The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-05-23
WASHINGTON.
PROVISIONS of the Supplementary
Civil Rights Bill and Amnesty
RIII naRReh nv tho ganato

/.
ing, provides that If the owners or person
In charge Of any public, inn or any plac
Of public amusement or entertainment 70
which license Is required, and owners O
persons In charge OF any stage coach
railroad, or other means Of public car
rlhge for passengers or freight, make any
distinction to admission or accommOda
tiOn on account OF race or color Of
previous condition ot servitude, they shal
be punishable for each olEense by tlne O
not less than $500 nor moro than 5000
and shall be liable TO such damages In anJ
United States court. sH.'.'
The amnesty bill provides that all po
litical disabilities imposed by the third
section OF the Fourteenth Amendment tC
the Constitution of the United States, are
thereby removed from all persons whom
sOCvCr, except Senators and Represents
tives in the S6th and 37th Congresses
officers In the judicial, military and naval
service Of the United States, and heads ol
departments and foreign ministers.
Members OF the Homeopathic Institute,
accompanied by their wives, called on tho
President this morning. -
The President has approved the Balti.
more and Potomac railroad depot bill,
granting square Of ground within the
city limits, for q depot site and other
purposes.
The Comptroller of Currency has ap.
pointed a receiver for the First National
bank, Fort Smitl Arkansas.
The habeas corpus bill passed the Senate
by vote Of 28yeas to Is nays.
The civil rights bill passed by a vote Of
q yeas to ID nays.
The report Of the majority Of the House
TO select committee upon the charges
against Secretary Robson says: His
accusors have totally failed TO produce q
single witness or any proof, whatever,
tending in the slightest degree to main.
tain any Of the charges, or TO throw even
doubt or suspicion on the personal char.
acter OF the Secretary. II 1t were desira.
bic to refer TO the testimony at all, in
detail, 1t would not be for any purpose Of
reiutation but only to exhibit malignant
and want on the character of the libels
which gave rise 10 the investigation
The committee feel justified in denounc.
ing them as the most extraordinary libels
which have ever been published in this
country, and shameful perversion Of the
privileges of the press. After q careful
investigationlthey are unable to find any
errors or Irregularities in the administra-
ton which would justify any action by
the House, or cast any discredit upon the
Secretary. Most Of the matters which
have been even attempted to be criticised
have been acts oil the bureau officers,
following a routine long established under
former administrations and decisions
upon statutes made by former Secre.
taries, such officers acting with the best
Of motives and ior the interest of the gov
eminent
Referring to the Tennessee and engines,
the committee not only exonerates the
Secretary from all suspicion Of any bad
faith or imprudent contracts, but shows
laudable effort on his part to utilize the
public property, by taking the available
snip rendered useless through defective
machinery, and converting 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 Engineer OF the Navy. The
machinery is to be compound engine,
now almost exclusively used in England,
and which, it is thought, will soon be in
this country and elsewhere, to the sup.
preston OF all others. Relative to the
payment Of $4,000 on claim Of Secor,
the Committee say the CLAIM was just and
that the testimony clearly shows that it
had never been paid, dlsallowed, or even
considered, until allowed and paid by
Robson, and that the delay was occa-
stoned by the sudden death Of persons
who would have passed on them. The
only real question is, whether the claim
was barred by the act Of Congress
Of 1867, allowing other claims Of
Secor, and this is the question on which
lawyers may differ, and decision may
honestly be made either way; and the
Committee believe the Secretarys inter.
pretration Of theLwords Of the act in the
full discharge OF all claims against the
United States on account Of the vessel
upon which the Board made the allow
ance, as meaning the discharge of the
claims under the act on which the Board
made the allowance, as per their report,
Is q correct one. Every consideration OF
Justice and equity demanded the payment
Of this bill, and it was the duty OF the
Secretary to searchIor such Interpretation
Of the law, within fair import Of its
terms, as would save the Government from
the humiliation Of having perpetrated
gross injustice.
The Committee say all the charges
about this matter are entirely false; that
not dollar has been paid on 1t. All other
acts sought 10 be criticized were within
the legitimate discretion Of the Secretary;
exercised without improperly of either
motive or action. The Committee in con.
clusion congratulate. Congress and the
country, that no stain, nor suspicion rests
on Secretary Blair, of Michigan. The
minority Of the Committee condemns the
Secretary for indisregard Of the law ior
re.opening and paying the Secor account
which had been closed by the Depart.
ment and by Congress- He claims that
his action was indirect violation OF the
law, and OF wholesome rule Of the De,
partment. That one administration should
not reopen the accounts closed by Its pre-
decessor. The givining of the Tennessee
contract to Roach was prejudicial tosthe
interests Of the government, and was H.
legal, because let privately and without
advertisement and open competition, and
because it bartered away the machinery
already in the vessel, without the author
ity Of the law and for far less than its
real value. Mr.. Blair also condemns the
Secretary Tor making contracts for tor
pedo boats without advertisement, and
for the payment Of the steamer Gov.
ernor claims, which he believes to bt
groundless, and which could never have
prevailed in any court MIR. Archer Joins
with the majority in exonerating the Sec
retary from charges .of corruption, but
with Mr.. Blair believes the, ,Secor pay
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