The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1878-02-09
CONGRES $40 AL
SENATE.

SENATE |
WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-Mr. Hill thought |
the silver dollar should be remonetized, |
but he could not support the bill now be-
fore the senate as it came from the house
of representatives. He believed if this
bill should pass unamended it would en-
rich few individuals and give no relief to
the financial embarrassments of the count.
rv. He argued that legislation since the
close of the war had been uniformly in the
interest of the creditor and against the
taxpayer. Remonetize silver, make it
full legal tender. and let the people look to
God and their own strong arms for that
prosperity which ali hoped to see.
Mr.. Davis, of West Virginia, took the
floor, but yielded to Mr.. Whyte, on whose
motion the senate went into executive
session, and when the doors reopened ad.
journed until Monday.
HOUSE
WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-The first bill
taken up was one appropriating $lS, ,430 to
pay W. Fl. Newman Il L. A. Van Hoff-
man, of New I Iork. in full compensation
for the use of the Pioneer Mill in Alexan-
dria by the United States authorities
during the late war. In the course of dis
cussion Tilden's letter adverse to the pay
ment of war claims was frequently alluded
! to.
Mr.. Conger, in his opposition to the bill,
declared if there ever was case where
houses and lands and all other property of
the city had been captured in war it was
the case of the city of Alexandria. The
city had been captured by the troops
of the United States when the brave Ellis
worth was shot down, and had never been
released from military occupancy during
the war. The government had right un-
der the laws of war to take all property in
the city OF Alexandria for its own use, to
drive out all its inhabitants and to destroy
the city if it chose.
Mr., Eden asked Mr.. Conger whether
he had not united in the report of the COM
mittee on war claims of the last congress
in favor of the same bill.
Mr.. Conger denied that he had done SO.
/ would say perform any contract and pay
any money promised, but the .parties
themselves did not regard
it as u contract and the report of
the committee does not show that there
was a contract. Then say the case falls
to the ground for lack of contract Refer
ring to Mr.. Tilden's letter Mr.
; Conger expressed his surprise al
! ! the suggestion made by Mr.. Mills last
Friday that Tilden would not be the stand
ard bearer of the Democracy in the mex
presidential campaign, and asked tht
. meaning of that intimation' Did it NEAR
j that the standard bearer of the Democrac!
in the next campaign would not indors,
{ such views? Was that the foreshadowinI
of what was to Gomez 1t seemed to hin
that the question had been brought to pre-
: pare the country for different letter from
J the next standard bearer of the Dem
L ocracy. What would that letter contain
Il How would the phraseology of the Tildel
letter be changed in the next campaign,
:, Mr.. Bridges asked Mr. Conger whethe
II he asserted that there was no contract t
pay for the rent of these mills.
;, Mr.. Cenger-I do most emphatically
Is Commissary. Bell could not bind the couu
> try for all the millions that are to folio,
!, the passage of this bill by inserting that
u is just.
IT Mr.. Townsend, of New York, argue
!, that in this case there had been an agree
u ment to pay rent for the mills, and tha
.e therefore it should be paid.
70 MIR Frye characterized the claim as
perfectly honest, just and fair one. Their
was a contract by Implication, which ougf
. to compel the government to pay it.
I'll The discussion was closed with an argu
- meut by Mr.. Tucker in favor of the bill.
70 The committee then rose and reporte
10 the bill to the House, with the recommer
-, dation that it do pass. The bill was the
~ rejected-yeas 81, nays 100.
The vote having been announced
Il IL motion to reconsider and to lay on the tab
70 70 was made, but pending action the Hou,
= adjourned. after announcement by tt
~ Speaker that he had appointed Mr. Wiz
~ ginton to fill the vacancy in the Committe
= on Public Lands. The session to MORO
os =; will be for debate only.
ce ILLINOIS.
ie CHICAGO, Feb. SIN the case of Ear
~ VS.. W. T. Story, editor of the Chicai
le Times, in which the lower court awardt
Is large damages to the plaintiff for d.
10 famation of the character of his daughte
Z Z the Supreme Court Of this state has +
20 versed the decision and remanded the ca
o for trial, The principal grounds of th
q decision are, that the lower court judi
= gave erroneous instruction and exclude
- competent witnesses of the defendant.
:; is also set forth that the publication
y news. as such. differs widely in the sig
w of the law from an expression of opiniC
Z, by the publisher of the paper in Il
oe editorial columns The decision was a
lis sented to by all but one of the SupreI
+ Court Justices.