The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-09
Forty-F Congress.
SENATE.

The senate re-asSemDed at noon. MIR.
West, from the committee on appropria-
tions reported back the post office appro-
priation bill with various amendments;
ordered printed and lie on the table.
The senate by a vote of yeas 80, nays "a,
indefinitely postponed the house bill ap-
propriating $500, 900 to pay Eads.
The consideration of the Indian appro-
priation bill was then resumed and various
amendments reported by the committee on
appropriations were agreed to. The bill
having been completed was reported to the
house and the amendments made in COM
mittee concurred in. The bill was passed
Messrs. Window, Sherman and Wallace
were appointed members of the conference
on the bill appropriating $780, 900 to pro-
vide for the deficiency in the appropriation
for public printing.
Tue chair presented bill to amend the
| up as unfinished business tomorrow and a
recess was taken till 10 tomorrow.
HOUSE.
When the house met after recess Mr..
Buckner introduced bill abolishing the
board of commissioners of the police of
| the District of Columbia referred.
Mr.. Hale rose to privileged question
and read letter addressed to him by ].
Madison Wells and Thomas c. Anderson,
stating that they were confined in a damp,
dark dungeon, in the cellar of the capitol;
that yesterday by order of the speaker
they had been transferred to a much better
room and had been brought back to the
cell by order of the rgeant-at-arms, and
that on account of bad air in the cell one
of them (Wells) was now on his sick bed.
Hale said his attention had been called by
this letter to the matter. He had gone to
the cell in which the prisoners were con-
fined and had found it damp, dark room
into which CLEAN of sunlight could never
penetrate, and which had to be illuminated
by gas. The air was poisonous and one of
the prisoners, an old man over 70, lay on
his bed of sickness. 1t was inhuman 10
keep them in such a room, and he therefore
offered a resolution directing the sergeant
alarms to remove the prisoners to well
lighted and ventilated room, where their
health may not be endangered.
Mr.. Cox called attention to the fact that
1t was in the same cell that a republican
congress had incarcerated Stewart and
Irwin. The prisoners were confined and
in close custody of the sergeant-at-arms,
but could release themselves by purgiDg
themselves of the contempt of the house
and ans wering questions which they had
refused to answer.
MIR. McCreary inquired what questions
they had refused to answer.
Mr.. Cox replied that they had refused to
produce certain papers.
Mr.. McCrary-They are confined for not
producing what was not in their possession.
Mr.. Cox replied that the house had al
ready settled that question. The resolu-
ton was, in his iudgm, Mt, reproach on
the sergeant-st-arms. The Witnesses had
supply been treated as other witnesses had
been.
Mr. Wilson spoke in favor of the resolu.
tion.
The speaker said the witnesses were moi
in his charge, but that as he had charge OF
the rooms in the capitol he had ordered the
prisoners to be transferred to the room Of
the committee on education, bat that com
mittee had objected and the sergeant-at
arms had no power to do anything but re
move them once more to their former
room.
Mr.. Wood said he did not wish thu
house to be regarded by the country as do
, ing an inhuman action, but he thought be
, fore acting on the resolution the hous'
, should require certificate from some doc
q tor stating that the health of the prisoner
would be impaired or endangered by thei
, confinement in that particular room. Tha
| had been the custom always in cases wher
the prisoner complained of his aocommo
r dations.
a Mr.. Conger thought there could be nj
: pretense of right or justice on the side o
; any party which should perpetrate sucl
Q cruelty as to confne prisoners In room
Q in which their health would be undermine
simply because they refused to produce Ger
o tain papers not in their power to produce
: The mere statement of that to a commo
e American mind would produce conviC
ton of infamous wrong done by the hous
+ and no man would dare attempt to justif
q such conduct, which reminded one of tn
d days of thumb screws and the inquisitior