The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-01-28

be any truthful imputation on hi
Adams patriotism or loyalty.
After discussion, participated in b.
Messrs Hale, Of Maine, Blackburn, an,
Dunnell MIR. Hoar, of Msssachusett
objected to the further alteration of tn
record, and there the matter ended.
Offensive and obscene Matter IN In
MATHS.
Mr.. Cannon, from the Committee ol
Postofiice and Postroads, reported bill
to amend sections 1898 and 1884, pro
viding penalties for the sending of OBJ
scene matter through the mails.
The bill having been read, Mr.. Con
ger criticized it as being too general ane
sweeping IN this; that it would apply Il
newspapers in which an offensive adver
tisement might be inserted.
Mr.. Cannon defended the bill, claim
Ing that it was a mere modification OF th'
existing law, and it did not apply to ad
vertissments in newspapers unless they
were received or published in pursuance
of scheme to disseminate this offensive
kind of literature.
Mr.. Conger in view of Mr.. Cannon:
explanation, withdrew his objections.
Mr.. Hoar, of Massachusetts,, character.
lied one Of the descriptions Of prohibited
matter used in the bill-things adapted
for any indecent or immoral purposes
being too broad, and recalled the time
when anti-slavery newspapers were
thrown out of the mails as immoral pub
lications.
Mr.. Cannon defended the bill from
Hoar's criticisms, and claimed that the
whole scope of the bill was devised for
the purpose of preventing the circulation
of obscene matter through the mails.
Mr.. Garfield said that the House
ought to be very careful in this class
of legislation, and recalled as evidence
of its dangerous character, the fact that
few years ago the publishers OF a
New York paper was sent to the peni-
tentiary for three years for publishing
contributions from Geo. Francis Train
wholly illegal in its character deriding
the ordinary received notions of the
Trinity, but in which not an obscene or
scurrilous word was used. The judge
however, charged tho jury that the paper
was blasphemous in the highest degree
and the jury found the publishers guilty.
If the language of the law was liable to
construction Of that sort really Congress
would enter the domain OF I BIOLOGICAL
opinion and bring down upon men the
odium heoiogeum which was
worse even than political odium.
Mr.. Chitteaden moved the recommit-
tai of the bill, and expressed his desire to
90 before the committee that he might
show by recent transactions IN Brooklyn
the improperly of such,.a law. He pledg-
ed himself TO show case Of oppression
against an honorable and innocent man,
that required an amendment to the law,
but in very different way from that
proposed.
MIR. Bland suggested that such law
would exclude from the mails newspapers
reports of Beechcr trials.
Mr.. Cannon ayowcd himself in favor
of excluding from the mails whatever
or books that contained the
reports of trials of an obscene character,
or of character calculated TO currupt
the morals of tho country.
Mr.. Hoar of Massachusetts, said that
in his judgment this bill very clearly e1-
posed the press Of the country 10 danger
a hundred fold greater than are contained
in Mr.. Polands bill, which so justly ex-
cited the press of the country recently.
Wherever a jury in any locality should
find that paper contained matter which
might be devoted to purposes which the
Jury deemed not only indecent but im-
moral that jury might convict the man
" no sent il, or the man who received II
the mails and the postmaster
might exclude the paper from the mails.
1.-THE bill was TO be erecommit.ed be desired
to bring out this point in the hearing OF
the House so that the new law might cor
rect the great danger to which the press
and people were exposed. The bill was
Mr.. Hereford from the Committee on
Commerce reported back adversely on
the bill to establish = department Of
commerce. Laid on the table.
Mr.. Douglas from the Committee on
Patents reported the bill 70 amend see
ton 100 Of the revised statutes prohibit
in q officers, clerks or employees in any
of the offices of the government acting rs
attorney or agent or being inter-
ested in any form for prosecuting either
claims or patents, application for which
WAS pending while they was such clerks
Or employees also that any government
officer recognizing such person in
any such application shall be ipso faeto
fromIthe service. After much
discussion the bill was passed.
The House then went into Committee
Of the Whole, Mr.. Hoskins in the chair,
On the
Military Academy Appropriation
Bill.
Mr. Banning addressed the Committee:
He spoke Of the times being hard, money
scarce and taxes heavy, and said that 1t
was the duty Of Congress 10 cut of every
expenditure, and 10 exercise
The most rigid economy. In doing this
much aid or assistance might not be er-
pected from the other Republican, side
Of the House, because this tDemocrstic)
side bad taken away the luxury which
the Republicans had enjoyed at the
public expense. and had exposed 10
the country their extravaganza and
wicked waste Of public money. He was
not surprised that the Republican men,
bers charged the reductions in this bill 70
the ignorance Of the committee which re-
ported it, because the Republican legis-
la,ors arrogsted 70 themselves all the
wisdom and regarded the people a. ig-
norsnt Success had crazed the brains
and turned the heads Of the members Of
the Republican party until, in place Of
Lincoln, Stanton and Chase battling
for freedom and against fraud and cor.
rup,i,p, the country was burdened with
the present eItravagant administrator,
With its whisky ring, is Indian ring, it,
Credit Mobilier, its Pacific Mail subsidies
and is real estate pool. He trusted that