Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-04-08
House Proceedings YeSterday-GeneraI
Weitzel not Permitted TO Accept the
0filce Of Railroad Trustee.
Amendments by the Senate to the House
Silver Currency Bill-TestimOny
before Clymer's Committee.
Deficiencies TO be Supplied d-POstOfIlce
Matters s-RObesOn's Reply - New
Mexico - Spencer's Case
Closed Etc, Etc.
House.

only bill of. any public interest was that
reported from the committee on mill
taIy affairs, to allow General Godfrey
WeitZel to accept the office of trustee of
the Cincinnati Southern railroad COM
pany, provided that it does not interfere
with the performance of his official du.
ties in the army. After 3 good deal of
discussion the bill was rejected; yeas,
| 80; nays, 129.
Mr.. WhitthOrne, chairman of the COM
mittee on naval affairs, reported reso-
luton 1nstrUctidg the subcommittee to
! proceed to the Philadelphia and League
Island nayy-yards, to inquire into GER
tam alleged abuses and freGds. Adopted.
II Inc s1o'commlttee CONSISTS of MeS.IIs.
BUrleigh. -A~ii'S anu
me ne house the went into committee
". Va th the "noIs s (Mr. purand in the chair,
0 cue ,1vate calendar.
-.er tie passage Of q number of phi
ate bills, bill for ti,c payment CT GER
Tain war elsipns, applying to over two
| hundred Individuals in different Ststes,
anti aegregating one handled and
/ twelve Thousand dollars, was reportc;1,
back from the committee vim recon-.
mendation that il 10 pass. After some
discussion - passed.
Ine house then adjourned. The ses-
sion tomorrow will be for debate only.
The silver Currency Bit.
WASHINGTON, April B.-The senate
finance .conmittee recommended that
variocs important changes be made in
the so-called silver currency bill of the
house of representatives, and ss report
ed from the committee and placed on
the senate calendar its provisions are as
follows:
The first section, appropriating one
hundred and siXty-three Thousand dol
lars for printing and engraving United
| otaies notes during the remainder of the
| current fiscal year, is ulaltered. A pure
/ ly verbal amendment is made in the
second section, which requires the Sec
retary Of the treasury to issue silver coin
| OF the denominations of ten, twenty,
| twenty-five and fifty cents, OF standard
| value, in redemption OF the full amount
Of outstanding fractional currency, as
rapidly as it may be presented fer re-
| GemptiOn. The second and last section
Of the house bill, which proposed to
make silver coins Of the United States
OF the denomination of one dollar a le-
gal tender for amounts of fifty dollars,
and all subsidiary coins a legal tender
for twenty-five dollars, ia entirely
stricken out, and two new sections are
inserted as follows:
Section 3. That there shall be coined
st the mints of the United States q silver
dollar of the weight of Az S-10!h grains
of standard silver. The emblems,
devices and inscriptions of which shall
conform to those pres cribed by law for
gold and silver coins Of the United
Staies, with such modification thereof
as may be necessary to render said dol
lar readily distinguishabls from the trade
dollar; and in the coinage and delivery
thereof the same deviation from the
staudsrd weight of aud fineness shall
be allowed as are prescribed by law for
the trade dollar; and the said dollar
herein authorized shall be legal tender,
at its nominal value, for any amount
not exceeding twenty dollars in any
one payment, except for customs, dues
and interest on the public debt, and the
trade dollar shall not hereafter be legal
tender.
Section 4. That the secretary Of the
tres sury is hereby authorized to ex'
change the silver dollar herein author.
lied for an equal amount of United
States currency, which shall be retired
and cancelled, and not be again re-
ized to exchange such silver coin at its
| nominal vaus for silver bullion at its
market value, to be asceTtained and an
nOunced from time to time by the di-
rector Of the mint, with the approval OF
the secretary of the treasury; and the
United States notes and fractional cur
rency redeemed under this act shall be
held to be part of sinking fund pre-.
vided for by existing laws.
The chairman Of the finance COM
mittee ISenator Shermau1 states that
the silver dollar whose coinage is thus
provided for will be of the same weight
and fineness as the old silver dollar,
the coinage and issue of which was
stopped number Of years ago, aud that
its value will be about six per cent.
more than the value of two OF the pre-
| sent half dollars.
Before the Committee ON Expenditures
in the War Department..
WASHINGTON, April THE COM
mittee on expenditures in the war de-
partment to day examined General
COwRn, assistant secretary Of the in
terror till March 14th. He testified that
he gave Detective Bell the card pro.
duced by the secretary of the interior
yesterday upon representation by him
that he had been employed by the
"folks" at the White House, and was
entitled to his per diem and allowances.
| Knowing that Bell had been appointed
upon the card from the President, and
| believing him for that leason, witness
| did not know how much he was en-
| titled tC, nor did he certify TO the accu-
racy of the accounts. 1t was the duty Of
the proper officers of the department to
| examine into that. Bell said he did not,
! under the circumstances, want to tell
| Lebsrnes, chief Of the secret service Of
| the interior department, what service
he was performing. Witness had never
been spoken to by the President, Bah
cock or LuckEy either about the appoint
ment or BslPs pay; he had not commu-
nicated with either Of them on the SUBJ
jsct OF his appointment or pay at any
| time.
David Webster, Of Concord, New
/ Hampshire, testified that he came to
Washington about the thirteenth OF
\ March, 1874, to sell to the war depart.
ment the moth exterminator, made by
| him: he went with Austin +. Pike,
member Of congress from New Hamp-
| shire, TO General Meigs, quartermaster-
general, who refused to have any thing
| to do with it; afteTward witness got
! Representatives Parker, Cragin and
! WadIeigh to write 8 letter to Meigs,
whereupon Meigs agreed to test the mer-
| its Of the thing. The preparation was
tried and approved by Captain Rogers
/ OF the quaTteImaster's department; wit
nezs then went back to Meigs, who told
! him he should have the contract; Meigs
asked him the price, and how much the
| government would want; witness said
/ he did not know, out he would notrequire
the department to pay for more Than
was used; witness aflerWsrd stated the
| price by letter; Meigs decided to use it,
! Meigs then asked him what benefit will
il be? witness answered Il will kill your
moths; General Meigs said "But
how much will you give me il l put 1t
in general use?p Witness answered,
"Not a damned cent, general" Wit
ness said General Meigs gave him to
understand that Cowles & Co., who were
furnishing q moth exterminRtor, were
paying him part Of the proceeds. Wit
Dess said that yesterday he met q man
near Judiciary square who told him he
would do better not 10 go before the