Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-02-03

A bad SHOW for the Texas Pacinc.
Special to the Cincinnati Commercial.

as collateral for the payment Of his fee
still holds the shares; is ready to sell them
at two cents on the dollar.
J.P. c. Shanks says he never received
any valuable consideration from the opera
tiOn, but does not deny the authenticity OF
! the letter published over his name.
BlantOn Duncan, who is reported to have
| written letter stating that in the spring
Of 1869 he distributed a large amount of
! stock, according TO directions, is here. He
telegraphs tonight the following card to
the editor Of the Nelg York stgl. 1t will
/ be seen that Duncan admits the fraudulent
/ purposes Of the company:
ssEditor Nel0 Y0Fl, Ssa y cur edition
! Of this date publishes letters and papers in
! which my name occurs. As You state in
! giaring capitals that a mOnstrOus cOrrup-
ton fund was used, the inference might be
/ conveyed that l was party thereto. This
note is written for the purpose Of contra
/ dieting any such deduction, and to say that
! you will be called upon to publish my let
] ter dated in the winter Of lS69-70), in
which / refused any further cOmmunica-
/ ton with the Memphis and FL PasO rail-
road parties, as soon as l learned their
! fraudulent purposes. How you obtained
these papers 1 cannot conjecture, but none
were furnished by my knowledge or con-
nivance. The receiver in 1870 was ap-
! pointed almost exclusively by means of my
| efforts, and in these days Of. alleged Con-
! greSsiOnal bribery, il was necessary for me
| to add that in no instance whatefer was
any improper or corrupt influence exerted
! by me upon any member in either hoHse.
/ TSigned7 oBLANTON DUNCAN"
This publication will undoubtedly de-
| strOy whatever chances the Texas Pacific
/ had before. 1t is understood that whether
! a favorable or uBfavOrable vote would be
given for the bill in the Senate committee
/ depended upon one Senator, and that his
| vote vii now be cast against it. The
Scott people say that the whole affair is a
! blackmailing operation, and that it was Of
| fered to them weeks AGO for 5000, before
| it was furnished The Sun, and that Scott
refused 10 pay anything.
The pUstponement Of the final
vote on the Texas Pacific bill by the Senate
| Committee was made at the request Of the
/ friends of the bill. This indicates that
Tom Scott is lot so likely to obtain as
favorable a report as his friends expected.
That Pesky Pinchback.
Pinchback has grown impatient at the
DELAYS in his case, and has drawn up a
petition which he viii present to the Sen
ate Election Committee, in which he asks
that he be either seated or declared not en-
titled 70 a seat, and that riglt speedily.
A delegation Of cOIored men, headed by
John NJ. LaugstOn, called on the commit
tee TO-DAY. and notified them that if Kel-
logs government was recognized as legal,
Pinchback must be seated, or it would be
taken for granted by the cOlOred population
that the failure to do 50 was solely on ac-
count Of his color.
The TariR Question.
The Ways and Means Committee to-day,
for the first lime. began the consideration
of the tariff question. It was discovered
Ma fhe Secretary Of the Treasury has sent
i'm q list Of articles from which the commit
Tee can select articles which can be taxed
10 the amount Of thirty millions. The list
fnrIu5es sources Ct revenue foT q much
larger amount. It appears that the SeCre-
tarV desires the additional thirty millions
To meet the necessities Of the sinking fund.
When this became known, It IS said that
there was considerable excitement in the
committee. A proposition was then made
70 consider the tea and coffee bill. i Dem
5rrs+ic member of the committee said
that the Secretary Of the Treasury
has no right under the circumstances TO
send any such list 10 the Ways and Means
Committee. that the necessities Of the
Government are not such as to warrant
any such assumption Of burdens on the part
of Congress. and that the money was not
needed to carry on the Government. An
other member suggested that the sinking
fund Is already three hundred millions
ahead Of itself. and thai if the increased
"a CATION Is only needed for that purpose
ne members of the Committee Oh Ways
and Means should stand together, shoulder
to shoulder. against any increase. The
svuDoSition heretofore las been that there
vvGTIId ba q restoration Of the duty upon
tea aud coffee.
The drift Of the meeting, to-day, seems
TO renderIt certain that the tax will not be
restored. Every member Of the Commit
tee on Wavs aud Means, except AassOn, OF
Iowa. has a record on the question OF
taking off the duty on these articles. 1t IS
understood that the committee now stand
eight to eleven against the reimp1sitiOn OF
the duty on tea and coffee. Those who
have devoted much attention TO tariff mat
tiers are now Of the opinion that the only
increase Of taxation viii be the restoration
ofLhe ten per cent. horizontal duties.
POSTAGE of PubIic Documents and
seeds.
There are frequent manLfes.ati of a
desire ON the part of COngrsssnen for re-
turn Of the ranking privilege. The House
took a step in that direction by adopting a
resolution to make in order an amendment
TO the Post-ofiice bill, 20 the effect that the
postage on public documents and on seeds
Shall be two cents per pound. The person
DESIGNATED as entitled to the right are the
President. heads Of Departments and Con-
pressmen. withina space Of nine months
after their retirement. The argument that
was privately used in bChalf of the amend
meut was lliat public documents should
be TRANSPORTED at no higher rates than
newspapers. The resolution was adopted
by a very large majority without a rOll-call.
Tax on Leaf Tobacco.
The Southern COugressmeu were unsuc-
cessful in their attempt to pass a bill au-
tb0rizfnr the sale Of leaf tobacco to the
amount of fifty dollars at the farm. This
prpp0sition was rejected from the Little
Tariff bill. 1t was presented to-day as
distinct southern measure and defeated
yeas I02, nays lUo.
Proaosea Revival Of ErOH-eIsd Oath.
Some Of the House Republicans are to-
day aritating proposition 90 revive the old
law which made it necessary for members
of Congress TO take tie islH-clad oath, and
10 make this law especially applicable to
the next Congress. There viii be fifty
three persons in that COng-ass unable to
take that oath.
The Committee on ArkansBs
will soon present their report, OF reports.
1t is understood that the committee are not
agreed. The two DeI,0Eatic members
win take the ground that the present state
Government has a valid and regular fOUn-
dafion. Mr.. Scudder, Republican, is un-
dersf0od TO hold thai The popular
vote raHfying the new Constitution
cures al defects, and that the
urpssE. State Government should not
he disturbed. 1t is thought that
Poland will unite in this c0nclu-
sion. Ward, of Illinois, is Tor revolution
izinr the State Government. There is
some curious gossip aGoa- at Little Rocka
TO the Influences which have conducted him
to this conclusion. As the weight of
ouiniou is against the CLAYTON and Dorsey
programme Of upseJting the State Govern
ment, It IS most likely that Congress viii
not take up the subject for action. Grant
is said 90 desire a decision by Congress, no
matter how violent or revolutionary, which
q d. M. "a r. q