The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-04
CLOSING WORK IN CONGRESS.
4 STRUGGLE ~ THE HOUSE OYER THE
IMPE1 CIIMENT or SEW1HD.

Confusion nIl Day lOng-JOlltty nf Midnight
How Many Jobs were Crowded Aside.
WASHINGTON, March 9.-The House was
still sitting when Monday opened. worn. tired
set Of men. kept in their seats 10y tho promise
from Atkins that the Sundry Civil Appropra-
ton bill would be ready in half an hour. 1t
was not in fact. ready for ten hours. so hard is
ii to crowd into these swift closing hours tho
labors OF the session. Such n law covers pages
on tho statute book. The mere mechanical work
OF preparing 1t for final passage takes all the
resources OF the tired men at work night and
day for n week before the close of the session. 1t
passed the House thick pilo Of blue paper
three inches high. Printed it makes IS pages.
II goes to the Senate. The Senate Committee on
Appropriations and the Senate alike unite 10
swell its pages. Amendments are submitted
written on slips and scraps OF paper. tho backs
OF letters, and tho margins Of the bill. They
are voted on. and the whole Heterogeneous pile
is drawn out together in dsordcry shape in
the ONCE of the Secretary Of the Senate. It is
not strange that some parts are lost. mslaid.
and misplaced. No care can quito prevent
bunders. In this bill single slip Of paper
which meant sl5OOOO for the completion OF an
ironclad on the Pacific coast. nuttcred some-
where on the floor. and while the stcnographer's
notes and the journal show its adoption. 1t will
not appear in the bill.
At length the great mass OF manuscript goes
TO Conference Committee to pass on the 1872
changes mado by the Senate. and when tho
Conference Committee has reached lis decision
the work is only half done. Out Of the tangled
list OF amendments numbered consecutiyey
| on some Of which the Senate " insists" and on
| others OF which the House yields" has TO be
prepared a written report on whose accuracy
depends tho cost and complexion Of the coming
| fu.. - s.T..
hours. II is not done without some blunders
great or small. and when done there are only
these men in each House who know what is in
the bill. and they only approximately. This is
| legislation in the closing hours. So the House
| took n recess until this morning at 10. 10 wait
until this task which the House and Senate
ratify without clear knowledge. blndly waiting
| until the Conference Committee ON each side
should be completed Half the House went
over to the Senate Men are not in a mood for
sleep. whether the House sits OF not The rest
60 home.
At 10 thoy are here ngain. Tho House meets
in quiet Some routine business runs by. 1t
| is yet Saturday by record until II o'clock. As
that hour arrives the Speaker drops his Gavcl.
calls the House to order in new legislative
| day. and turns to the pending Qucs-
ton. tho adoption Of articles OF i'm
parchment against George i. Seward A
| prompt defence came from the Republican side.
| A minority which for one whole week dsor-
| ganized the lower branch OF the national legis-
lature to prevent inquiry into the great fraud OF
| 1876. is not nice in the lesser sroundrcls It de-
| tends. Garfield is on his feet to demand the
reading Of the journal. That means duh legis-
lation for half an hour. Fridays journal only
il read. The journal Of Saturday is not yet
made up. Everything is far bekindhand. over in
the Senate the stenographers are As hours late.
They barely keep up here Ian after man has
broken down at tho reading desk. Theweariei
clerks have been relieved over and over again.
1t needs vigorous man to pass through this
stretch and strain.
The journal is over at last. and the explosive
House goes on in brawl. aud "a strict party
vote. 1872 10 100. drags il 10 Il consideration ui
tho Seward Impeachment articles. Two great
piles OF manuscript 10 TO the Clerks desk. The
reading Of two reports begins. 1t lasts until 2
o'clock.
The House emrtled while these long reports
were being read. as the House always does In
the duiler moments Of n session. 1t filled
quickly enough when Atkins came in with the
Conference Committee report on the Sundry
Cyil bill. A bill appropriatng $lsOOO0Oo
passed without debate and without knowledge
Of s contents in the first instance now to be
passed again so far as the Senate amendments
are concerned without any knowledge possible
rs far IA this great mass Of legislation is con-
cerncd. except among the three men who have
been In conference on il through hot and
stormy might. Atkins spoke slowly. lie is a tall
thin man. with n habit OF looking sad; CAV,
some slight explanation Of the bin ran lightly
over some doubtful items and grounded hi.
plea for It's passage. after all. on the luteness OF
the session and the necessity that some bill
should pass. There was no reference made I,
one singular piece OF legislation which the bill
contained-an exemption from taxation which
II proposed TO yield To certain property. not be
cause it WIS devoted TO tho purposes Of reli gion
beneyoence. or education. but solely because /
had once been the property OF man on whom
his country conferred great distinction. Their
WAS no debate on this point. The was upon
great scheme relating 10 the District 81 Colum
bia. placed in this bill 10y the Senate The debat
on 1t constituted one Of the frequent fights o
the session against the old RIM using every
means to return 10 power
Blackburn made tho fight II was greatly t
his credit that in this hopeless struggle agains
the adoption Of the report Of conference com
miltee he could rally lO7 votes against las cas-
for the report. The brief. sharp debate WAS tn
first oJ the days incidents. Blackburn has
certain easy, emphatic manner winch permit
! mantO speak with one hand now I'm his trou
hers pocket then To twist ana TURN, 70 nave nrS
one hand and then both resting on his side an
yet wthal to he impressive ana effective. ii
put II we'll. You saw that when Hendre n N"r
monter. with silver gray hair and u square. ra
bust body. came down the aisle opposite t. as
time to reply, when Hewitt rose to speak viii
his gh-pitched voice in defence OF the Com
mittre. when n gathering ring % men clo-r
around the Hp"ukrr-here Hooker with hi
, armrss sleev" pinned to his coat. there Reagan
and IN front two OF three other men rose 10 asI
4 questions.
Utter and absolute fraud he pronounced tn
debt this act proposed to bolster with the credi
Of the General Government. For weeks ever
man here has known Of the sinister iuilurnc
to which he referred rs seeking 10 pass thi
proposal, and when Hll rose on ono side AM
Atkins rose on the Other To- deny lis eNstrn .,
, no conviction wis changed. The vote came
The House adopted bill OF which II was igno
rant.
The impeachment proceedings against Sow
ard were resumed This long struEgl" Whlr
has held the floor through two days. comes a
the end Of prolonged investigation pursue
| with singular truActy and success 10y MI
Springer. He took the floor now TO force vote
To begin with. he yielded some time In Buudy
z at the head of the Republicans on the Commit
| tee. Midway in Bundys speech he yielded I
Ben Butler. who had come in u few minute
I ! earlier holding little package Of papers, nm
: | dressed in a somewhat SlourhY coat, but wit
+, | an excessively smart red aud white hOntOui' I