Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-08-03
FORTE-FOURTH CONGRESS.
THURSDAY, August 3.

The Interior department, transmitting q
statement OF civil employees in that depart
ment, and protesting against a further re-
duction OF the now insufficient force.
Mr., Merrimon presented petition of W.
w. Corcoran and Others, protf ST ug against
.ne amendment proposed by Senator Dorsey,
eN eoding the time for repavlng Penusyl.
on the District.
ME:Jones. (Nevads) from the Committee
on fost Ofnce aud Post Roads, reported q
resolution allowing the Pacific Mail steam
sup company TO carry the mails In their
Lew steamships.
The bill was amended and passed.
On motion OF Mr.. Spencer, the bill TO limit
and hx the Signal service was taken up ana
on duty with the Signal service permanentlv
TO the bureau and reduces their pay from
that OF cavalry To Infantry officers
MI; komunds moved 70 reconsider the
vote by which the bill for the relief OF Ed
ward 4. Russell was reject yesterday
Inc vote was reconsidelei and the bill
Mr.. Dorsey submitted a resolution in.
structlng the Court OF Claims 10 modify its
Instructions to the receiver OF the Hot
springs property relative TO the COLLECTION
OF rents OF the same, and providing that no
charge shall be made for the use OF the water
which flows from the Hot Springs. Referred
10 the COMMITTEES on the Judiciary.
Mr.. Ingalls, introduced a bill authorizing
the Commissioners OF Pensions to correct Ger.
tain errors and Irregularities Referred 10
the Committee ON Pensions
Mr.. Anthony called attention 20 an error
In the enrolled sundry civil appropriation
OH In providing that all laws creating the
office Of Superintendent OF Public Printing
be repealed. There was no such officer az
Superintendent of Public Printing His at
tentlon bad been called TO It by dispatch
used should have been Congressional Printer
The matter was then referred TO the Com.
mittee on Appropriations.
AT the expiration OF the morning hour the
Due1n6SS.
THE RIVER AND HARBoR BILL,
ment Of Mr.. Mitchell conferrina power In the
U. g. Circuit Court TO condemn such private
property as may be needed for the construc-
lion Of the canal around the caccades of the
Columbia river, In the state of Oregon.
Mr.. Mitchell, who. twas entitled to the floor
argued at some length in reply 10 the legal
OBJECTION raised TO bis amendment. He con
tended that by the law and the precedent
the general government possessed the ex
cluslve right 10 condemn private property
for its own uses, and the state had no con-
troll whatever over the matter.
MI Logan, by unanimous consent, intro
duced bill for the issue OF silver coin, aud 20
make the silver dollar legal tender. Re-
ferI: 10 Committee on Finance.
The debate on Mr.. Mitchelrs amendment
was continued by Mess rs. Kelley, Chris.
tiancy, and others, alter which IL was re-
1ected; rejected, ayes 10, nays II.
Mr.. Kelley then submitted an amendme
providing for the condemnation OF such
property as may be nee esSary under regula-
LIONS TO be provided by the legislature of
Mr.. Morton objected to any admission of
the power OF the states over the condemna-
lion OF property required for the uses of tue
general government The principle involved
In the amendment was the cause OF all our
woes.
Mr.. Bayard deprecated what he styled the
action OF Mr.. Morton In Juggling in illusions
TO the unhappy past whenever the opportu-
nifty presented Itself.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
Hurd, (Ohio,) from the Committee on Judi
ciary, submitted report in relation 10 tue
alleged suppression by the Hon. j. Proctor
Knott OF the dispatch from Josiah Caldw well
In relation 10 Hon James q. Blaine. the re-
port recites the history OF the receipt of the
telegram, and reaches the CONCLUSION: LIST
That the telegram was not evidence, as it
was not made under oath, and that IL is d
well settled rule OF law that to admit tele
gram as evidence the original must be pro-
duced and offered. I'd. That Mr.. Knott had
no evidence that the dispatch had been really
sent by Caldwell; the fact that his name
was signed to 1t did not prove the fact that
II actually came from him. Sd. That the
whole subject OF securing the attendance OF
Caldwell as q witness was referred to tue
chairman of the committee, and that it was
not bis duty TO exhibit to the full committee
every dispatch that he had received on the
subject. The committee further report that
Mr.. Knott had acted in good faith, and with
no error OF judgment, and not for the pur-
R pose OF doing dol iningy to any man by with
is, therefore, made that the committee be
discharged from the further consideration OF
Mr.. Knott said that when he understood
that the report OF the committee In this case
was to be unanimous he had not intended to
say word, but he had changed his mind,
for within few days he had read an edito-
torial article In the Philadelphia Norm
American, in which that paper, alluding to
Josiah Caldwell's late letter TO Mrs. General
CofI l,oN fknf laft ck,-
Mr.. Knott had UNANIMOUSLY withheld the
Caldwell dispatch; that by this course
Knott and his friends had succeeded in
Presidency, but 1t had covered Knott him
self all over with infamy. After reading
that article, Mr.. Knott said he felt IL TO be
facts. He would do SO with great enbar-
rassment, because there was nothing he dis
liked more than TO speak about himself, and
he was especially embarrassed becau use of
the absence OF the late Representative from
Maine, Mr.. Blaine. But he (Blaine) had
embodied all Infamous insinuations In the
resolution under which the matter was in
yestigated, and IL was due 10 himself that he
should state the facts. BE had waited dsy
after day In the hope that Mr.. Blaine would
return. He waited to be disappointed, and
now the gentleman from Maine has resigned
1t is said that the hand OF God is heavy upon
him; and that in order TO recuperate his
compelled TO retire from the arena where he
had SO often distinguished himself as a lead
Ing demagogue. DE (knott) did not know
whether the hand OF God was heavy upon
Mr. Blaine, or whether he was playing the
role of the old soldier and had resigned for
the purpose OF avoiding the future investi-
CATION OF his case. Not one of the charges
that had been made against Blaine could be
attributed to partisan zeal or personal mai
Ice. All the charges had come originally from
MI Harrison, who was OF Blaine's political
party, and IL was not until after that pu bill
cation that Mr.. Tarbox offered his resolu-
ton. Mr.. Knott then proceeded 70 review
the testimony in the case against Mr.. Blaine
and said that some Of the witnesses, and es-
pecially Mr. E. II. Rollins, seemed ID con-
slider that they were under no legal obliga-
tion to state any fact which could be elicited
fIom any other witness. As the case went
on 1t was shown that there was something
behind which was rotten. Reference was
then made to Mr.. SCOTS testimony In rela-
ton TO Caldwell, and he argued that IL was
necessary that Caldwell should be here, and
IL any one should have desired his presence
II should have been Mr.. Blaine. he said
that he (Mr. Knott) was directed to as
certain where Caldwell was, and while In
pursuit OF that inquiry the dispatcb from
Caldwell was received, and he (Kuott)
doubted its genuineness. He then went on
10 argue that that dispatch was the result of
o conspiracy, and that Mr.. Blaine was the
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