Mr. Hooper then moved to suspend the rules, and pass it, on its being read.

The Clerk began the reading, when questions as to particular features of the substitute were asked by Messrs. Wm. S. Holm An, James A. Garfield, Clinton L. Merriam, Michael C. Kerr, Jas. Brooks, Jas. R. Mccormick, and answered by Mr. Hooper, when

Mr. Holman asked for an explanation of the leading changes made in the existing laws, especially in reference to coinage, as it would seem that all the small coinage of the country is intended to be recoined.

Mr. Hoc Per replied that this bill "makes no changes in the existing law in that regard. It does not require the recoinage of the small coins." He stated, in reply to Mr. Merriam, that the Secretary of the Treasury not only approved the bill, but strongly urged its passage, as deemed important to correct irregularities in the Mint now which cannot be controlled by existing laws.

After further remarks on comparatively unimportant points,

Mr. Mcneely said: "As a member of the Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures, having carefully examined every section and line of this bill, and generally well understanding the subject before us, I am satisfied the bill ought to pass."

The motion of Mr. Hooper was then agreed to—ayes no, noes 13, and the bill passed. In Senate. Second Session, Forty-Second Congress.

May 28—'The bill was received from the House, and May 29, was referred to the Committee on Finance. No further action was taken that session.

Third Session.

1872, December 16—Mr. Sherman reported the bill from the Committee on Finance, with amendments. He stated that this bill in substance had passed the Senate in the last session of the last Congress.

1873, January 17—It was taken up, and amendments reported, discussed, and passed without a division.

January 21—In House, the Senate amendments were ordered printed.

January 23—The House non-concurred in the Senate amendments, and asked a committee of conference.

January 27—The Senate agreed to the conference, and appointed Messrs. John Sherman, John Scott, and Thomas F. Bayard its conferees. Messrs. Samuel Hooper, William L. Stoughton, and Thompson W. Mcneely were the House conferees.

February 6—The Senate adopted the report of the Committee of Conference; and, February 7; the House adopted it; all its members signed it, except Mr. Mcneely.

The changes made in the section, respecting silver coins (the 15th section of the law), were these:

In bill (H. R. 1427), being that introduced by Mr. Hooper, February 9, 1872, that section read as follows, being the 16th:

That the silver coins of the United States shall be a dollar, a half-dollar, or fifty-cent piece, a

quarter-dollar, or twenty-five cent piece, and a dime, or ten-cent piece; and the weight of the dollar shall be three hundred and eighty-four grains; the half-dollar, quarter-dollar, and the dime shall be, respectively, one-half, one-quaiter, and one-tenth of the weight of said dollar; which coins shall be a legal tender, at. their denominational value, for any amount not exceeding five dollars in any one payment.

In the bill, reported by Mr. Hooper on the 13th of February, 1872, this section remained the same.

In the bill (H. R. 2934), which Mr. Hooper, May 27,1872, offered as a substitute, and which passed the House, the section remained the same.

One of the amendments proposed by the Committee on Finance of the Senate and reported December 16, 1872, was to strike out that section and insert these words as a substitute for it:

That the silver coins of the United States shall be a trade dollar, a half-dollar, or fifty-cent piece, a quarter-dollar, or twenty-five cent piece; and the weight of the trade dollar shall be four hundred and twenty grains troy; the weight of the half-dollar shall be twelve grains and one-half of a gram; the quarter-dollar and the dime shall be, respectively, one-half and one-fifth of the weight of said half-dollar; and said coins shall be a legal tender at their nominal value for any amount not exceeding five dollars in any one payment.

The bill was considered in the Senate, as in Committee of the Whole, January 17, 1873, and this amendment was agreed to without debate, or a division.* Sundry other amendments were agreed to, in which the House non-concurred in gross. The report of the Committee of Conference recommended, on this point, that the House should recede from its disagreement, with an amendment (verbal) to substitute the word "gram" for "grain" where it twice occurred. This report was adopted without division in either house. The fifteenth section of the original bill, relating to abraded gold coin, having been struck out, the silver section thus became the 15th of the law.

*The original records in the Senate show that this amendment was agreed to, though the report of proceedings in the Congressional Globe, 3d Sess., 43d Cong., part 1, 672, omits all mention of it.—Editor..

President Grant's Message on the River and Harbor Bill, August 14, 1876,

To the House of Representatives:

In affixing my signature to the river and harbor bill, No. 3822, I deem it my duty to announce to the House of Representatives my objections to some features of the bill, and the reason I sign it. If it was obligatory upon the Executive to expend all the money appropriated by Congress, I should return the river and harbor bill with my objections, notwithstanding the great inconvenience to the public interests resulting therefrom, and the loss of expenditures from previous Congresses upon incompleted works. Without enumerating, many appropriations are made for works of purely private or local interest, in no sense national. I cannot give my sanction to these, and will take care that during my term of office no public money shall be expended upon them.

There is very great necessity for economy of expenditures at this time, growing out of the loss of revenue likely to arise from a deficiency of appropriations to insure a thorough collection of the same. The reduction of revenue districts, diminution of special agents, and total abolition of supervisors, may result in great falling off of the revenue. It may be a question to consider whether any expenditure can be authorized under the river and harbor appropriation further than to protect works already done and paid for. Under no circumstances will I allow expenditures upon works not clearly national. U. S. Grant.

Executive Mansion, August 14, 1876.

President Grant's Message on the Consular and Diplomatic Bill, August 15, 1876.

To the House of Representatives:

In announcing, as I do, that I have attached my signature of official approval to the "Act making appropriations for the Consular and Diplomatic service of the government for the year ending June 30, 1877, and for other purposes," it is my duty to call attention to a provision in the act directing that notice be sent to certain of the Diplomatic and Consular officers of the government " to close their offices."

In the literal sense of this direction, it would be an invasion of the Constitutional prerogative and duty of the executive.

By the Constitution the President "shall have power by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present consent, and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls," etc.

It is within the power of Congress to grant, or withhold, appropriation of money for the payment of salaries and expenses of the Foreign Representatives of the Government.

In the early days of the government, a sum in gross was appropriated, leaving it to the Executive to determine the grade of the officers, and the countries to which they should be sent.

Latterly, for many years, specific sums have been appropriated for designated missions or employments, and, as a rule, the omission by Congress to make an appropriation for any specific post, has heretofore been accepted as an indication of a wish on the part of Congress, which the

Executive Branch of the Government respected and complied with.

In calling attention to the passage which 1 have indicated, I assume that the intention of the provision is only to exercise the Constitutional prerogative of Congress over the expenditures of the Government, and to fix a time at which the compensation of certain diplomatic and consular offices shall cease; and not to invade the Constitutional rights of the Executive, which I should be compelled to resist, and my present object is not to discuss or dispute the wisdom of failing to appropriate for several offices, but to guard against the construction that might possibly be placed on the language used, as implying a right in the legislative branch to direct the closing or discontinuing of any of the diplomatic or consular offices of the government.

U. S. Grant. Executive Mansion,

Washington, Aug 14, 1876.

Henry Watterson, of Kentucky, elected to fill the vacancy in the House of Representatives caused by the death of Edward Y. Parsons, qualified August 14, 1876.

Congress adjourned on Tuesday, the 15th of August, at 7:30, P. M.

Statement

Showing the purchase of bonds on account of the Sinking Fund from its institution in May, 1869, to and including June 30, 1875:

Principal Redeemed,

For the year ending June 30, 1869 $ 8^691,000 00

"" June 30, 1870 28,151,900 00

"" June 30, 1871 29,936,25000

"" June 30, 1872 32,618,45000

'* " June 30, 1873 28,678,000 00

u " June 30, 1874 12,936,45000

"" June 30, 1875 25,170,400 00

June 30, 1876—Six per cent.

bonds purchased....#18,444,050 Fractional currency

redeemed 7,062,142 19

25,506,192 19

Legal tender notes re-
deemed under resump-
tion act, but not applied, #5,990,296

Total $191,688,642 19

33 333333