- 

 ter and hurtful, 198; beginning of a struggle 

 in which there is nothing but disaster, 198 ; 

 bill passed, 199; do. in the House, 199; veto 

 of the President, 199 ; biU lost in the Senate, 

 200 ; another bill passed, 200. 



In the House, the civil-rights bill reported, 



