The Portland daily press., 1872-03-02
BY TELEGRAPH.
xLIID CONGREss..SECOND SESSION.
SENATE.

| SENATE.
| WASHINGTON, Mar 1-Mr Sumner rose to a
| personal explanation. He said as his name
| had been mentioned in connection with the
| membership of the Special Committee provided
| for yesterday to investigate the sales OF arms
| by the War Department., he would now state
| that his health was in such condition as not
| to admit his serving ON the Committee. He
| made this statement with reluctance as it had
never been his habit to shirk any duty, but the
| effects of the injuries sustained 16 years ago
| still chung to him, and as he had been painfully
| admonished within the past few days, his ply
| slcian imperatively prescribed repose,
| The credentials of A. A. Sargent, Senator
! elect from CAL, were read and laid on the Ia
| ble
Mr.. Sherman. chairman of the Committee on
| Finance, said that inasmuch as the proposition
of the repeal of the duty on tea and conee
| seemed to have excited good deal of alarm in
| some quarters. he deemed it due to the business
men of the country to state that If bill Tor
| that purpose should pass there was no expecta-
ton that it would take effect before the first of
| July. The Finance Committee unanimously
authorized him to make this statement.
Mr.. Cole reported the naval appropriation
| bill with amendments. a
A resolution was adopted directing the For
egn Committee to ascertain the amount equit-
| ably due to John p. Hale, late minister to
| Spain.
Mr.. Sherman reported bill to re-establish
branch mint New Orleans. t.se
President to send to the Senate copy of the
instructions given to the District Attorney re-
lative to the prosecution of New York mer-
chants for giving gratuities to Custom House
officers.
Mr.. Conklng asked him whether he had not
read the correspondence ON the subject in the
pnblic papers? ta.
Mr.. Bayard said he had seen the letters, but
he wanted to know from The President whether
they were authentic If the merchants of New
York are to be selected for prosecution then the
main chance by which the Investigating Com
mittee could discover the abuses of the Custom
House administration would be effe ctually
closed.
Mr.. Buckingham said this was no reason why
men who violated the law should be exempt
because they were merchants. He did not
however, object to the resolution.
Mr. Bayard said it was not the question
about exempting anybody from punishment.
The question was whether the main channel by
which the abuses could be discovered should be
closed. Why should not the President wait
until the Committee had reported?
Mr.. Cole called for the regular order which
brought up the Legislative appropriation bill,
and the resolution went over. =. III.
Mr., Cameron moved that the Vice President
appoint an Investigating Committee into the
alleged sale of arms to French agents.
The Vice President declined. 4
Mr.. Cameron then offered resolution that
Senators Hamlin, Carpenter, Sherman, Logan
Sawyer, Stevenson and Harlan be the Commit
tee. He explained that owing to the declina-
ton of Mr. Summer he substituted Mr. Hamlin,
Mr. Trumbull said that he thought one of the
Senators who brought this matter before the
Senate ought to be on the Committee and
thought that as Mr.. Sumner was not on the
Committee Mr. Schurz ought to be. u o
Mr.. Sumner thought that in ordinary fairness
one of the two Senators who had taken prom
inent part in instituting this inquiry should be
on the Committee. He (Sumner) could not
serve and it seemed to him that the Senator
from Missouri tSchnrz) should be upon the
Committee.
Mr. Foreman moved to lay the resolution on
the table, -Carried-yeas 25, nays not counted.
The civil appropriation bill was taken up
An amendment was adopted authorizing the
Secretary of the Navy to employ not over three
persons to assist the proper officers of the gov
eminent in discovering and collecting any mon
ey belonging to the United States, whenever
the same is withheld DO any person or corpora
ton, upon such terms as he shall deem best for
the interest OF the United States, but pro-
viding that they shall be paid no compensation
except out OF the money and property SO secur-
ed. .-i -l.sf lia1 : .f,Hv
An amendment proposing TO abolish the
branch mint at Charlotte N. c., was rejected.
After some further debate the Senate went
into executive session and subsequently ad-
journed till tomorrow.
sgE&dss B5DE HOUSE..
Mr.. Wood of New York, presented petit
ton of the merchants of Boston and New York
in favor of equalizing the tobacco tax 10,
Mr.. Beatty of Ohio, from the Committee on
Printing, reported a bill to provide for publish
ing. the debates and proceedings of Congress,
and gave notice that he would call it up for ae-
ton Wednesday next. The bill provides for
making contracts for work from the 4th of
March, 1872, till the expiration of the present
Congress, or, if the Committee on Printing
deem it advisable, till the 4th of March, 1875;
and make other provisions for an additional
term of four years. The reports are, after the
4th of March, 1873. If satisfactory contract
cannot be made, then q contract will be made
for reporting alone, and the printing is to be
done at the Government Printing Office, or con-
tracts be made for reporting, printing and bind
ing separately; provision may also be made for
condensing and binding the reports
The bill for the extension of the Wisconsin
Railroad land grants came up and caused con-
siderable discussion.
An amendment was offered that proviso be
inserted that only American iron be used on
that road. There was considerable debate and
short fillibustering speeches involving the tariff
and protection as side issue, the question be-
ing the reference of the bill with instructions
to the Public Lands Committee, to report any
time next week after Monday, and that the bill
when reported shall be open to debate and
amendments. The instructions are that the bill
shall be amended so as to grant to the State of
Wisconsin all the lands specified which would
enure to the Northern Pacific Railroad Compa-
ny under the existing laws by any location of
its road If this grant were not renewed, and to
limit the grant to such location as might be
taken by the Northern Pacific Railroad; also
providing that the act shall not be construed to
enlarge the grant of land to the Northern Pa
cific Railroad Company, or to authorize the
company to select lands elsewhere in lieu of
any lands specified in this bill; also that the
extent of this grant shall be determined by the
Secretary of the Interior and Attorney Gene
rail- also that coal lands be excluded from the
grant Referred to Committee on Public Lands
with instructions.
The Senate amendment to the bill removing
the stamp duty on canned fruits, &C., was con-
CURED in and the bill goes to the President
A bill was passed for more effective system
of quarantine in the Southern and Gulf States,
and authorizing the detail of army surgeons to
confer with the local authorities ON the subject
The House went into committee on the def
cheney appropriation bill There was consider
able discussion in the progress of the bill, prin-
cipally on the improvement and extension of
the capitol grounds and on the utility and cost
of the storm signal service. So much was said
in favor of the signal service that Mr.. Farms
worth, who made the antagonistic amendment
withdrew it, saying that babies would soon be
weaned according to these signals.
The committee rose without disposing Of the
bill. ..
Mr.. Banks of Massachusetts,, offered reso-
luton authorizing the Speaker to extend an in
yitation to the japanese Embassy to visit the
House.
Mr.. Dawes of Massachusetts. offered a reso-
luton instructing the Committee on Printing to
inquire and report the cost of printing the sew
eral volumes of Clarence Kings geographical
explorations and whether the same may not be
printed at less cost. Agreed to-
Tomorrow session will be for general debate
only. Adjourned. eff -
MAINE.
REPUBLICAN NOMINATION. -'a.
LEWISTON, March lat the adjourned Re-
nuhlican caucus tn niobt for tho po,o;no+;o,, .e