The New York herald., 1878-12-20
GENERAL WASHINGTON DISPATCHES.

WASHINGTON. Dec. 10. 1878.
THE NEW YORK NOMINATIONS.
The Senate Committee Commerce did not meet
to-day. consequently there will be action the
New York Custom House nominations until after the
recess.
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA scANDAL-sTRoNG
REPORT OF THE CIVIL SERVICE REFORM CON-
MITTEE ExoNERATING MEMBERS ATTACKED
The House Committee on Civil Service Reform
to-day submitted report the resolution of Mr..
Brentano of Illinois, asking for investigation into
the charges preferred in the columns Of the WASH
ington Post in July last to the effect
that . member from Vermont Hendee)
ceived s25.0O0 member from Illinois (Bren-
tano) and member from Maryland tHenkle)
e12.250 each for securing the passage of bill
relating to special assessments for the District of
Columbia in connection with the 1865 bond clause.
The committee submit all the testimony taken and
say they earnest in the endeavor to bring out
all the facts. but could not elicit particle of testi-
mony tending to show that any money used or
any corrupt influences brought to bear to further
the passage of the District bill. alleged in the
article named in the resolution. The committee con-
-eiuded thcir report rs follows:-
Your committee is therefore of the opinion that the
publication in the Washington Post of the article
ferred to in Mr.. Brentanos resolution was wanton
and wholly unjustifablc attack upon the integrity of
members OF this House, calculated degrade them
in the estimation Of the public which is too ready
give creence to what it i'll print and that it
used to do great injury and injustice to the gentle
Your committee believe that an enlightened and un-
fcttered press is very buwark of liberty and prop
to morality in free country. but that when il steps
from its high calling wanonly to belitte and calun
Mate public men, directly by innucndo and in
sinuation il becomes powerful engine of wrong and
is far reaching enemy to good morals. A news
paper which boldly exposes wrongdoing among Off
cias and fearlessly tears away the mask which hides
tAf1ca trt1n Inff hIt
one which for the purpose of creating sensation
to make its columns spicy attacks the good well
the bad. attacks any without warrant or truth
facts. puts itself par with the traducer and
slanderer feeds the lowest tastes of the vicious de-
stroys its influence for good and by constantly cry
ing wolf wolf Y is unheeded when it calls atten-
ton to the real wolf which prey upon the public
At the request Of the gentlemen who had reason to
think themselves attacked. recommend that the
report and testimony be printed. and that the
mitee be discharged from the further consideration
OF the subject.
REORGANIZATION OF THE SECRET SERVICE.
Under the reorganization of the secret service
Of the Treasury Department there will be no provi-
sion for the service Of assistant chief of the divi
sion. This will retire Mr. Benson The abolition of
the Office of assistant chief of this branch of the ser.
vice recommended some time ago by the COM
mission consisting of Assistant Secretary Mccormick
Solicitor Raynor and Internal Revenue Commissioner
Raum, who by direction Of Secretary Sherman inycs.
tgated the division.
THE HOT SPRINGS cLAUsE-ExPLANATIoN OF
THE OMISSION by THE CHIEF ENROLLING
CLERK OF THE HOUSE.
The Senate committee investigating the omission
ofthe Hot Springs clause of the sundry Civil Appro
priation bill met this morning and examined Mr..
Theodore r. King Chief Enrolling Clerk Of the House
OF Representatives. His testimony showed that the
sundry Civil Appropriation bill was enrolled piece.
meal. the different parts of the bill and the amend
ments thereto being copied as they acted upon
by the conference committee from data furnished by
the committee without having the official copy of the
bill until after its passage-about eleven o'clock
p. NJ; subsequently he compared the enrolled
copy with the bill passed and found several oms-
sions and errors which we're corrected; all the
writing in relation to the Hot Springs was done in
the handwriting of tho witness the portion of the
bfll omitted was in tho original copy, but not en-
rolled; 1t has never been out of the enrolling room
Of the House; oh comparing the bill witness found the
conference committee had acted on the eighteenth
Senate amendment fixing tho rate of interest tho
bonds the District of Columbia Mr. Atkin suggested
that it be inserted but witness declined TO insert it,
Subsequently Senator Window and other members of
appropriation committees said witness right. A
concurrent resolution prepared to corrsct the
error by inserting 5. but 1t was lost sight OF in tho
confusion of the adjournment.
After adjournment witness compared the enrolled
bill with the copy. and the first to discover the
omission of the portion Of the Hot Springs clause.
The original bill and tho conference report pro-
duccd. and the way the occurred was explained
to have been follows:-
The conference report proposed TO strike out all
after the twentieth line in the Hot Springs bill and
insert three clauscs-the first cut from printed
bill and pasted in and the other two in manuscript.
,s,S In enrolling T the rni o the first twenty lines We're
port copied and the two other clauses omitted.
In comparing the bill reference had TO be made to the
sundry civil bill. the Hot Springs bill and the confer
ence report In the hurry the bill was not compared
ms customary. by the clerks before calling in the
Committee on Enrolled Bills. bu, handed direct TO
Mr.. Iaincy, with whom the comparison was made
without discovering the
Representative Joseph H. Rainey was next ex-
amined. He had recollection Of reading any part
or the Hot Springs clause in tho sundry Civil bill;