The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-15
Debate In the House on the Distribution
Of the Geneva Award.
Caucus Of the Republican Senators to Con-
sider the Business Of the Session.
1Ra1sLAT1oN TO BE RUSHED.
Treasury Circular on tho Shipment and Dis
charge Of seamen-Pomeroy Wants to
ase Prove IN Ahbi-No Compro-
~ mise in New Orleans.

charge Of Seamen-Pomeroy Wants to
asoa Prove IN Aibi-No Compro-
mise in New Orleans.
aeg ,s,tea WASHINGTON, Feb. IA, 1874.
The Leak I'm the Ways and Means Conn
mittee-How Bills Are .sNursed"-The
Of Last Congress.
The charges made against the CLERK Of the Com
nittee on Ways and Means of accepting money to
s'nurse" jobs and keep interested parties posted
+. TO the temper OF the members of the committee
toward their measures has revived the story Of
tampering with the conference report of the FL
nance and Ways and Means Committees at the close
Of the last session OF Congress. For several years
tho plug tobacco manufacturers had been working
to secure uniform tax on all manufactured to-
bacco. 1t was finally agreed the tax should be
twenty cents per pound. The manufacturers Of
nne cut were disappointed; but one Of their
strikers, in At OF enthusiasm, declared that
1t did not make particle OF difference
what Congress did, he could fix the bill to
suit his interest This remark, heard by prOmi-
nent tobacco dealer induced him to watch the bill.
careful examination disclosed the remarkable
fact that the important clause establishing UNI
form tax at twenty cents, had been altogether
omitted While the bill was under consideration
report Of the conference committee inserted. Had
1t not been for the vigilance Of an interested party
the money contributed by the fine cut men to de-
feat the amendments would have been successful.
No sooner had the act been signed than it was dis
covered that the clauses relating to spirits instead
OF being operative on the LIST Of July, as the con.
ference report agreed, was deferred until
the LIST Of August more stupendous
fraud and betrayal Of confidence is
not known in the history Of legislation.
For the sake Of uniformity it was agreed that the
consolidated tax on whiskey should be seventy
cents yer gallon, which would yield the government
all the revenue it was possible to collect from this
source while it would simplify the labor Of the
revenue oficials and greatly lessen expenses. Con-
nected with 1t, however, was clause relating to
spirits exported; and what was the astOnishment
Of the Internal Revenue oficIals to find that the
trade had until August l instead or July 1
wherein to take advantage Of somebody's mistake!
During the month OF July last the biggest
operation in spirits took place that was
known since ante.bellum days, when whiskey
went up faster than it went down. Several large
distillers not in the ring were ruined and CON-
PEELED to go into bankruptcy. Senator Sherman
declared in explanation that July was dis
tinctly agreed upon, but that the Tariff act had
probably confused the clerk in copying the bill.
Then came the third SURPRISE The conference
committee agreed that the stamp duty should be
taken or checks and retained on every other
article; but the bill reversed the order, retaining
the tax on checks and repeating all other steam
duties under that section This nice little Job is ex-
planned at the Internal Revenue Bureau as being
In the interest Of q company whose business
would not have prospered had the report
~ agreed upon been carried out. Then there
were certain changes in the punctuation of the
Tariff bill which relieved importers OF books ten
per cent Now all these wonderful mistakes were
pointed out to Sherman and Dawes, but, strange
to say, they could not ''see" anything wrong.
Surprising somebody did buy nne residence and
own Q well stocked farm on $500 per annum.
Whose business was it, eh? Not that OF the pub
lie. Oh, no! 1t did not cost the government q
cent because somebody took liberties with tariff
and internal revenue matters; certainly mott But
It is q matter OF record that the chairmen Of
the Committees on Finance and Ways and
Means had their attention directly called to
the fact that somebody within their reach was
culpable for changing conference committee reports
for the benent Of Spectators And IT is equally
certain that the honorable chairmen OF these Com.
mittees lifted up their hands in pous horror, ex-
claiming, Impossible inpossible" A greater
scandal than that Of Credit Mobler overhangs the
names Of Sherman and Dawes. Bold-faced lobbyists,
sneaking pretenders, pious frauds, exhorters and
laymen In the Church hang around Washington
whose characters are despicable compared with
the wharf rats OF New York, and yet they find de-
tenders in the leaders Of both houses of Congress
The clerks at the Capitol are to-day superior to
Congress, for by q scratch or stroke Of their pens
they can accomplish what the entire body Of Con.
gress would not presume to accomplish They
make and unmake legislation at the behest of every
interest that pays.
Debate I'm the House the Geneva
Award-Butler Against the Insurance
Companies.
The only subject Of general importance before
the House to-day was the Geneva Award bill, pre-
scented by General Butler. who made an able. ex-
haustive speech In favor OF the mode Of distrlbu
ton recommended by the Committee on the Juli-
ctary. He argued that the government was not q
trustee OF the money awarded His principal ar
sument was, however, directed against the insur-
ance companies, who claim about four millions
after having received six millions in war premi-
ums, or net profit OF about two millions. Gen.
era Butler thought the award should be distributed
In the following rder:-First, to the shipowners
who have lost vessels that were not insured az,
the saio rs and oficers who manned them: second
those who paid war risks shall be Reimbursed for
them, and lastly, the unfortunate insurance conn.,
panies shall be compensated for their losses above
the war premiums received Mr.. Peters, of Maine
onered an amendment that the interest shall be
PAID rom the day the loss was sustained not from
tne cate OF the award, as the bill provides Mr.
Cisrkson n Potter made long and prosy speech
10 iavor OF the claims Of the insurance companies
sut MS arguments did not appear to make a deep
impression on the House. The bill will come
again tomorrow for further discussion. up
~rotess Against the Removal "
Troops from tho south.
supervisor Perry has written lette
missioner Of Internal Revenue IN , r 10 the com
'nt'mations that troops are -eierence 10 tne
rom the South, in which he % DC witndrawn
OF all the troops r. .ays:-'Ine removal
ana ceorgia vor,S ON North Carolina