National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-03-04

The House then proceeded TO the consideration
OF bills Oh the Speakers table and disposed thereof
as follows.
Senate amendments to bill concerning street
railroads In the District Of Columbia were non
concuued In, and Messrs. Clann Blackburn and
Hendee were appointed as conferees on the part of
the House.
Senate amendments to bill for holding terms Of
the United States District and Circuit Courts at
Fort Scott, Kansas were concurrcd in.
Senate bin extending the time for the completion
of the Northern Pacific Railroad was sent TO the
Committee of the Whole on point of order
SENATE bill for the sale of certain portions OF the
Fort Lcavanworth military reservation. Referred
to Committee Of the Whole.
senate bill granting additional rights TO home
stead settlers on public lands within railroad linn
its. Passed.
Senate bill providing additional regulations for
homestead and presumption entries of public lands
Passed.
Senate bill authorizing the States of Ohio, 1ndi.
ana, aud Illinois ~ prosecute suits against the
United States. Referred to Committee Of the Whole.
Senate bill in relation to the Kansas Pacific Rail-
way. Same reference.
Senate bill donating part of the Fort IIarker mil
iiary reservation to the state of Kansas. same
reference.
The legislative DAY of Saturday last here closed,
and That Of Monday began ut II u IN.
The question then came up from saturdays scs-
SION whether the House will now consider the re-
port OF the Committee on Expenditures In the state
Department onthc impeachment Of George i. Sow
ard Tho yeas und nayswerc taken on the question
OF consideration. The vote rcsulted-yCnS ~
nays 100 "a strict party votes so the House voted
toprocced with the consideration of the subject.
Mr.. BAKER (Indl at one o'clock made report
from the conference committee on the Ortiiic0ton
bill. lie explained that the bill, rs agreed upon IN
conference committce was the same us had passed
the House with the exception of slight verbal
change, striking out the words "Gatling ana
others" so as 70 make the clause read For ma
chine guns" The report was agreed to-
Mr.. CONGER tried TO intefposc u motion to refer
the Seward Impeachment case 10 the Judiciary
Committee. but the Speaker refused TO recognize
him, ruling that Mr. Springer was entitled to the
floor.
The report of The majority of the Committee on
Expenditures in tire State Department was then
read. II presents seventeen articles of impeach-
ment against George L. Seward, and concludes
with resolutions directing that said Seward be i'm
peachcd for high crimes and misdemennors while
members 10 proceed Immediately to the bar of the
Senate and there impeaeh Seward in the name OF
the House Of Representatives aud the people of the
United States and for the appointment of seven
managers TO maintain and support the impeach-
ment proceedings IN the Senate.
The views of the minority were then read. They
rece the difficulties of tho position of the Shanghai
Consulate IN the carly years of Mr.. Stewards ad-
ADMINISTRATION of the Office when he was young and
Inexperienced the inadcquacy of the clerical as
sistance furnished him and his appropriation of
certain consular fees to pay for additional clerical
work. While the minority do not mean to approve
that method they say that It had been known to
and had received the unqualified approval of the
Government They recommend that the whole
subject be referred To the Judiciary Committee.
(lhc reading Of the two papers occupied an hour
and half.
Mr.. BUNDY Thy whom the minority report was
prepored) addressed the House in advocacy of 1t.
lie yielded the floor TO
Mr., ATKINS, who (Nt ,2i5) presented the confer.
cnce report on the sundry civil appropriation bill
The report, which is very long one and which
only referred to the various amendments by their
numbers was read.
Mr. ATKINS then proceeded to give some intOr-
nation OH the subject. lie said that the total csti
mates for the items in the bill were about s325OO
UOJ and that the bill as it passed the House appro-
priQtgI about
| added on about 81 100000. making the amount of
the bill now about SIS 10000. The like bill of last
| year was about r26 600.
| Mr.. HOOKER inquired whether the bill contained
| any appropriation for paying deputy marshals
| Mr.. ATKINS replied in the negative.
Mr.. REAGAN inquired as to the provisions for the
| District of Columbia.
| Mn. ATKINS replied that the Senate amendment
appropriating 81 l55js3 for the interest and sinking
| fund on the 800 District bonds had been retained.
| lie himself had not favored 1t, but he had been
| Ovorruled by the majority of the House conferees
| and of course, by the majority OF the Senate con-
| ierees. He was not willing TO defeat the bill sim
| ply because of that feature in it.
In regard TO some details of the bill he said that
| Sl75O0O had been appropriated for the custom
house and post-ollicc nj Chicago; $4,000 for new
| iron roof for the Nashville Custom-house; $4,000
| for new lighthouses of which $4,000 was for one
ON the coast of Louisiana $4,000 for repairs of the
| New York post.oficc $4,000 for claim of Balti-
more city against the Government for money fur.
niShcd 20 General Schenck for the defense Of the
| city; $1,000 for new telegraph lines in Texas Mon
tNna and Dakota $4,000 for Orsenals; 100000 for
arrears due TO lnnQ'grant railroads (ulder the de-
Cision Of the Supreme Court; $3.50 for purposes Of
| the public survey; $4,000 each 10. the Hayden,
Powell, and Wheeler surveys and slj00OO to build
| museum for the care OF property given to the
Government by various nations in 1876 at the close
of the Centennial Exposition The question of sur,
vcys had been left in the bin precisely as it had
passed the House, except that the provision for
| publication hud been struck out
Mr. BLACKBURN called attention to. and opposed,
the provision for sinking fund for the 3Gj bonds
concnding that as to is 100000 OF these bonds they
| had been issued in defiance of law and without
consideration, and that these bonds lin the hands
of purchasers with notice. were not only vodabIc
but actually void as against the Government.
lie asserted also That the provision hid been In
serted at the instance of the First National Bank
of New York the holder Of large amount OF
these bonds
This intimatlon was repealed by Messrs. Atkins
| and Hale doth of whom denied the existence of
| any influence within their observation except one
hostile to the provsion) aud the other assertions OF
Mr. Blackburn were cOmbatlcd by Mcssrs. Hewitt
N, W, Mayham, iicndec, ana iiuckner.
| Finally the House proceeded TO vote on the
adoption of the report and II was agreed tO-yeas,
llS; nays, l0T (thc negative votes mostly coming
from the Democratic sdeL
Tile consideration OF the Seward impeachment
case again lat 400 came up but was interrupted by
u report from the Judiciary Committee which Mr.,
Butter was prepared to make on the subject of Mr..
Stewards Withholding certain books of his consul
ate.
| House being IL question of privilege could not be
thus set aside, and the Speaker sustained him in
that position.
Butler and Banks, claiming that the question in
volvGd in the report was one In regard TO the privi-
egcs Of the House, and was therefore of the high
est order of precedence.
Mr.. BUTLER stated that, as the organ of the Judi.
ciary Committee 10 which the subject had been
relerredl he had been instructed TO report that Mr.
Seward was juStined III retaining those DOCKS; and
yet the fact Of his returning them had been made
| the ground for one of the articles Of impeachment.
| Mr.. SPRINGER said he had been Instructed To
Withdraw that article.
Mr.. HANNA suggested that the gentleman from
| Illinois could not Withdraw IT, II was before the
House us q report from his committee. II he could
Withdraw it then the prosecution was by Mr.,
Springer, not by his committee.
| Mr.. BANKS Thisls d charge of the violation Of the
| privileges of the House, ana such q question will
| Interrupt any other one. II Will take any member
of the loor. II is question OF the highest PRIV
lege.
The Speaker Does the gentleman say that II
can interrupt the question OF the impeachment OF
| u public OHCer2
Mr.. BANKs. | say 1t unreservedly and ungues.
tionably because II concerns the principles OF tho
! House and the liberty Of the citizen.
| Mr.. GARFIELD. Here Is proceeding begun IN
the first place TO bring party before the House
for contempt. lie Is under arrest. lie is logically
technically In our custody. rhnnd is upon him.
lie is by us restrained of his liberty While that
restraint Is still on him q proposition is made u
| impeach him.
First, II is a question of personal liberty, and
, then u question of judicial proceedings agains,
him. The personal liberty feature Is the higher
privilege. 1t ought to be heard first The man
To put him IN chains; TO strike him when he is in
chains; 10 say that we Will follow the law OF
| Rhudamanthus punish and then hear is moi
American law and is not American liberty.
Mr. SPARKS. Is the man restrained of his liberty
Mr.. GARFIELD; Yes.