The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-03-09
To-Dav's Dispatches.
CONGR E 8 SO AL.
HOUSE.


WASHINGTON, March 9.--Blackburn
presided in the absence Of Speaker Ran
dali
Faver from the committee on approp-
riations reported bill providing for the
appropriation Of l,533, 445 DEFICIENCIES for
the service of the government for the fiscal
year ending June Both 1878. Referred to
the committee of the whole.
A night session for debate only was or
dered for Monday next
Kelly then replied to Garfeld's speech
OF few days ago; he explained the causes
which prevented him from replying to
Garheld's first speech for over one hun
dred days, his own serious illness and the
attempted assassination Of his son, and he
thought 1t was hardly just in the gentle
man to send through the country the idea
that he, Kelly, had been 100 days preparing
a reply to his speech
CHICAGO, March 9.-For some reason
the press report last night failed to give
the strong points of yesterday S debate in
the house OF representatives, and it seems
proper to supply the singular omission
from specials to the city papers which give
the following essential points of the affair.
The bill under consideration was the one
to pay ante 6ettum southern mail contractors
1915 ,0C0 for losses by the breaking of con
tracts at the outbreak of the war The
republicans have maintained that even If
these claims were originally just, and could
be so proved, that the contraction deserved
no indemnity because they stole the gov
ernment property in their possession,
violated their oaths aud conspired to de-
stroy the republic. Democrats and some
republicans held these claims were just
and should be paid. Reagan, former con-
tederate postmaster general asserted that
southern pOstmasters were directed to
account TO the United States for all
moneys due the latter, the evidence of the
confederate archives and confederate laws
| showed on the contrary that the confed-
crate postmaster general ordered the
former United States postmaster in the
south to hold the United States money,
that that money was put into
the confederate treasury, that laws
were subsequently passed by the
confederate congress paying $800,0OO to
those very mail contractors for
this same service, upon the express
conditions however that if they, the con-
tractors, should ever recover from the
y ulted States that amount, or any portion
Of it, they should remember the Confed
crate government or its Representatives
for this payment of $800,000, that the
contractors were paid and eighteen vouch
ers slgned by the very men who are now
seeking relief in this bill for $3,0O0,00(
are on file in the confederate archives
here. The effect was startling, the
democrats were confounded, Reagan
himself was almost speechless, ht
seemed overwhelmed and surprised
An Intellectual attempt was made tt
smother the bill by recOmmittlng, but il
went over for two weeks; the republicans
claim this result will unite them, and that
it has saved the government millions o
dollars, and effectually stopped this class
of claims. The records were a complet,
surprise, even to Reagan, who said he ha(
, with the lapse of years forgotten th,
. record, and Blount openly said these
claims should not be paid. Several othe
democrats expressed surprise that th
archieves showed such history as wa
o developed in the debate,