Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-02-13
CONGRESSIONAL.
Exciting Discussion in the House
Over an Alexandria Cva.)
War Claim.
Alfred v. Dockery Nominated
by the President ~ Con-
sui to Leeds.
HOUSE.
S1le
WASUINGTON. r.

The House then went into commit
tee of the whole, Yates in the chair,
ON the private calendar.
Tho first bill taken up was one APP
propriating $1s,43O to pay W. Fl.
Newman Il L. A. Vanhoffman of
New York, in full as compensation
for the use of the "Pioneer Mills" in
Alexandra, by the United States au-
thorities during the late war.
In the course Of the discussion
which followed, Mr.. Tilden's letter
adverse to the payment of such war
claims was frequently alluded to.
Conger, in his opposition to the bill,
declared that if there ever was case
where houses and lands and mills,
and all other property of city had
been captured during the war, it was
certainly true in the case of the city
Of Alexandria. That city had been
captured by the troops of the United
States when the brave Ellsworth was
shot down, and it had never been
released from military occupancy
during the war. The government
had right, under the laws Of war, to
take all the property in the city Of
Alexandria for its own use, to drive
out all its inhabitants, and to destroy
the city if 1t chose.
Eden asked Conger whether he had
not united in the report of the Com
mittee on War Claims of the last Con-
gress in favor Of the same bill.
Conger denied that he had done so :
l would say perform any contract and
pay any money promised, but the par
ties themselves did not regard 1t as q
contract, and the report of the COM
mittee does not show that there was q
contract. Then / say the case falls to
the ground for lack of a contract.
Referring to the Tilden letter Con-
ger expressed his surprise at the sug-
gestion made by Mills, last Friday,
that Tilden would not be the standard
bearer of the Democracy in the next
Presidential campaign, and he asked
the meaning of that intimation. Did
it mean that the standard-bearer OF
the Democracy In the next campaign
would not write such a letter and
would not endorse such views? Was
that the foreshadowing Of what was
to Gomez 1t seemed to him that the
question had been preached in order
to prepare the country for different
letter from the next standard bearer
Of the Democracy? What would that
letter contain? How would the
phraseology of the Tilden letter be
changed in the next campaign.
Bridges asked Conger whether he
asserted that there wasno contract to
pay for the rent of these mills.
Conger-I do, most emphatically.
Commissary Bell could not bind the
country for all the millions that are
to follow the passage of this bill by
asserting that it is just.
Townsend, of New York, agreed
that in this case there had been an
agreement to pay rent for the mills
and that therefore it should be paid.
Frye characterized the claim as q
perfectly honest, just and fair ono.
There was a contract by implication
which ought to compel the govern
ment to pay it
The discussion was closed with an
argument by Tucker in favor. of the
bill.
The committee then rose and re-
ported the bill to the House with
recommendations. The bill was then
rejected-yeas, "a; nays, ]09.
SENATE.
WASHINGTON, Feb. IL.
Matthews presented petition of
the Cincinnati clearing house for the
repeal of the national bank tax.
A large number of petitions were
presented, favoring a woman's suf-
frage constitutional amendment.
Cockrell presented one from Mis-
souri, women and protested that
George Francis Train, whose name
appeared among the signers, was not
a female citizen of Missouri.
Conkling pres ented a petition sign
ed by 1908 persons doing business on
Broadway, between 22nd and 32nd
streets, N. Y, embracing the names
of more than three fourths Of all do
ing business there, favoring the re-
monetization of the silver dollar. In
presenting the petition Conkling said
he did SO without vouching for the
accuracy thereof. Tabled.
Conkling, by unanimous consent,
read q memorial of the New York
Chamber Of Commerce, remonstrat-
ing against the reconciliation of sill
yer, after which the silver bill came
up for consideration.
Davis, of West Virginia, favored
tho hill