CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



151 



Washington was very much favored. It is obvious 

 that the United States, having the greatest extent of 

 continuous longitudinal area ot any country traversed 

 by railway, postal, and telegraph lines, should ? take 

 the initiative in a movement so important to science 

 and to the world's commerce. The committee there- 

 fore recommend the passage of the joint resolution. 



The joint resolution was read the third time, 

 and passed. It subsequently passed the Sen- 

 ate without amendment. 



POLITICAL ASSESSMENTS. In the Senate, on 

 June 26th, Senator Pendleton, of Ohio, called 

 up the following resolution relative to political 

 assessments, which was offered by him on June 

 5th. 



Resolved, That the Committee on Civil Service and 

 Eetrenchment be instructed to inquire whether any 

 attempt is being made to levy and collect assessments 

 for political partisan purposes from any employes of 

 the Government in Washington, whether the same be 

 under the guise of asking voluntary contributions or 

 otherwise, and to report to the Senate by bill or other- 

 wise, in its discretion. 



Mr. Pendleton: "Mr. President, when I of- 

 fered this resolution two or three weeks ago, I 

 was anxious for information. I did not know 

 the state of facts as they existed at that time. 

 I had seen in the newspapers that the Repub- 

 lican Congressional Committee was about to 

 take means to replenish its funds, and vague 

 intimations were given that a circular under 

 the form of a request for voluntary contribu- 

 tions, but in fact a demand for specific sums of 

 money, was being distributed among the em- 

 ployes of departments and the employes of 

 the two Houses of Congress. I had also heard 

 that this circular was backed by authority, and 

 that its language conveyed covert promises, 

 which implied threats, in case the demands 

 were not acceeded to. 



" I was quite astonished, somewhat startled, 

 when I found that this resolution met with ob- 

 jection. I had supposed that no Senator would 

 object to having the truth discovered as to this 

 circular and its intent ; and certainly that no 

 Senator would object to the inquiry whether 

 forced contributions were being levied under 

 the guise of invitations for voluntary contri- 

 butions. Mr. President, I was not quite as 

 much astonished as those words would imply, 

 and candor requires me to say that I was more 

 astonished at the form than the substance of 

 the objection. I had thought if gentlemen ob- 

 jected to it at all they would not do so in ex- 

 press words, but would consign my resolution 

 to an untimely grave in the friendly embrace 

 of a committee of investigation. 



" Be that as it may, I desired information, 

 and was sincerely seeking it. A friend of mine 

 who sits upon this floor, and who had some 

 opportunities of knowledge, gave to me one of 

 the circulars. He gave it rather in confidence, 

 though not entirely so ; rather with the under- 

 standing that I should use it for my own in- 

 formation than otherwise. I was enabled to 

 hand back that circular to him within two 



days, not having exhibited it to anybody else, 

 and scarcely having had time to read it myself, 

 for as soon as the resolution appeared in the 

 newspapers I received from many cities and 

 from many States, and from many classes of 

 employes of this Government, copies of the 

 circular which had been sent to them. I have 

 in my hand quite a number of copies of it. It 

 is very nicely gotten up, written with care, as 

 nicely as a billet-doux between lovers, or a 

 hospitable invitation to dinner." 



Mr. Hale, of Maine: "Not extravagantly." 



Mr. Pendleton: "I do not know that they 

 are extravagantly gotten up, but that would 

 depend altogether upon the moneys the com- 

 mittee may finally have from the sources on 

 which they have drawn." 



Mr. Hale : " Will not the gentleman hold up 

 one of them, so that Senators may see it?" 



Mr. Pendleton : " I will hold up one of them, 

 and read it also, for the delectation of my 

 friend from Maine. Here it is in full : " 



[Jay A. Hubbell, chairman ; D. B. Henderson, secre- 

 tary ; executive committee, Hon. W. B. Allison, 

 Hon. Eugene Hale, Hon. Nelson W. Aldrich, Hon. 

 Frank Hiseock, Hon. George M. Eobeson, Hon. 

 William McKinley, Jr., Hon. George E. Davis, 

 Hon. Horatio G. Fisher, Hon. Horace F. Page, Hon. 

 W. H. Calkins, Hon. Thomas Eyan, Hon. William 

 D. Washburn, Hon. L. C. Houk, Hon. E. T. Van 

 Horn, Hon. Orlando Hubbs.] 



HEADQUARTERS OF THE 

 REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE, 1882. 



520 THIRTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, 



WASHINGTON, D. C., May 15, 1882. 

 SIB : This committee is organized for the protection 

 of the interests of the Ecpublican party in each of the 

 congressional districts of the Union. In order that it 

 may prepare, print, and circulate suitable documents 

 illustrating the issues which distinguish the Eepubli- 

 can party from any other, and may meet all proper 

 expenses incident to the campaign, the committee feels 

 authorized to apply to all citizens whose principles or 

 interests are involved in the struggle. Under the cir- 

 cumstances in which the country finds itself placed, 

 the committee believes that you will esteem it both a 

 privilege and a pleasure to make to its fund a contri- 

 bution, which it is hoped may not be less than $ . 



The committee is authorized to state that such volun- 

 tary contributions from persons employed in the serv- 

 ice of the United States will not be objected to in 

 any official quarter. 



The labors of the committee will affect the result of 

 the presidential election in 1884, as well as the con- 

 gressional struggle ; and it may therefore reasonably 

 hope to have the sympathy and assistance of all who 

 looK with dread upon the possibility of the_ restora- 

 tion of the Democratic party to the control of the gov- 

 ernment. 



Please make prompt and favorable response to this 

 letter by bank-check, or draft, or postal money-order, 

 payable to the order of JAY A. HUBBELL, acting treas- 

 urer, P. O. lock-box 589, Washington, D. C. 

 By order of the committee : 



D. B. HENDEESON, Secretary. 



" As far as I have seen, all of these circulars 

 are in exactly the same language, except that 

 a blank was left in each originally, to be filled 

 by the amount which a certain specified pro- 

 portion of the salary received would reach. 

 Now, sir, in order that there may be no charge 

 of unfair dealing with this committee and its 

 circular, I have read to the Senate every word 



