Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-12-05
Secretary Sherman Ventilafes Himself
on the Trade-DOlIar Movement
Serious Accident to Hon. L. II.
StepheEs-EOminatiOn
The Proposition to Transfer the Indian
Bureau TO the War Department
A Graphic Description Of the
First Day at the Capitol.
Blalne's Little Game - Garfield's De.
Tense Of the Presitent-Great Mems
Opinions Of the Presidents Re-
cent EfTasiOn-The Potter
Committee, Etc.

WASHINGTON, December 4-The senate
confirmed Il. l.. Harrison, of Indiana, as
sayer at Helena, Montana.
SHERMAN ON THE TRADE-DoLLAR MOVE
MENT.
Secretary Sherman says there is a strong
| speculative feeling springIng up to give sill
yer bullion in the form of trade dollars a
value greater than other bullion, thus dis
! eliminating In favor Of bullion held In China
| against bullion in the hands of our miners.
The secretary says trade dollars will be
] bought as bullion upOn bids each Wednes-
| day, and that no preference will be given to
! trade-dollars over other bullion This is the
secretary's answer to the San Francisco offer
| OF one million trade dollars deliverable there
| from China within sixty days.
SENATOR SARGENT IMPROVING.
Senator Sargent is better to-day-not dead
| as rumOred.
| EOMINATIONS.
| The President to-day sent to the senate a
large number of nominations, most of them
| being for confirmation of appointments made
| during the recess. Among them are the fol-
! lowing: Holbert L. Payne, of Wisconsin.
commissioner of patents; Lewis Wallace, of
Indiana, governor Of New Mexico, and AL
| gernon S. Badger, postmaster of New Or
| leans.
| SERIOUS ACCIDENT To HON. ALEXANDER
| STEPHENS.
Hon. Alexander Stephens to-day, while
| ascending the stone steps leading to the
| house, on crutches, slipped and fell, causing
painful wrench of the knee, which will
probably confne him to his room for some
| time.
| THE INDIAN BUREAU TRANSFER
| and joint commission, having under consider
alton the proposition of transferring the In
dian bureau to the war department, met to-
| day. The first witness was DR.. A. c. Bars
| low, Of Providence, Rhode Island, chairman
of the board OF Indian commissioners. and
representing the Congregational chu.ch 10
| behalf of the education and conversion of the
! Indian race He said in his Judgment the
| proposed transfer was u1wise; that If effect
! ed it would certainly work adversely to chris
| tan operations now in progress. He reIt-
Grated at length many interviews with army
officers on the subject, and said those favor
| ing the transfer appeared to have but one
reason therefor, namely: That the war de-
! partment paid better salaries for sanitary
than did the department of the interior. he
| thought it i'm possible for the body of Indian
commissioners to work in harmony with the
army officials as it did with civilians, and
gave as his reason that the army was formed
| Tor war to subdue enemies and retain pc &c
rather than promote civilization, religion
| ana friendship. In his opinion, In five years
| time, under the supervision Of christian
| discipline, the entire Indian race could be
| civilized for one-half the amount of money
which would necessarily be expected IN the
event of their being placed under the ruling
OF the war department, and under the former
| plan, In the time mentioned, he was sure the
| aid of the military to keep the Indians peace
| full would be no more required THAI it Is at
| the present time In our State. He considered
there were some very good men in the army,
! but dld not think them equal to the require
- -. Id IN md IVA
hat they are incapable of promoting reli-
eIon, civilization. cts,
F. NJ. Kingsley, OF New York, d Eiember
of the board of Indian commissioners, ana
representing the Presbyterian sect, aud also
chairman of the purchasing committee, was
the next gentleman to pE5'ept his views. he
said we need an army with boss AVID spades
for Indians rather thau sword ald riEes.
| If the Indian c1mmSslDi - d!Sicad, he
would produce the books Gins OIL; tor every
expenditure made by the board and where
made, where forwarded and what disposition
was made OF the same. He defended the Ia
dian agents as body, and said their whole
sale abuse was unwarranted WltG reference
to creation OF contracts by the Indian bureau.
He SAID he did not accept the criticisms OF
the war department on the subject, and con-
sidered it ''poOr grace" for that department
to offer it, considering the rascaiiy contracts
which passed through the hands OF Its OIL
eials during the late war. The great mass
OF the religious denominations throughout
the country fagoZad the continuation OF the
existing peace policy. Should the transfer
be made, the board would not seee that they
had any active sympathy for the goo0 WORT
done by the board, as they had In many IN
stances been demoralized by the surrounding
military posls. 70 his own knowledgde there
was no EXISTING antaS oniera aEiStlng between
the various religious denomnaE'one.
SlsrV,v. -aH al nfrTn q U
next, when Secretary Schurz and Indian Com
missioner Hoyt are expected to give their
views on the subject.
Act the First.
The Washington correspondent OF the Cln-
cinnatl Enquirer wrii2s up the first DAY OF
the present session of conarccs as follows
The scenes attendant upon the opening OF
the senate were quiet enough, though en-
HANGED by surroundings OK animation and
beauty in the galleries sufficient to STIR up the
somnoebt bucks who assume dignity, make
Sad laws and draw regular pay, with bay
rum and cork-screws thrown IN. There were
but few absenfees. Indeed, there would
have been no incident worthy OF record hal
not the audacious and ever crafty Blaine. OF
Aaiue, at the very s6rstsopportunity thrown
in Ere brand. Business was proceeding In
its quiet way Shen the announcement by the
Vice President,
THE SENATOR FROM MANI,
vas the signal for a craning of necks by the
occupants Sc the galleries. Almost instInc-
lively it was felt that "Jeems' was on his
feet to pave the way for one of his crusades
against the south, and the expectancy of both
senators and the spectators was not disap-
pointed. Il offer" said he. "a resolution
whichsI send to the Eice-P Presidents desk to
hs Fead;" and then a dapper youth with
! good deal Of jaw, Jaw with only fpliEeGs for
sound without intelhgib!e pronunciation,
| read his proposition to appoint an investi-
| eating committee, which, brioey put, means
| an Inquiry into the conduct of the recent cleo
| tions IN the south.
! TAKING SNAP JUDGMENT.
The surprise Blaine's movement male was
| not Sc-c Of the fact that such a resolution
had not bees contemplated, but that he
should offer 1t. Republican senators who
have the buzz of the Presidential BEG n their
hounet as much as he saw at once that
Blaine had Intercepted the plan of others,
and had placed himself III a position to not
| only OPEN sectional debate, bnt to actually
lead it, 50 the senate, alter lts reading, de.
cided that it should lay over for day, and
| took a recess to get breath and wait for the
message. The reading of the document fol-
! lowed, and the senate adjourned.
BLAISE's LITTLE GAME.
| To the laymau Rlaiue's move looks harm
| less enough; but 10 tne politician quite the
reverse. The desire of the pluHed Knight is
that the Democrats will resist its passage,
and, Ii so. then a political, acrimonious and
| heightened aise~ssion is inevitable. With
such debate Blaine as i..e central figure
expects to arouse the loyal ire OF ths north,
and repeat IN the senate the scenes which
| took place IN the house when, under circum
stances not unlike bhoss to-day, he entan-
gled Ben Hill and others into g defense of
the south through the amnesty debate If
the Democrats allow the bill to pass without
debate, Blaine's present opportunity is lost.
Tomorrow will decide. The outlook,
thoggh, is that they will not.
THE HOUSE
got to work as a. naturally as though there
had only been a recess Of a fsV DAYS instead
of several months. The attendance Oh Tie
part of members was not as large as usual,
as o1ig two hundred and Twenty-Five an
swered to their names. Among the most
prominent aosentces were Butler and Loring,
of Massachusetts; SWAMI. Of Maryland;
Douglass and Walker, of Virginia; Zeates,
of North Carolina; Gardner and Dickey, of
Ohio; Carlisls, of Kentucky; Hanna, of In
diana; Bland, of Missouri; and Bragg, of
Wisconsin, After calling the roll sxraarino