The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-06-15

|
THE HOUSE AND SENATE EMPLOYEES
TRAP FOR TIE DEA0CRATs-WORK OF THE
! POTTER INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE YES
! TERDAY-TIIE BRAZILIAN SUBSIDY KILLED
| WoRKINGMEN'S NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. BRIEF
| ITEMS.
[From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE opponents
OF the reduction OF the tobacco tax were a
work early, and your correspondent en-
countered some Of them in the House re
porters' gallery by II O'Clock, and even
some Of the doorkeeperS he found were
ready to inform him that the tobacco ques
ton could not be reached to-day, as the
House would so to the Speakers table. He
was not surprised at this energetic oppo.
sltion to an effort to do justice to Virginia's
great staple, because he had just read a
lengthy description OF 4 summer palace
erected by p. Lori!lard at Newport-a tit
habitation for the Duke OF Devonshirc.
| This was built with money made from
bis stupendous tobacco monopoly and came
out OF the pockets OF planters. He could
therefore afford to work for the present
tax with costly appliances, because it keeps
up his monopoly. The House, after the
reading OF the journal, refused to so to the
private calendar, and then came squabble
among members to get something up that
would help them with their constituents
and add to their chances OF being returned
10 Congress. Your correspondent saw that
great questions Of public policy were as no
thing compared with small matters OF local
Importance affecting only the Interests OF
individual members. The trouble was that
the tobacco-men were not united in solid
column ready to get up their bill to
the exclusion o. everything else. They
were, to use the illustration OF an
old gentleman Who was anXiously wit
Messing the proceedings, like the Confed-
crates who lost the fruits OF great victory
By going of after canned fruit instead OF
pursuing the enemy. MessTs. Tucker and
Cabell, however. were doing all that could
| be done, and they were backed by the Vir-
ginia delegation, and ii the tobacco interest
could have bad twenty men with their zeal
and interest OIL the floor OF the House the
revenue bill would have been taken UP by
| O'Clock. While Lorllard's men were en-
gagged actively, such OF our Richmond dele
CATION rs remained and other tobacco-men
from the West and South were not
idle by any means. They were doing
their best to counteract the movements OF
their adyersarieS. The question now, how
ever. was not with them but with the House.
At O'Clock Colonel BGrwell came to your
correspondent, and. for the first time in this
whole controversy, seemed alarmed, as, he
said, it seems that the Speaker docs not
mean to recognize Mr.. Tucker at all, and
things look squally for us. When half-past
came, and recess was taken until d O'Clock
without doing anything for tobacco, our
Richmond friends generally lost heart.
AN EQUALIZATION OF THE PAY OF HOUSE AND
~ SENATE EMPLOYEES.
Mr.. Atkins. OF Tennessee, chairman OF
the Committee on Appropriations, stated
that the Joint conference committee Of the
Senate and House had substantially agreed
10 the legislative, executive, and Judicial
appropriation bill, with the exception OF
that part which related to the pay OF the
employees Of the two houses. The House
committee contcnded that the pay fixed for
the House employees was enough, and that
the Senate employees were entitled to no
more pay than those Of the House. They
had agreed that the Senate should have q
page to four senators, while the House only
has page to eleven representatives, and
that they had yielded to the Senate's
demand for Il greater proportion OF
clerks, &C., than they had in the service
of the House. The Senate committee, how
ever, commended that they would not re-
duce the pay OF the Senate's employees. Mr..
Foster Republican,, OF the House COM
mittee, said that while senators are old and
intirm, and needed more waiting on than
representatives. those who served them
ought not to have more pay than House
employees. Messrs. Frye, Chalmers, Frank
lin, and Beebe wanted the Senate to fix
the pay of its employees. The House agreed
to new conference committee. The
amount in controversy Is about 5000,
and the enrolling clerk OF the House, for
example, who does great deal more work
than the same officer in the Senate, gets
$500 per annum less than the Senate pays
its enrolling clerk. The other Senate officers
are as much letter paid in proportion.
AM1SIDAB BURCHARD SETS TRAP FOR DEMO.
Gratis.
Mr.. Burchard. OF Illinois, whose conduct
in regard to the tobacco tax has been most
discreditable, offered resolution that
HAYES and Wheeler, having been declared
President and Vice-President by the last
Congress, any effort to disturb them in the
occupancy of their respective seats by any
future Congress would be revolutionary
The Republicans chuckled over the trick,
because they thought the Democrats would
refuse to swallow the word ''revolution.
ary," and it would 60 out to the country
that they were for removing Hayes IL the
evidence before the Potter committee shall
furnish a pretext for it. They were wo
fully disappointed, however, when the re
solution was adopted-ayes, 2l5; noes, q
Mr.. Pridemore was the only Virginia mem
Der who voted ono"
The Republicans were even more cha
griued when Mr.. Hartridge immediately
made a report from the Judiciary Commit
tee on the Maryland resolutions to the etfec
that, while the vllainy OF the parties VIII
stole The electoral votes of Florida an