Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-17
House of Representatives.

q resolution directing Jne aLLOrney general TO
inform the House whether, in his opinion, the
annual appointments Of ten cadets at large
made by the President respecting the military
academy and naval academy, have been SO
made in pursuance of law by custom, and if
by custom, how long it has been construed as
establishing such power Of appointment.
Adopted.
Mr.. Hanna introduced bill for the estab-
lishment of mint at Indianapolis. Referred.
On motion of Mr.. Stephens, certain testimo-
ny taken by the committee on coinage. weights
and measures, was ordered printed
Mr. Waddell, chairman of tho
committee post Offices and post
roads reported back the bill providing for the
classification Of mail matter, and the rates of
postage thereon, to be printed and recommit-
ted.
Mr. Chalmers introduced bill for the relief
of the Vicksburg Meridian railroad COM
pany Referred.
The speaker, in pursuance Of the order made
yesterday, called the committees for reports of
q private nature
At the conclusion of the morning hour Mr.
Bright moved that the House go into committee
of the whole the private calendar the un-
finished business being the bill making avail
able for payment of certain Southern ante
bellum mail contractors the 1875 900 already
appropriately, ana also mOVeu LnaC ucDaCe De
limited to the minutes. Republicans objected
to limitation of the time, and the yeas and
nays were ordered on that motion.
BY vote of yeas 49, nays 1O6, the House
determined to limit general debate to ten min
utes, and then went into committee of the
whole, Cox. of New York, in the chair, upon the
bill
Mr.. Waddell, chairman of the post Office
committee hoped without further discussion
the bill might be reported to the House. and
recommitted to the post Office committee in or
der that it might be perfected and the objections
made the other day by Mr. Conger that mem
bers on the Democratic side must have been
aware Of the existence of the legislation the
part of the confederate congress for the pay
ment OF mail contractors prior to the war, and
he asked whether the acts of Congress during
the war in relation to mere ministerial matter,
like the payment of mail contractors and post
masters, in the recollection of members
and Others. He thought the intimation was
not Just. In reference to the question as to
whether the war department had refused access
to confederate records, he sent to the clerk .
desk and had read correspondence between
Secretary Cameron and Gov. Vance.
While the correspondence being read,
Conger interrupted the reading and claimed
''for the opponents of the bil,'' half of the
ten minutes to which the debate was limited.
The claim was not supported by the chair and
the reading proceeded, the ten minutes ex-
piring before the reading was completed
MIR. Eden moved to strike out the enacting
clause of the bill, and the motion was agreed
to, when the committee rose and reported it's
action. The previous question was second
ed, and the main question ordered, on concur
ring in the recommendation of the committee.
AS this, under the ruling cut off the motion to
reconmit, which Waddell desired to make, a
motion to reconsider the vote ordering the main
question made and defeated; yeas 70,
nays 49, The report of the committee was then
concurred in without division, and so the en-
acting clause of the bill was struck out
Mr.. Conger repeated what he had said before,
that he thought it exceedingly strange such leg
islation by the confederate congress, and such
action by the confederate postmaster general
had not been remembered on the other side of
the House, although some Of them had been
members of that very confederate congress- and
no intimation thereof had been given by any
OF them. He had a paper which he would have
printed in the Record, showing out of eighteen
claims now on file in the auditors Office four
teen had been paid by the confederate govern
ment. He did not blame the claimants how
ever, for they had been paid with condition
, that 1t they ever recovered the money from the
federal government, they would pay it back tc
the confederate government.
Mr.. Townsend New York-That was HIGH
toned
Mr.. Maxey objected to the insertion of tn.
paper presented by Mr.. Conger, but under ar
intimation from the speaker that MIR. Conge1
had the right to have it presented as a part O.
his remarks, he withdrew his objection. The
House then again went into committee of tn
whole, Mr. Cox, New York, in the chair on tn
private calendar, and later passed two bills
Thursday next was set aside for consideratio,
Of the bill reported by Robbins yesterday, 70
refunding the national debt.
Adjourned.