Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-03-30
CONGRESSIONAL AND OrHER NEWS

y
Special Dispatch to the Republican,
! WASHINGTON, March 26.-The house
! opened to-day with an iRspiriting seeneI
| in the renewal of the Butler and Bing-
ham controversy. The galleries were
/ full, and the house granted unanimous
/ consent for both of them to proceed.
! The debate was more bitter and personal
I than on Thursday last, and even pro-
vOked severe comment on the speaker
1 from Bingham, when called TO order at
/ the opening of his remarks.
The dramatic effect of affairs was
somewhat heightened by printed pam
phlet, placed on the desk of each member
/ by Butler, wherein it was shown on par
/ aliel columns what were the remarks
delivered by Mr.. Bingham last week,
and the addenda which he made to the
| official report in the Globe.
Mr.. Butler attempted to show by this
/ that Mr.. Bingham had made an Rddi-
tionsl attack upon him by writing out
and adding to the short hand notes some
| remarks which were never delivered.
Passing from this he proceeded to defend
4 his (Butler'sl statement that Mrs. Sur
rstt was unjustly convicted, and charged
] that Mr.. Bingham had suppressed ma
t.rial evidence on the conspiracy trial,
and intimating that persons in high
! uiaces since the trial had destroyed some
| of this evidence by cutting out eighteen
pages Of the diary found on Booth at the
time of his death.
Mr. Bingham replied with great spirit
and eelingIy declaring that his remarks
! last week were so badly reported that he
rewrcte them, uut that he had not
changed their tenor in any respect. He
| denied ever having seen the Booth
diary, and claimed that if he had every
rule OF evidence known to common law
| for q thousand years would have ruled out
any memoranda made after the commits
sion of the act, and compared Buffers
! legal ability in making such a claim as
! commensurate with his military capac-
| ity. Headed that no man but one who
| had lived in a bottle and was fed with q
| spoon would claim that such ruling for
! evidence vas ever heard of. He declared
| that it had been decided in all courts
/ that such evidence was inadmissable
/ but perhaps these were not equal TO the
1 uncomfortable genius Of the unconquer-
able hero Of Fort Fisher.
/ These illusions brought down the
/ house and galleries in roars of applause J
Butler came and sat near Bingham
and several times attempted to interrupt
him, but the latter refused to yield.
/ The house declined to allow Butler 10
! reply, and promptly voted down almost
unanimously q resolution offered by Mr..
| Ward, Of New York, for an investiga-
ton into Mrs. Surratt's trial and execu'
| tion.
The adjournment question elected
another long debate in the senate to-
day. Senator Morrill,, of Vermont
/ characterized the house proposition tC
J ~sr~arxv r,,Or,fh ae q hOrn akin and
| Jump"
Senator Fessenden maintained that
! the correct interests Of the country
needed an adjournment.
Mr.. Drake, of Missouri, said he could
nol go home and tell his constituents
/ that all was quiet on the Potomac.
! Mr.. Williams, of Oregon, said he had
| heard the rumOrs of great pending
events, which demanded congress to re
main in session, but he placed no fsitf
in them.
Finally it was agreed the house con
curring) to adjourn from Thursday until
! December.
Secretary Stanton was on the floor
during the debate, and personally urged
senators not to adjourn.
There is sufficient reason for stating
that Jefferson Davis will shortly b,
| released from confinement. SeVera
republican senators have asked for his
release, and other prominent republican,
have offered to go his bail.
There are at present in this city abOu
\ one hundred Indians, representing the
various tribes, who are without tn
necessary funds to carry them home
and are anxiously awaiting appropria
tions by congress to relieve their ne
cessity.
Mai. George B. Newton, chief clerk o
the agricultural bureau, has sent in hi
resignation, to take effect the first o
next month.
Admiral Farragut is here, and Is th'
guest of the secretary of the navy.
Col. Chas. H. Smith, of the 2sth IN
fantry, has been appointed assistant com
missioner of the freedmeu's bureau 70
the state OF Arkansas.