Middletown transcript., 1870-12-17
pnocEnDIsas or corcRrs..,.

Der OF DHlsanu resolutions were lntr0du-
Jed and referred, among them one, to
remove all disabilities imposed by Con-
gress on persons engaged in the late
rebellion. Mr.. McCreery offered rcsolu-
tions in relation to the title to the Airing
ton estate, inquiring whether the same re-
posed in the late Gen. Lee or his wife,
&c. Objection was made, under the
rules, to their introduction, and they went
over. A bill was also introduced to in
corporate the American and European
Steamship Company with capital of
$4,000, ,000; likewise bill to aid the
Mediterranean and Oriental Steam Navi-
CATION Company of New York in carrying
the mails from New York, Norfolk, and
other Southern ports to Europe. The
bill to aid the proposed international In
dustrial Exhibition in Washington City
was indefinitely postponed. Mr.. Morton
offered series of resolutions proposing
the appointment of commissioners to pro-
ceed to San Domingo to inquire into its
political condition, and to ascertain the
sentiments Of the people in regard to an
nexation to the United States After
transacting other business the Senate went
into executive session, and subsequently
adjourned
In the House the colored member from
South Carolina, j Ii. Rainey, was sworn
in. The bill to repeal all that is left of
the old civil tenure-of- office act was again
passed, only twenty-five members voting
against it. This is the same bill passed
at the last session which the Senate has
never acted upon. A resolution by Mr.
Banks to purchase st. Domingo created
some debate. Mr.. Logan's joint resolu-
ton to abolish the offices of admiral and
vce-admiral, after considerable debate,
passed the House almost unanimously,
and now goes to the Senate A signif-
cant declaratory resolution in favor of
revenue reform, offered by Mr. Kelley,
of Pennsylvania, was adopted, yeas 164,
nays 5. If the declaration therein finds
favor with the Senate we may look for
important legislation on the subject of tax
alton.
TUEsDAY.--The Senate was occupied al
most wholly in debate upon Mr.. McCreey's
notwithstanding to the restoration of the
Arlington estate to Mrs. Lee, widow Of
the late General Lee. Mr.. McCreery
delivered an eloquent eulogy upon the
life, Christian character and soldierly
qualities of Gen. Lee, and nearly all the
republican speakers denounced him az
traitor, and were unmeasured in their
reprobation of the proposal to remove the
bones of the soldiers buried on the estate.
On this latter point Mr.. Sumner said he
was told by Mr.. Stanton, who converted
Arlington into cemetery, that he did so
to make the dead perpetual guard against
the return of any of the Lee fomily. Mr..
Sumner particularly sought to give the
movement political animus. but Mr..
McCreery defeated this by declaring that
the resolutions had been prepared and in
troduced upon his own responsibility,
without consultation with any of his dem
ocratic colleagues Mr. Bayard rebuked
Mr.. Sumner for his Z" disingenuous sug-
gestion of political motives" and said that
the Senator from Massachusetts, " would
like to perpetuate a party founded upon
hatred and Justice" The debate was one
Of the bitterest that has taken place in the
Senate since the war. OF course nothing
came of the resolutions. leave being re-
fused an Introduction even for reference
by vote of "a nays to yeas, the latter
hcing Senators Fowler Of Tennessee,
Hamilton of Maryland, McCreery of Ken
tucky and Vickers of Maryland Three
land subsidy bills to railroads we're intro
duced
The chief business in the House was
the passage of the bill reorganizing the
Postoflice Department, by which the frank
ing privilege is abolished, except in the
case of persons to whom it has been grant
ed by name. The exchange of newspa-
! pers aud their free circulation to bona fidc
subscribers within the county of publiea-
tion remains as before. and this meets the
objection raised to the previous House
bill on the same subject. now pending
with the Senate Several railroad and
steamship subsidy bills were introduced
Thus far, however, the majority of the
House seem to be against the land grab
railroad schemes: The Bayfield, St Croix
land-grant bill was again postponed by a
test vote, and objection was made to sew.
eral other similar bills.
WEDNEsDAY.-The Senate adopted the
resolution previously passed by the House
for holiday adjournment from De-
cember 22d to Jan. 4th. A resolution
was also passed, to overhaul the custom
houses of the large ports for information
as 10 fines. seizures, moieties. smuggling
costs of the service. &c When the re-
port comes it will contain interesting mat
ter There was a debate on the bill pro-
viding relief fund for department clerks
and incidentally the civil service subject
was touched The bill was passed to pro.
mote the efficiency of the navy. One o
the provisions looks to the enlistment ot
three hundred more boys annually as ma.
val apprentices. and another gives non.
commissioned officers and seamen the samc
allowance for clothing as non commission.
ed officers and privates in the army and
marine corps.