, 1876-12-22

had been apparently opened and those thaa 41n W
was struck with the fact that letters from Boston,
Chicago, and other points had perfectly ;mootn s
on the flap Ct 5s ha
rugatcd appearance. lie had happened to snow
to Parke Goodwin friend Of the sSsa p9ssinastira I'm
slid it sa Cooked Dot So 0sfn Gsd then essSa
Goodwin to sec Mr.. james, in whose integrity ,h ne
able services should be retained through az mutt .;
ions in politics. and to mention the matter TO nm;
lie no ssfa f the owYs o ID te or eoad BE-
party to any 1ampering with letters. lie had SHOWN @
two letters one morning 10 the gentleman i lroli
appesaace s aa'o of the the cnstopcs, and Mr. iae had
told him he ought 10 Gull the attention OF the HOUSE
to tho matter il he thought his letters aa Mc5n frc
the nature of the case it would pc haraly
possible to bring forward any other evidence than
is e fs not stated It Is ae
he now state it as fact, but he had that snspicon
which amounted to u belief that his letters haa
sending BY express special lettors and REQUESTING
gentlemen who had such specul letters to forward
them by express. It may be III doing 50 nc nc taa Mas
his eyes deceived him. and it might be thu' com,
nitcc Of investigation would be able to yet a. 1acts
of which he had no knoweage =, LIE i,svcsia nia
CATION. butto thought 1t probable that no Soou
would come Of it. and that no important !nG1s .;n
Ing to put the country to the expense 81 n lnree 81
tigaton; but il it is the wish Of the House. OF OF
the gentlemen on the other side, to nave % one, ne
should cheerfuly assent Infortnnatsy ne aau
thrown In the waste basket the ANONYMOUS !etteIs
tile received from ten to twenty a week.: lhere
fore its handwriting could not b. ldfntineq S 1row
away. and it was q remarkable fast that none OF
the letters received by him to-day presenteu my
Mr. Kasson raid he had favored the introduction,
OF the resolution not merely because It oohccFneo
the administration OF an officer Of tile niSness rep
utation, but especially because the pnohc conn-
dence should not be destroyed without cause IN te
Post Office Department. During his own conncc &C..
ton with that Department ut tha opening o. the
correspondence that, although repeated t4,keseh-
tations made by local Postnasfers a. 10 llle
through letters deposited in the Post otiice, an
order was issued from the Department promoltlhs
the tanperng in any wy with sueh lea.o1s
was that the Postmaster General should Make
it, but that official had not the power winch 11e
House had to make thoroHgh 1nScsusa''on' m sr s
mon witnesses and to take testimony dln hot exist
| in him as it did in u committee OF fhe Aonse:
Unless, therefore, the gentleman (lieWltt) would
satisfy the public mind by stating that he had no
sufficient ground for his charge, he did nut see thar
the House could withhold its aseens 10 the resolu
Mr.. Hale said it was very clear to him that this
was matter which the House should not let DROP
| The inyiolabity of the Post-Ohlce Departmen1
i Il
| by every power OF the Government. 1t was az 1he
more important now that the Department should be
undisturbed and unmolested since yssteraas 1, tnc
| House had taken from another BRANCH OF com,
| munication between man and man all that IT. It mad
ever had Of invioabilty The Post Office stu re-
mains and the House could do nothing better N
the exercise Of its highest power than to ferret and
probe such matters to the bottom. Let an lnvssu-
gution be made. the most searching nnd compie1e,
| anu let the House know whether there had been
any interference with the correspondence OF any
eentlemnn, and more especially OF the gentleman
from New York ulew,tt), who held d.. the tin;
parties Of the Country That believed
bis correspondence had been tampsred With, an ana
he had lost his confidence n IT, ahe ters
which he had examined, and had become con on
vinced as he looked at the envelopes that the iet
the rost-otlce or By the WRITER'S who had then r.
sealed them, neither the gentleman from New
York (IIcwitD or himself had been able to deter
nine lie had asked that gentleman whether ne
had any proof a. to how it had been done, anu ne
had answered he had not, and he dla no. i
be:eye 5oypped fhsy t haa Poen eRgnG james
Ind any knowledge of it, but he had said that the
gentleman from New York believed bis cores pona.
| encc had been tampered with, and he was in tavoi
OF setting at work every power to see if that great
| department WAS sacred. ,...
Mr. Sprinrcr's substitute for Plntt.s resotnt'or
was adopted BY strict party vote,ll7 to ~, H.
sending tie inquiry to coIs Committee. now il
New York investigating the election frauds: o,uo,
/ r.
to the Committee National Affairs, provltdlnt
that the fleet Of the navy in peace, and until IN
public sufety demands an increase sna4 CONSIST
distributed among the respective squadron
and divisions. 1t specifics the n4mbe
Of line officers, and provides that their full pu:
shall be the same as officers Of the army, wit
whom they take rank; that when on sea service
the same amount In emoluments shall be alowe'
| as to the assimuatcd Erades in the army thu
whcn On duty on shore the officers shall be entitle
| to their full pay without allowances, and when o.
Of absence to 0a per cent Of tns M t% @ pay
} list. Officers who have seen twenty years, actaa
service sea, and retired stat officers who nav
ccive IS pcr cent Of the full pay Of the grade ror
which thcy retired; and all other officers shal! re
Of tie full pay q tue G efiae M
Der Of men now allowed to the navy, $50 boys fo
training may be enlisted.
Mr. Walker introduced MI. wnlcn "as e
ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, proyid
ing that ''no military OF naval o1'icer, OF oine hn
person engaged in military or naval service, sna
: order, bring, keep or havc under his AUTHORITY
control any troops or armed men at or near t1
place where any general or special electon IS mel
in any State, either on the day OF such e'ect9n,
r for ten days prior or subsequent thereto. unless
. | he necessary to repel armed enemies Of the | Mic
n States; and any person violating any OF the m pre
visions OF this section be lined 1ot ra nofe ,Ror .4a u
It less than five years, u1d be deprived from hoadtr
1ny Office Of honor profit or trust under the Cnite
X bill authorizing the use Of certain funds no
+ in the Treasury belonging to the Usage Indians Il
It ! the henoht of such Indians, passed.
n Gr Hatcher presented the memorial or the TO
. ernor of MISSOURI and other States, for action
: reference to the grasshop1er plague.
c The Speaker laid before the House telegraph
: communication from William X. Morrison II
c Chairman of the Louisiana investigator. Con
mittee, transmitting report OF the procccd1n
r before the Committee in the case OF Z. W. Bnrnc
= the Manager Of the Western L Mon Telegraph Con
n pany in New Orleans.
|, Twas ncrced that an hours discussion shon
be allowed and alr. Garfield spoke against u
20 ; resolution, on the ground that the House is II
l. justified in treating telegraphic communications
le an official report. ,,
l. Quite long discussion followed, and finally Il
;, rsoution was adopted without division.
i, The Sneaker then laid before the House the a
tion Of ihe Senate in regard to the death OF Il
a late Senator Capcrton, when remarks appropfla
Eg to the occasion were made by Mcssrs. ucrcfnr
l. | Faulkner, Wilson (W. Val, Goodc, Tucke
Kasson and lIardcnbprgh.
1t The customary resolutions were adopted, a
" the House adjourned.
MINNESOTA.
at DEMOCRATIC MEETING.
'e Sr, PAUL, Minn., Dec. 2l.-A meeting Of lea
~ ing Democrats from various parts Of the Stat
-,,. Gftr IN number assembled in this city to Il