Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-03-29
XLVI CONGRESS.
ROUSE.
WASHINGTON, March %.

Mr.. Young, of Ohio, referring t.
the appointment of Select Com
mittee to investigate the election o
his colleague (Butterworth) anc
himself, sent to the Clerks desl
and had read an extract from the
report Of the Grand Jury (Which
had just examined the natter, tt
the effect that the grand jury, after
examining so witnesses, had found
no ground to take further proceed,
ings in regard to it. He explained
that his object was to prove to the
members of the House that his
colleague and himself were not con
sidered in the county of Hamilton,
as very bad persons. The House
then, at one o'clock, went into
Committee of the Whole on the
Army Appropriation bill.
After the adoption of two or
three amendments of 10 particular
general interest, Mr.. Tucker, of
Virginia, offered an amendment
repeating section 1918 of the Re
vised Statutes. This is the section
which prohibits the appointment to
the army of any person who served
in any capacity in the military,
naval or civil service Of t1e Con-
federate States.
Mr.. Conger made q point Of order
against the amendment.
Mr.. Tucker argued that the
amendment was germane. He
trusted the amendment would meet
with universal appreciation on both
sides, and that the stigma which
rested on very large class of peo-
pie in the Southern States would
be, as a matter of justice wiped out
fl he statute book. After some
discussion between Messrs. Tucker
and Conger, the latter stated that
his party friends desired to meet
the issue in a manly way, and there
fore he withdrew his point Of order.
Mr.. Sparks, of Illinois, renewed
it. The Chairman sustained the
point, on the ground that the
amendment was not in the direction
of economy and changed the exist
ing law.
An amendment to amend an act
granting pensions to soldiers and
sailors Of the war Of 1912 was
ruled out of order.
Mr.. McCook, Of New York,
moved to strike out the section pro-
hibiting promotions or appoint
ments IN the army beyond the rank
of Captain, except in the engineer
corps.
In the discussion which followed,
some sharp remarks were inter>
changed between Mr.. Sparks, of IL
linois and Mr.. Conger, of Michigan,
as to the services rendered by them
respectively during the late war,
Mr.. Sparks stating that, like the
gentleman from Michigan, he had
been a little too cowardly to fight
on either side. Mr.. CoDger replied
that he had served as a member Of
the State Military Board of Michi-
gan.
After debate the amendment to
strike out was defeated.
The consideration Of the bill hav-
ing been concluded, with the cxcep-
ton of section six, repeating the
statutes allowing the military to
to preserve peace at the polls, that
section was read. Upon this, there
commenced a long and interesting
debate, the Republicans insisting
that the section changed the exist
ing laws and did not retrench ex-
penditures.
The Democrats contested, and one
of their members argued, that the
power to make rules and regula-
tions for the army and navy was a
fundamental power of Congress,
and he never heard that power
questioned. The debate is re-
garded as the preliminary skirmish
to a long battle between both sides
in the House.
Mr.. Carlisle, of Kentucky, made
the leading argument on the Dem
ocratic side to-day, insisting that
the troops should not be allowed at
polls and was argued with by
Messrs. Robson, Frye and other
Republicans.
Late in the afternoon Mr..
Stephens, Of Georgia, obtained the
floor and will address the House to-