The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-05-16
WASHINGTON.
Executive Business of The Senate.

tor Geo. f Cutter to be paymaster general of
the navy. The conclusion reached was vote
confirming the nomination without roll call.
Senator Herman then called attention to an aft
davit in which Alexander Warner. late an
employe in the Office of Paymaster Eldridge at
the Brooklyn navy yard, alleged that he bad
been discharged from the position for giving
testimony in this case before the Senate COM
mittee rejecting on some of his superior ON
GERS. This affidavit, on motion of Mr. Herman,
was offered to the naval affairs committee with
Instructions to inquire into all the circam.
stances connected with Warmers dismissal
from public service and power to send for per-
sons and papers, The committee was also au-
thorized to appoint subcommittee to proceed
to New York to take testimony, with power to
send for persons and papers and administer
oaths to witnesses. The Senate also removed
the inlunctiOn of secrecy from the report OF the
committee upon charges against Gutter. Inis
report which was submitted together with the
testimony in printed form by the chairman
Mr.. Sargent, states that In the judgment of the
commit 1.-The charges are not only not sustain
ed BY testimony. but refuted by it,
After an extended review of the evidence the
report concludes The com mittee are Profound
ly impressed with the conviction that the at
tack made on Mr.. Cutter is largely conspira-
cy of men who desire more pliable man 10
the paymaser generals Office and return to
the modes of the old navy agency. The testi-
Inony ruled out by the committee was that of
men anxious to testify to the bribries commit
ted by themselves, or by which they profited
under Henderson's administration, and they
consider Cutter very improper nominee. The
testimony would have been received for what it
was worth if it had related in any degree to
Cater, and the committee adjourned over five
days to give the assailing parties time to fin0
testimony showing any knowledge of Cutter of
anything wrong done by Henderson or Blood,
and such testimony was not found. The COM
mittee on request of the prosecutors subp9ned
various gentlemen from New York, who stated
that they knew nothing about Cutters admin
iStraton and others wrote aud telca raphed,
making the same statement ard begging to be
excused on account of their ousloess. Cutter
did cot onpiOy any counsel before the United
States and ask for any witnesses, and the COM
mittee of its motion called no witnesses except
those named in the charges All the rest were
called atthe request of those endeavoring to
witnesses like Slmorson, Thompson. &C., d.
rectly contradicted the charges and showed
these to be false and slanderous.
Objection was made By Senator Salisbury to
Packards nomination as consul at Liverpool,
and BY Senator Thurman to George D. Sheri-
dan as recorder of the District of Columbia and
they were laid over.
The Charges Against Bradford.
The House committee on expenditures 10 the
department of state today agreed to report to
the House with request that it be referred to
the committee on judiciary resolution sustain
ing charges against consular Clerk to Shang-
hal, Bradford.
Senate Amendments Rejected.
The House committee on appropriation today
decided to recommend nOn-concurrence in all
Senate amendments to Indian and pension ap-
preparation bills. These bills will therefore
shortly be referred to committees of conference.
The la e Prof. Henry
The committee appointed 10 a meeting called
by the Secretary of the Treasury to take suita-
ole action concerniug the death of Prof Henry
met today and reported resolutions expressive
of the loss sustained by the service in the death
of the eminent scientist, and resolving that
heads of bureaus of the treasury attend the fun
eral in body.
Nominations Confirmed.
The Senate today confirmed the folio wing
nominations: Vim. q. Hunt of New Orleans,
Peck, resigned; Milton L.. Williamson, U. s.
Marshal of tn. western district of Tennessee;
Mrs. Caroline Brigham, postmistress at NaticS,
Mass.
The Republicans Decide 10 Fight the
Resolution ia Every Way.
The Republican members of the House of
Representatives held caucus this afternoon to
take action concerning the proposition intro
duced by Representative Potter to investigate
the alleged Florida aud Louisiana Presidential
election frauds. Mr.. Hale presided and Mr..
Conger was secretary. Inc caucus was q d.
dressed by Messrs Banks, Garfield, Hale,
Conger. Fort. Brown, Butler, liner, Hazelton,
Blair, Williams of Wisconsin, Thompson and
others all agreeing that the pending resolution
offered from the Democratic side had pur-
pose hidden and deep to overthrow the present
administration while the result might lead to
revolution in the country. The only question
of difference was as to how far the Republican
members should resist the passage OF the
resolution, should the amendment now in the
hands of Mr.. Hale proposing to include Oregon,
Mississippi and certain matters connected with
Louisiana and FloIida in the investigation be
excluded, and as to whether they should by
such resistance take the responsibility OF delay
ing legislation for an indefinite length of
period in order to prevent what they deemed
not only wrong but dangerous. 1t was general
ly held that the intent of the resolution was of
sufficient gravity to justify resistance to the
end. Mr.. Brown submitted a resolution which
was agreed to providing for a committee of
nine to prepare resolutions expressing the
sence OF the caucus, The following gentlemen
were appointed the committee: Messrs.
Brown, Garfield, Reed, Phillips, Cannon,
Oliver, Claf1in, Dunnell and Mitchell
They reported the following resolutions, the
first of which passed unanimously, and the
second with few dissentions only:
Resolved, That the resolution now pending
in the House is an attempt in form unjustih-
able and illegal to reopen the question of the
Presidential title, question solernnly settled
by the action of the 44th Congress, which alone
naQ JQrlSOlctlOD, anu Is tueTelOro revolutionary
and destructive of the good order, business
prosperity and peace of the country.
Resolved, That the effort of the Democratic
majority to force upon the House without OPP
portunity for amendment OR debate measures
of such revolutionary character which had
not been recommended or considered by auy of
its committees, but had been devised for indi
vidual or party ends, should be resisted by all
the means which are authorized BY the rules of
the House.
TIE Democrats Struggling 10 secn,c
Quorum.
Persons at the capitol who have made calcu-
latious says there are 134 Democratic members
of the House of Representatives present in
GLIDING the Speaker Impaired, and nine
Democratic members who being paired with
the Republicans cannot vote If all this nine
should be released from their pairs four more
would be required to give the Democrats a
quorum, or if the pairs should not be broken
Is to make quorum namely LAT. There can
not be a quorum without breaking some of tn g
pairs. The Democrats absent from the city
who are paired have been telegraphed for and
extra exertions ara being made to secure the
desired uuOrum preliminary to a vote on the