The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-06-02

WAsaINeToS, June 1-p N

1 dOusE.-lue opSaheT auuouDccu Tic spe-
cial committee to be appointed to consider
| lows:
Marshall, of Ky. ;Keitt, Taylor, of N. Y;
Morris, of Penn, and Pendleton, of Ohio.
The Indian deficiency appropriation bill
was passed. Also the bill providing for the
support of three regiments of volunteers, by
q vote 10l yeas against &c nays.
The House concurred in the report Of tho
COMMITTEES of Conference on the diss gree
ments of both Houses to the amendmants
to the executive, judicial and Legislative ap-
popriation bills.
]. Clancy Jones asked leave to introduce q
! joint resolution providing that the next sss-
| sion Of Congress shall com msnee on the sec
ond Monday in November.
Objections being made, the resolutions
The House proceeded to the consideration
Of the special committee, relating to the sale
of the F't. Smelling reservation.
Morrill, spoke of the great wrong done in
| the sale of the reservation. A frank and
honorable man, placed in the position Of the
| Secretary of War, when he found he had
made blunder, in. the appointment of
agents of superintendsnts would have ad-
mitted the fact, and corrected it. But in
stead of that, there was not only
persistent and studied effort, to justify the
wrong, also an attempt to persuade rs that
| he was right, in relation TO the deliberate
concealment Of the preliminaries proceeding
the sale. No corpse in the catacombs was
more closely locked up, than this transactisn.
No one could worm out of the Secretary
what was going on. Morrill, reviewed the
testimony, condemning the New York ard
Virginia combination, arguing that the pro.
perty sold for less than its value, and insist
ing that the House should place the seal Of
their disapprobation of the whole manner OF
the sale. ...
Mr.. Morris. of Illinois, uderstood that the
the Willis Point investigating committee
would report to- morrow, and as that subject
and this were somewhat connected, they
should be considered together.
The same parties who purchased the Fort
Smelling reservation, only few days before,
sold to the Government the Will ts Point
property.
knew more than he did, If the committee
was to report tomorrow.
Mr.. Morris replied that he was SO inform
ed by the chairman of the committee.
Mr.. Davis, OF Massachusetts,, said that
hearing the reports and evidence, he had
come to the conclusion to support the con-
dem patory resolutions of the majority, on
the sale Of Fort Smelling, for the price, to
certain persons, and at the time Of the con-
past administration and carried out in the
present, under the eyes Of the Secretary q
spirit of political dishonesty, which seeks to
establish its own purity and perfection heap
ing disgrace on those entitled to confidence
and respect. The whole report of the COM
mttee from beginning to and, in its state
monts, arguments, bear unmistskably evi-
dsnce Of deep land party scheme, against
one OF the chief officers Of the GSysrnRHsnsss MN Is
ever honored the position OF Secretary Of
war. he contended that Secretary Floyd's
course was in sccordance with law, and,
therefore, not void, as the committee asserts
The Secretary was hound to dispose of Fort
Smelling, it being no longe necessary for
military purposes.
Grow refuted the defense made BY the
gentleman from Connecticut. He regarded
| the Secretary of War as O second jackson
only In being governed by his own whim and
caprice against the advice Of General Scott,
Jessu, and others. The Secretary had no
authority to sell any military reservation un-
less the property was ascertained to be use-
| less for defensive purposes, otherwise be is
subject TO impeachment. He has violated
the law Of Congress and trampled down the
rights Of the people under the sanction CT
the President.
Phelps replied, saying that the law gives the
! Secretary authority to dispose Of reservations
by private or public sale, for it sometimes oc-
ours that better prices are obtained by the
latter than the former mode. And the case
in point, shows that portion of the Fl. Smell
sale for 81 25 per acre. With this example, it
was wise policy that the Secretary pursued,
for which he is now arranged.
Kavanaugh defended the sale Of the Fort
Smelling reservation, which the Republicans
made use OF as q cats paw to pluck their po-
litical chestnuts ont Of the ashes.
Stanton would not say that the Secretary
was guilty Of al overt act, but that be was
surrounded by such associations rs to throw
suspicious over the transactions. There was
fraudulent combination betwaen the agent
OF the Government and the purchasers Of the
| reservation.
Burnett said when the Republicans charge
! fraud they ought to remember that history
shows that all the frauds and eorruptions Of
public msr are found on that side. He de.
| Tended the course of the Secretary.
Numerous memorials and re-
ports of an uninteresting character were pre-
sented and referred. rr.Ef
The consideration Of the miscellaneous ap.
| pIopriton bill was then enresumed.
Mason, from the Committee on Foreign
| Affairs reported bill authorizing the Exc
cutive to employ the naval force TO protect
| the rights OF our citizens from outrsges by
4 lSkc4kA nHlitub, ao'Ibk - cPSSihi tSt9Ao&kSS w
| Central America and South America.
This Ia the hi II recansly reported by Doug
| Ias, with slight alteration by the commit
| tee. ....... - ..-.-.-e
Gwin and Houston argued the importance
Of immediate action, SO as tc obtain the con-
ourrence of the House, before adjournment.
Seward expressed his strong disapproba-
| ton of the measure. He was unwilling to
involve the country 10 q war with all na-
tiops Of America south of our own.
Slidell, of La. introduced an amendment,
authorizing the President, in certain cases,
to suspend the neutrality laws. An attempt
to make the bill the special order for to-
morrow, noon, was voted down, By q ma
jority.
The miscellaneous appropriation bill was
further discussed. 9
Seward moved an amendment that the
public lands in Kansas, shall not be offered
at public sale, until the expiration Of one
year from the lst of November next. Mega
tived; yeas II, nays "a.
Yeas; Broderick, Cs,aeron, Chandler, Dix
on, Durkee, Fessendep Foster, Hamlin, Har-
Ian, Kennedy, Rice, Seward, Simmons,
Stuart, Trumbull, Wade, and Wilson.
Eays-Allen, Benjamin, Bigler, Bright,
Brown, Clay, Clingman, Critrsnden, Davis,
Fitch, Fitzpatrick, Green, Gwinn, Hammond,
Haynes, Houston, Hunter, Iverson johnson,