The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-02-20
From Washington.


t bill, by which it is proposed to wrench $40
4, 1000 900 more year from the already over
. taxed people The bill, however, is having a
rough time of it, The most exciting debate
on il occurred in the house on Wednesday, in
committee of the whole, and at the close the
, chairman was SO muddled by the mass of
2 amendments that had been offered that it
took most of Thursday to unravcl the tange.
. However, before the adjournment on Thurs
day, the tax of one dollar on whisky was
adopted, an increased levy on cigars and to-
= bacco was voted, and the tax on sugar and its
products was increased
A New ENFORCEMENT Bill"
The paipable failure Of all the southern re-
construction legislation heretofore, and most
notably the damaging condition OF affairs IN
Louisiana and Mississippi have driven the
radical party to the desperate cNpcdient of
devisng another bill Of pains and penalties
more c4fectually to subdueth South and com.
pei republican victories in anti-rcpubllcan
states. The bill is so mOnstrous in its pro
visions that its authors had not the courage
to bring it directly before the senate or house,
but first presented 1t to the caucus for adop-
ton, after which, under the new gag rule, iii
hoped to force it through without amendment
or debate. The object of the bill Is in plain
terms, to place in the hands Of the president
and military complete control OF the elections
Of the south, with power to arrest and pun,
sh individual infractions of the law by the
summary process Of military courts. 1t au.
thorIzes the President to suspend the writ of
habcas corpus, increases the election ma
chinery, and, under the plea Of preventing
"conspiracies' against the local governments,
clothes the military with power to arrest
and imprison, 50 as to prevent further voting,
all persons opposed to the radical ticket. The
bill was so monstrouS in its provisions, that
even Blaine holly opposed it in the caucus,
though it Is believed that he will not have the
when il comes before the house.
NOT MCCH OF \ GAG.
The senate committee to whom had been
referred the various petitions and remon-
stranccs in reference to The so-called Poland
press gag law, made report on Monday, by
which they draw the teeth and nip the claws
of the beast. The committee, after going over
the whole ground, conclude that "thc act
conters no power to bring persons charged
with libel into the District of Columbia or
take them ont of it, Dana and Whieaw
| Reed will be overjoycd to hear the news, es
pecially if the Washington courts can be i'm
bued by the report with the same sensible
conviction.
CIVIL RIGHTS BILL.
The House Civil Rights Bills was reported
to the senate on Monday with a recommends
ton that it pass. There seems to be good
deal of doubt, however, ifthe measure is ever
reached. There is no grea: friendship for
the measure, ever among republicans, ana
the probability Is that it will be allowed to
rest until it dies by Limitation on the 4th of,
March.
Pacific MAIL.
One of the persons to whom Irwin said he
had distributed 100000 OF the Pacific Mail
plumber was q noted lobbyist named Whit
ing. The committee pretended to Nc greatly
worried TO find his whereabouts, but on Fri.
day of last week he turned up voluntarily and
seemed indignant that he had not been called
sooner His testimony was, in substance,
that he had received from Irwin hundred
thousand dollars for simply seeing Senator
Cole on the subject. On visiting that gentle.
man he found him so much in favor of the
subsidy that he id not deem il necessary to
urge the matter upon him. For this service |
alone he pocketeu Il hundred thousand dol. |
lars, and told the story az if he expected the |
committee to believe it And the committee
let Whiting go without questioning him fur.
Their!
Dust TO DusT
Both houses OfCongreSs, after a brief session
on Monday, adjourned to attend the funeral
of Samuel Hooper, member of the house
from Massachusetts, who had died at Wash
ington on Sunday morning. Hooper was one
of Boston's largest ship owners and manufac.
turers, and is said to have been worth, at his
death, over $4,000O0O. He was a man of
good sense, but ofno great force or influence.
HIS chief popularity arose from his sumptu.
Gus hospitality. He maintained most lux
urious establishment at Washington, and his
dinners were famous.
PISCEBACk.
The case of wouldbe senator Pincnback,
of Louisiana, was finally brought to a head
on Thursday morning, the senate having
"sot" on it all the previous night, and the re.
suit is that the molasses. colored Senegambl.
an is "laid out" The result amounts to a
declaration by the senate that the kellogg
Legislature of 1878 was illegal, and, as Pinch's
second election SIX weeks ago was palpably .
illegal, there is nothing left for Plnchback
but to go home and resume de shubbel and
de hoe"
The JETTY SYSTEM.