New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-15
WASHINGTON.
procvvpINGs IN CoNGRES--TuE ST. CRoIX
LAND GRANT SCHEME UP AGAIN IN TIE
'HoUsE-THH INVESTIGATIONS - TINktklN"
THE TARIFF.
WASHINGTON. Thursday. March

WASHINGTON Thursday. March a. is'a
The Senate spent the day mostly In wrshNe 49,
what IL should next do after disposng OF the AppioP
tion b which it finished itodsy. Mr.. Chandler mas :"
ar 40 hills reported from the Commerce Commt'ee'
which he desires TO get through Messrs' rum
hull and Logan would like 20 have imheuE
s,a action on the Chicago Relief bill MI sherman
"a anxious 70 dispose OF the Tarih OH MI. rcnC"
wants A vote on his Customs Reform DILL mr. 'o'o
thinks the Senate shoud az once go to work on aho'e
Appropriation bill and every other senator nae So'0
pnhuc or private bill which he desires TO caii
- 7, was finally concluded 70 take mp the
.Taa1f bu with the understanding that the SMcagV
Relief on sna o os no the L@eisiave aud Executive
Appropriation bill 10 was amended SO ~ 70 NJ ~ tht
isries of the Judges OF the Court Of Claims ana Oh %
United states District Judges 70 5000 var. a., ~
Amendment to the salaries OF the fresiGe,
Vice President, speaker OF we hOuse' anu ~ ~
Congress. was laid on the table
After the morning hour in the House. which was occu
pled by the Committee Claims, the =. CrolA LAhu
Grant bill WAS taken up and debaedSdurng the rest oI
the day MIR. Ketcham. who made the first speech
,ht out the important fact that although the grant
q, the State OF Wisconsin for the st Crox Road had
lsnsed n May, 1862 and the land. by the terms OF the
law baA reverted TO the public domain, 1t had been
losed ~ settlement since by virtue OF an unwaI
ed contract made by j. s. Wilson, late Commissioners
~ the Land Office with the Governor o. Wis
.onsip This contract was read by the Clerk.
N authorized the Governor 10 keep settlers on te lah
and collect a hne from persons cutting tnLer upon 10
It'll inc railroad company could have time 70
press Congress for eHteisOn Of time and 70 retain
fbe money collected FOR the benefit 81 me
Crnnany IL the grant should he renewed This
contract which was approved ny secrelH! 10Y IaS
Ssv aIfbo III Con gress has It was made twice re
fused to pass hill ~ extend the grant MY INetVHt
sped substitute Tor the BILL declaring the lands for
Jnery granted to tue road restored 70 the puh.c uo1
Messrs Barber. Edrdge. Banks. and Conerr smoke u
5ayor Of the grant aud Messrs. Iyner Coz, l1''hle
and ma amen ogR ssSt to reoull American iron
20 be used on the ro"t, -, ana he Ho
aspeech in ITS favor which oIoHgh1 up 80 and
made CHARACTERISTIC speech Ia tePty Ia nv
rlicul!ng by turns the tlrb On PIG IRON. =, s"' ~
knew the Ways and Means Commune Wou'u PuI ,rsr
ealled out Mr.. Kelley. For tine land grants wcre Wt
gotten MeSsrs EtridGe and COnger brought tLt u'-
cussion back from tie IenA,yl wanna IRON Ms 10 ,Ho
Valley OF the st. CrolH, whence IL VS. n3t ~
hse six amendments ere peE-lAs ana iAe previous
question had been seconded
The two Committees now investigating the sale OF
arms by the War Department during TIT French war;
are duplicating much OF the testimony 20 ,lat the
amount OF additional information obtained upon the
subject from day TO day Is comparatively small MAJOR
Benet and MAJOR Crispin were both allowed to
tell what they knew before the House Commit
ZEE, and the substance OF their testimony was
printed The evidence before the senate Committee
covers substantially tho same ground the sharp
questioning Of the Senators only. developing more fully
the details OF the transaction and settling matters that
were left obscure. Senator schurzs Examination
Of Major Crispin. to-day, directed chiefly 70 ascer-
nen 10 cancel any contracts - deliver arms % Reinnc
ton after be was discovered to he French agent
Crispiu lad never heard u any such At
tempt Mr.. scAuiz also called the attention
Of the Committee TO the language Of Letter written by
proposes exchange Of the beechoaders sold u
Thomas Richardson for Remington This letter u i
claimed, proves several things. FIRST That Gen. Dyer
was IN NewYork at the time the treeChIoaCers we're
sold " Thomas Richardson. personally superlnteudln-
Che sale second: That he did it reduce
Of the Government even Of az inferior model Tird:
change for springheds had been suggested 10 him by
one who. he supposed, could furnish the Heming
ton guns at some future tine But Dyer testified the
other day that he never saw Thomas Richardson, who
York at time Will aleer written ny Pennington him
self lie Cesne, at the time and about this
purchase refers 10 the matter or exchange ana To sew
ers other matters mentioned in Dyers letter Dyer when
Sngton m New-YOrk during lis visit there, In the middle
OF December 1870. These and many other facts have
Dyer was disposed favor EemiIg On in the purchase
OF arms befOre 10 discovered French aSeLt;
and his agents after that discovery though not particle
OF evidence has yet been produced 10 snow any corrupt
motive on the part OF Dyer any one else Those who
apologize for the War Department assert that a. no
complaint made by PrusSl. when u was notorious
that going 70 France and as the prices
offered very high, tire Ordnance Bureau was 90
anxious 20 convert rs much a. possible OF ~ ue maze
rial into cash. that less caution was observed thdn would
have been desirable and THAI this al that the inves-
CATION will show.
The Custom house Committee spent the entire day IN
tho examination OF Naval officer Latin. He showed
much less familiarity with routine business ct his
office about which he drst questioned, than Mr..
Townley, the Assistant Appraiser, who testified the
other day did while speaking Of NevYork politics He
displayed greater KNOWLEDGE Of the propositions for
reducing expenses Of the CustomhOuse Of Newfork
especaIly OF the old abolish the Naval Office.
Mr. Latin testified at length in regard to the
effect present system Of mOetes on the amount OF
revenue received He produced statistics carefully pre-
pared for tie purpose OF showing that during period
the system Of mOietes suspended the amount
u supposed 10 be lost much greater than
during any other period HIS conclusion wac Of course
la favor OF the present system rom Wlcl ne Iece!Ses
shout s2OOO year. IN addition 10 his salary. MF
-atTonage OF his Office for political purposes,
but he knew very little on Lhas SUBJECT
Conventions since the party Wa orranzed ne attended
the Republican State Convention thaf nad 1eeu held
since he DecaMea Fedora oi1er 10 NsE York 'ut not
delegate. He saw there ab ~ He 1<1ai ou'oer or
Custom house officials, bur not aware thrt tAey
had exercised any undue iaaience on Toe 30
ton Of that Convention. Nleu 5s attention
called % testimony gwen nef0rs ne
Committee that majority 81 me desgates "a hat Con-
veuton were opposed N ts plans n the C8st0nhouse
Said that he beeved that tn raaori y Ia Il
Custom bouse rIans y ~ zrsfr on me previous
han It Oh the day " the COW sHtl"h No cisks "a
hie Office he said had been ven more than TWO week
Leave Of absence for any purpose and he knew ~ no
clerk being away from his duty on poutca Dusines-
Ve had spent not two days IN that way. II
inrned out, however that clerks might he away and
might the entire state, on political business
without his knowing II, az al leaves OF absence were
been used IN the last state Convention, but not BY
Custom officials their friends, and he would not
like ~ the majority OF his officers were not
PentOn MI CODkng lie said, had never suggested
single appointment in MS office some Of Mr. Lahin's
evidence viii read strangely Dy the sue VI thdt OF some
other witnesses.
The Ways and Means Committee has agreed to report
n favor Of reduction Of the. duty on Bessamer steel
from II TO per pound and OF that upon steel rail-
way bars from cent u OF a cent per pound
There is little doubt that the Ways and Means Com