The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-02-08
WASHINGTON NEWS.

Of I'VE"
p Though The senate committee ON commcrc
(of which Conklng is chairman agreed las
r week to report against the confirmation q
| Hayes New York custom house appointment
We were too hasty in saying that the senate il
executive session had voted to reject them Oh
the contrary when the Senate went into exec
utyc session ON Friday to consider the sub
jcct, the chair laid before that body long doc
f. umcnt from Secretary sherman, backed by
letter from President Hayes, strongly assaima
Arthur and Cornell and urging the conirma
ton of Merritt and Bart. II was also t0unC
! that Hayes and Sherman had gone into tn,
! fight against Conklng with their sleeves rolled
up, and were aided by Il stout backing from
i the New York Democracy, who desired Conb
| ling'S defeat to weaken him as presidential
aspirant, and on that ground were rapidly
bringing over the democrats TO the side OF
Hayes Conkllng did his best to force an i'm
mediate vote but, on the plea of having the
Hayes and Sherman letters printed, final vote
was STAYED off until Monday Onthat day the
tusscl lasted over seven hours and is SAID to
have been one Of the hottest executive sessions
ever held The outcome, however, was the
signal defeat Of Conkling Iayes's appointecs
being confirmed by IA vote of 50 to % Most of
the democrats voted for the confirmation,
while the "salwarts" voted with Conkllng
The Edmunds resolution, declaring it the
duty Of congress by appropriate legislation to
enforce the l4th and 10Th constitutional amend.
ments after Il drcary debate of nearly "A week,
were forced to Il vote on Wednesday and adopt
ed by % to l1-barcly quorum voting. The
negative votes were all democrats but amor =
the ahsentccs were such republicans as Blaine,
Dawes, Conkling, Matthews, DC.
The house was cnlvcned by Il pretty spicy
debate on Saturday, when four southern mem
bers-Chalmers, Hooker, Singleton and Mills
took occasion to reply to the recent speech
Of Mr.. Bragg, a democratic member from Wis
consin, who had made some pretty harsh re-
marks IN regard to the facility Of Obtaining
witnesses TO swear through southern war claims
Chalmers was quite bitter in his thrusts at the
eccentric little democrat from Wisconsin 4;
Hooker treated the subject in dgnitied man
ner; Singleton made himself ridiculous by II
telltale blundcr showing his speech to be in
tended for home consumption by addressing
the house rs fellow citizens" while Mills
won applause on AL sides by saying he was
not in favor OF paying money taxed from the
whole people to the army of suffers and bum
tl.n In, Il,
the war came to congress with their suspicious
claims. Sherman boosted that the republican
party had already paid SlO0,00000O to these
people and he hoped the democrats would put
stop to this raid on the treasury
The chief interest in the investigations of
the Potter committee has been transferred to
the branch that is in session in New York pro.
scouting the inquiry into the cypher dispatch,
es. The first witness examined who seemed
to know anything about them was
Smith Nj. Weed, a member of the n Y. dem
ocratic committee and an ardent supporter of
Tildcn before and after the election. He adj.
mitted that he had done good deal of tele-
graphing in cypher in reference to the elector,
al count in South Carolina and Florida and
that such of the dispatches published in the
Tribune that he knew anything about were
pretty correct. He also testified that an offer
had been made by the South Carolina canvass.
ing board to give the state to Tilden for $50
600 or $4,000, but he's positively declined to
entertain the offer, and when the matter was
mentioned to Mr., Tilden he treated it with
such indignant scorn that the whole business
was dropped incontnently
Mr.. Peton, Tiden's nephew, the next wit
ness, testified to the same effect in regard to the
purchase of South Carolina for 100000, and
further, that the Florida board had agreed TO !
sell the vote of that state for $4,000 The
money, however, was not raised, the New York |
being unwilling to cOnsummute the |
bargain, and the matter getting to the cars of
MIR. Tilicn, he Indignantly put his foot on the
whole arrangement. All now needed would |
be the production ofthc dispatches which Nor. |
ton and Orion destroyed to show exactly how
much the South Carolina and Florida electoral
vote actually did sell Cor when bought no by |
tn" Hayes people
The house on Monday, by vote of 1876 to
lOl, unexpectedly and rather Significantly vot-
cd down bill proposed by Mr. Whithorne, to
make silver dollars interchangeable with gold
at the |. ). Subtreasury in New York and at
the Philadelphia and San Francisco minis.
Scarcely less surprise was occasioncd by the |
refusal of the house, on the same day to act
upon bill proposed by Mr.. Burchard, to is. |
sue S40OoO,OOo OF per cent bonds 10 meet |
the requirements ot the arrears of pension |
bills recently passed. OF course unless the |
money is raised in sum such way, the bill must
fail OF it, purpose.
The much talked OF subject ofrcpairlng the
levees and improving the navigation of the
river was disposed of m the house
on Wednesday by the passage OF a bill turn
lnI the subject over Ia "A permanent hoard ca H. |