The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-01

Senator Wood remains chairman of the Judi
ciary Committee, or even why he retains a
seat in the State Senate at all.
Cengress Yesterday-A Land Grant Fight
In the House-senatoriai Franks-Japau.
e~e Cndets-The Arms Debate Closed.
AT last the muddy stream of debate has
dried up in the Senate and Summers resolu-
ton OF inquiry into the sale of arms to the
French government has come to vote. There
was not one Senator to stand up for the pre-
amble, and it was laid on the table by q
unanimous vote, Edmunds alone voting in
the negative, because he wanted to have it
killed in more direct way; but the resolu-
ton was adopted by vote of fifty-two to
five, the negative votes being those Of Cole,
Edmunds, Gilbert, Hamlin and Wright. And
so this matter is disposed Of The inquiry,
however, has been anticipated by the House,
one of whose committees got from Secretary
Belknap yesterday all that that official knew
about the transaction; and what be did know
and testify to does not show any unfair pro-
ceeding on the part of the government or any
OF its officers. On the contrary, everything
was done fairly, honorably and above board
When the House adjourned on Wednesday,
after couple of hours of fbustering over a
bill for the renewal of railroad land grant in
Northern Wisconsin, it appeared as if the pas
sage OF the bill was a foregone conclusion. Its
friends would not allow any debate or any
amendment, but, confident of their strength,
insisted on the previous question, and were
able to carry it. But when the House met
yesterday there was q change in the relative
strength of the parties for and against the bill.
Its friends knew it not, and still persisted in
their refusal to permit debate or amendment
But there had been some detection in their
ranks since the adjournment on Wednesday,
how produced it is needless to inquire, and
one who had voted with them moved to re-
consider the vote ordering the main question.
That motion having been carrisd-one hundred
and one to eighty -three-the bill was thrown
open to discussion, and to such motions as its
opponents chose to make. For an hour its OPP
ponents, Holman Of Indiana; Cox, of New
York; Stevenson, of Ohio; Hay, of Illinois,
and Speer, of Pennsylvania, had it all to them
selves, and went over the usual arguments
against railroad land grants and in favor of
retaining the public domain for actual settlers
and for distribution to soldiers through land
warrants. Then, without giving it's supporters
any opportunity to reply to these arguments.
Holman moved to lay the bill on the table, and
came within one vote of carrying that motion.
Its friends then, by parliamentary usage, again
got the game in their own hands, and stated,
through Beck, Banks, Eldridge and others,
the strong points in its favor. Finally,
after another unsuccessful motion to lay
the bill on the table, it's opponents
succeeded in killing it just as effectually by
having it referred to the Committee on Public
Lands, which committee is opposed to it, and
even If it were not would have but slender
chance Of reporting it this session.
The circumstances of this land grant fight
are peculiar. The original grant, which was
made to the State of Wisconsin in 1856, re-
verted to the government three or four years
ago, in consequence of the road not being
built-a road from st. Croix Lake to Lake
Superior. In the meantime, however, the
alternate sections along the projected line of
railroad were largely taken up by actual set
tiers at the enhanced price of two dollars and
fifty cents an acre to the government, and the
lands to which the railroad company would be
worth at this time from fifteen to twenty
dollars an acre. The Settlers of course,
and the people of the State of Wscon-
sin, want to have the grant renewed
and the road built, and they would certainly
appear to have fair play and justice on their
side But just here comes in another ele-
msnt, which, allying itself to those who have,
or pretend to have, special regard for the
public interests, helped to kill the bill. That
element was the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company, which is said to be ready, if these
lands revert to the government to gobble
lucky, and Banks, of Massachusetts,, that Mr..
Scott, the President of the Pennsylvania Gen.
trail Railroad Company, which owns and con-
trolls the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.
was in Washington and around the Capitol
operating against the passage Of the bill and
making personal appeals to members who had
voted for it to change their votes. This was
denied by several Pennsylvania members,
who protested that Mr.. Scott was entirely
Indifferent in the matter; and one of them
went 80 far as to offer, in proof
of SCOTS sincerity, to vote for the bill himself,
although he had up to that time opposed it.
Nevertheless, Banks persisted in his statement
In regard to Scott, and engaged in a 'bear"
operation against the Northern Pacific Rail-
road bonds by expressing his belief that the |
road would never be built, and that neither !