Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1877-12-14

IHE lhQAsChAD uAAAt !
WAsHTEoToN, Dec. l2-stephens, OF
Georgia, Introduced . bill repeating the
iFOn-clad oath.
MEXICAN AWARDS.
The Committee on Foreign Affairs
agreed 10 report 3 bill for the distribution
Of Mexican awards for all claims allowed,
except the We'll aud LaAbra claims,
which are held for investigation,
PETITIONS
A great portion Of the morning hour was
again taken up 10 presentation Of petit
tiOns for the appointment OF a Com T ittee
10 inquire into the alcoholic liq1Or traffic;
favoriDg a 18th amendment TO the COnsti.
tuition OF the United States 10 secure ie.
male suffrage, and against any legislation
concerning the r. vision VI tarid duties un.
I'll after oficial Inquiry As to the business
industries oil the country. All we're le.
ierred to appropriate Committees,
SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD.
Money introduced a bill authorizing the
Southern Pacific Railroad to extend It's
road and telegraph from It's present termi.
nus in Arizona to n oint on the Rio
Grande, near ii PasO.
CONTESTED ELECTION.
Discussion Of the Colorado contest &C.
cupied the day. A vote will be taken TO-
morrow.
senate.
THE SILVER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS sUl.
sTIrUTE FOa M~ATTHGws's RESOLUTION.
The consideration Of Matthew's silver
resolution was resumed.
ChaGfee, OF COlOrad submitted the io!.
lowing as 4 substitute for the resolution,
| taa uinU tho RFnnmhln uI MntthnWa tho
same as submitted by that senator:
"Resoive /, Tat all the bonds OF the
United ,tates, issued or authorized 10 be
issued vi ler the said Acts Of Congress,
heretofore recited, are payable, principal
and Intere st, at the option Of the Govern.
tent, In coin OF gold or silver, Of the stand.
ard value when such bonds were issued,
and to restore TO its coinage such silver
coin as q legal tender, co.tqual with gold
coin, 10 not In violation Of the public faith
nor 10 derogaIion Of the rights ofthe public
creditor.''
Ordered printed by q vote Of forty-twOtO
twenty.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OK COMMERCE
ON TAE NEW YORK APP0INTMENTs-A
VICTORY FOR coEKLING-sPRECHBs, ETC.
The Senate went into Exf cutivo session.
The struggle owe the New York ap-
pointments Resulted In q victory for Mr..
Conkling.
The senate was 10 Executive session 10.
day nearly elk hours, ad~J0urniDg at eight
O'Clock. The entire session was devoted
~ the New York Custom.house nUmina.
lions, two OF which (thOse Of Theo, R0ose'
welt to be Collector, In place Of Arthur, 10
be removed, and l.. Bradford Prince, Ma,
val Officer, vice Cornell, to be removed,
were reported from the Committee on
| &c. - g. NAHnIIs Tha NhlRA II A
Merritt, TO be Surveyor Of Customs, In
place OF Sharp, whose commission has ex'
pired, was reported with q favorable rec
ommendatiOD.
No opposition was manifested 10 the lat
ter, but the contest In regard TO the tive
proposed removals was extremely ami
mated, and took a very wide rang cover
ing a discussion OF the rights, powers and
duties Of the President 10 regard to re-
mOvals from office, and the subject Of Civil
Service policy In general.
; Mr.. COnkling, Chairman OF the Commit
tee on Commerce, opened the debate with
: a brief statement OF the reason why, In thu
; opinion Of the majority Of the Committee
the two first named nominations shOulC
not be confirmed. These were In brief
that no charges, either OF corruption or 0
ineficiency, had been made against th'
present incumbents, but that, on the con
IraTy, they were conceded 10 be faithful
honest, experienced, and able men.
Mr.. BayaTd followed Ia an extended ar.
gument, maintaining the right OF The KXec
utiye to make changes which In his opin
In would be for the benefit Of the public
service, he icing responsible for the exc
, cutiOn Of he laws and entitled TO selec
his agents, subject to the confirmation o
the senate but without bsing obliged Il
[ furnish 10 the Senate a statement Of hi
/, reasons.
! Mr.. Herman then dc ivered a speech o
considerable length o the same side 0
the question, defending the action Of ID
, President. His remaTks were mostly reat
from manuscript.
General Gordon was the next speaker
: he warmly commended the Civil Seryic
=, policy OF President Hayes, aud In rcgarl
\ TO the pending n limitations asserted en-
phaticdlly that the removals which the
contemplated were temanded by a prope
q regard Tor the purity Of the Service. IL
) charged that Cornell and Arthur had dls
=. gracefully made use OF the powers of thel
offices for merely partisan and selfish puT
q asses, and be minated that II was tim
= for the one-man power in New York Stat
to be broken.
The debate then became quite genera
. Hoar and Matthews spoke In favor Of sus
. tanning the action Of the PRECEDENT, and
what they believed to be his sound publ
, policy in removing the civil service lrOE
the domain Of partisan control.
Mr.. FELTON, and 9th re spoke briefly |
= reply, arguing that in the present instanc
=. at least, the President had departed iroT
the principles Of Civil Service which b
! himself had announced, namely, that faith
! iul and efficient service should protec
officers from removal.
Senator COnkliug clOsel the debate in
speech Of considerable length aud yrea
!. yigOr and Carnestness He replied In Dc
tail TO various arguments advanced b
- supp irteTs OF the nominations, and n
= PEELED vita the utmost emphasis ca rue
- that had been made agRinst the oiliria
~ character and conduct D! the III
y GERS whom the President proposed /
Temoy' tie insisted they had bee
- faithful. honest and ~ lent In ever
particular, aEd chaiieng,d the proc
iaIt 4 sing a" chargg Lad ever b On mad
agiin-t ','m other hy tho mcrcaItil
community. or the secretary Ii the rreai
Wy. urtut President himself. HcNlsJ i,
. leu any one 10 show or 10 assert that hi
CGkilng's action IA this whole matte
had been otherwise than fair, open, cyur
cUus and above board. In conclusion, b
~ claimed that the Senate would he nike III
just to faithful officers, careless Of lis ow
p, prerJsnliycs aud duties. and unmindml
- III" Bic atEs ~ true iYil service pulley
. it iallcd - votc that these nomination
- shout be rejected.
=, \ vote b, yeas and nay was then take