The Portland daily press., 1872-05-23
WASHINGTON.

WASHINGTON.
a.lT reL. Eal4.a3 -4i-'a
All Night Session Of the senate-Impert-
amt Bills Passed.
WASHINGTON, May PIN the Senate at As
o'clock =. M, Mr.. Fenton moved to lay the bill
on the table; lost, yeas 18, nays q. Mr.. Wick
ers argued that the bill wa. clearly unconstitu-
tional, and offered an amendment that before
suspending the writ Of habeas corpus in any
State the President shall be satisfied by affida-
Wits of at least ten respectable residents of the
counties or districts concerned that such nm
lawful combinations or other disorders exist
there as to make the suspension necessary. The
habeas corpus suspension bill was passed the
d Fl .e5r.eT ii 'ei. - ;. :. - =
The Senate then by agreement between the
Democrats and the Republicans, took up the
supplemental civil rights bill offered by Mr.
Carpenter. It is like Mr.. Summers, but not
applying to schools, cemeteries or juries, and it
was passed, yeas q, nays IA. The last House
amnesty bill was then passed, yeas SO, nays 2
Messrs. Nye and Sumner, the latter declaring
himself in favor Of amnesty, but voting against
the bill because the Senate rejected his original
civil rights bill which he had offered as an
amendment. At 1920 a. m. the Senate ad-
journed after an all nights session, until 8 p.
m. +-H
.f- ~ VI y ~ Treaties.
q Inc lfresldent mas MADE an arrangement tor
a treaty with the chief of Tituila one of the
Navgators of the islands, for naval station
and coal depot The government has also con-
cluded perpetual treaty of amity with the
Orange free State of South Africa.
.haa Appointments.
The President has appointed Thos p Robb,
late collector of customs at Savannah, Fabihs
J. Mead of Mississippi, and Richard H. Savage
of California, Commissioners under the Joint
o1I,fio Of 10 inc, INT, tIoJ
relations alleged to have been committed on
the frontiers of Texas for several years past by
Indians and Mexicans. @ --oa
Tho Naval Committee ON the Charges
s.Tasi Against Secretary Robson. -ee
The report of the majority Of the House Sc
lect committee upon the charges against Secre-
tary Robson, says: His accusers, totally failed
to produce single witness or any proof what
ever tending in the slightest degree to maintain
any Of the charges or to throw even doubt Of
suspicion upon the personal character of the
Secretary. If it were desirable to refer to the
testimony at all in detail, it would not be for
any purpose of refuting but only to exhibit the
malignant and wanton character of the libels
which gave rise to the investigation. The COM
miteee feel justified in denouncing them as the
most extraordinary libels ever published i'm this
country, and as shameful perversion of the
privileges of the press. After careful inves-
tigation they are unable to find errors or irreg-
ularities of administration which would justify
any action by the House, or cast any 1iscredit
upon the Secretary. Most of the matters which
have been even attempted to be criticised have
been acts of bureau officers following the ron
tine long established under the former admin
istrations and decisions upon the statutes made
by former Secretaries, such officers acting with
the best motives and for the best interests of
the government r. ,s,..i.,,4 b. ...
mittee say that the testimony not only exoner-
ates the Secretary from all suspicion of any bad
faith or lmprOvident contracts, but shows
laudable effort on his part to utilize public
property by taking .. valuable ship. rendered
useless through defective machinery, and con-
verting her with the least possible expense into
first class and efficient vessel of war. The
contract price to be paid Roach is considerably
less than was computed by the acting chief en-
gineer OF the navy The machineryis to be a
in England, and which, it is thought, wifi soon
in this country and elsewhere supersede all
others. Relative to the payment of So, 900
upon the claim Of the Sectors, the committee
say that the claim was just; that the testimony
clearly shows it never had been paid, disallowed
or even considered until allowed and paid by
Secretary Robeson and that the delay was oc-
casioned by the sudden death of persons who
would have passed upon them. The only real
question IS whether the claim was barred by
the act of Congress of 1867, allowing the other
claim OF the Secors, and this is a question upon
which lawyers may differ and decision may
honestly be made either way, and the commit
tee believe that the Secretary Interpretation OF
the words Of the act, Sin full discharge of all
claims against the United States on account of
a vessel upon which the board made the allow
ance," as meaning the discharge of all claims
under the act upon which the board made the
allowance as per their report is the correct one.
Every consideration of justice and equity de-
manded the payment OF this bill, and it was
the duty of the Secretary to search for such in
depreciation of the law within fair import OF
its terms as would save the Government from
the humiliation of having perpetrated gross in.
justice.
The committee say that all the charges about
the Corliss engines are entirely false; that not
dollar has been paid in it. All the other acts
sought to be criticised were within the legiti-
mate discretion of the Secretary exercised with
out improperly OF either motive or action. The
committee IN conclusion, congratulate Congress
and the country that no stain or suspicion rests
| upon the Secretary E- 49,
Mr.. Blair, of Michigan, the minority of the
committee, condemns the Secretary for disre-
gard 0. law in reopening and paying the Secor
! account, which had been closed BY the Depart
ment and by Congress, and claims that his &C.
| ton was indirect violation of law and of q
| wholesome rule of the Department that one
! administration should not reopen the accounts
closed BY another, its predecessor. The giving
| OF the Tennessee contract to Roach was preju-
| dicial to the interests of the Government and
was illegal, because set privately without ad-
vertisement and open competition, and because
it bartered away the machinery and boilers al
ready in the vessel without the authority Of
| law and for less than their value.
Mr.. Blair also condemns the Secretary TO,
making contracts for torpedo boats without ad.
vertising and for the payment of the steamer
Governor" claims which he believes q ground
less one, and which could never have prevailed
| in any court. ---
Mr. Archer joins with the majority in exon
Grating the Secretary from charges of corrup
tion and dishonesty, but with Mr.. Blair, be
lieves the Seer payment and the Roach con
tract to be in violation of the law
Amnesty Bill.
The President this afternoon signed the bill
to remove political disabilities imposed by TIN
14th amendment to the constitution. The ex
ceptions will, it is supposed, cover less than 2O
cases, including Jefferson Davis and John c
Breckenridge.
The Treaty.
The Senate went into executive session thi
afternoon on an additional article to the Treat
| of Washington with the modification propose,
by majority of the Committee on Foreign Re
lations 10 effect the original object by chang
of phraseology but of equal application to bot
| sides