Daily globe., 1879-03-24
Special Telegram to the Globe.

Special Telegram to the Globe
WASHINGTON, March 23.--What Congress
will do during this extra session has been an
absorbing subject to both parties The
Democrats have felt the necessity of some
well defined planning i'll order to produce
unity of action and method. Such plan
was definitely agreed upon yesterday in joint
session of the House and Senate steering
committees. The session began at II
O'Clock yesterday morning, and did not end
until 4;3O in the afternoon. The result of
the deliberations may be briefly stated as
follows:
That those portions of the election laws
which provide for the appointment of two
supervisors of election, one from each
political party, and prescribing their
duty to perform purely the ministerial
act of watching the counting of votes,
shall be retained as they are,
but the law shall be so modified as to pro-
vide that such supervisors shall not have
police powers or power to make arrests, but
shall supervise simply the count of votes for
representatives and delegates in Congress
and make report thereof to the court ap-
pointing them. These measures, it was
agreed, shall be incorporated in the first in
stance upon the appropriation bills. These
bills, according to the programme, shall be-
the first measure considered and have pri-
ority of all other matters, but in the mean
time general legislation may be considered
and passed, always, however, giving way for
consideration of the appropriation bills.
When all these bills are finally passed the
special session will adjourn. At the caucus
there wero seven Senators and eleven men,
berS of the House.
TISSUE BALLOTS.
The Joint committee, in addition to other
matters, discussed the section in regard to
prohibiting the use of marked ballots, or
tissue ballots, or any ballot which would de-
stroy the secrecy of election in Congress
sional or Presidential elections. 1t met the
views of almost every member.
The two branches of the caucus commit
tee found great difficulty in coming to
conclusion on the subject of general legisla-
ton and finally they agreed to disagree. The
House committee was very persistent that
before these appropriations could be intro
duced in the House and aftor they had been
sent to the Senate the House should be per-
mitted to engage i'll any legislation which
the ma ajorty should agree to take up.
Among the bills mentioned as of pressing
necessity are the yellow fever bill; relative to
the cattle disease, and similar measures In
the Senate committee, however. every men,
Der except Thurman opposed any general
legislation whatever.
THE TARIFF.
Among the schemes Of general legislation
to be proposed in the House, there will be an
L. 4;,,l,o a.
With the exception Of Thurman, the Sena-
tors solidly oppose any such legislation, but
tho House will have its own way in this mat
ter, and will insist that committees be ap-
pointed and general legislation entered upon
and continued till the appropriation bills,
with the political amendments, shall have
been disposed of, or some compromise ar
ranged.
RAILROAD TELEGRAPH.
Mr. Charles A. Tinker, manager of the
Baltimore d Ohio Railway company's tele-
graph lines, has arrived, having completed
two first class wires between Baltimore and
Washington, thus giving that road direct
telegraphic connections through to StLouis,
Chicago and Pittsburgh for commercial bu-
Sness. This company propose to receive all
the business they can when Congress passes
the free telegraph bill. 1t IS understood that
other roads are to join them in giving to the
country cheap telegraph service. Several
memorials have reached here from points in
the West praying Congress to stand by the
railroad telegraph bill. Other memorials
are on the way. One is expected to reach
here to-day from Chicago. They will proba-
bly, be presented in the Senate on Monday
or Tuesday.
CLARENCE KING.
The Democratic Senators are Of opinion
that Clarence King will be confirmed as di-
rector of the new bureau of geological and
geographical surveys. Some of the most
prominent friends of Prof. Hayden, most
active competitor for the place, express their
opinion thot there is no doubt as to Kings
fitness The fact that he is acceptable to
the engineers gives him much strength.
JOHN PORTER.
There are some reasons for the belief that
the opinions expressed bv the Fitz John
Porter court of inquiry are, if not full vim
dication, of such character as to materially
modify the findings of the first court.
Nothing Is said in regard to the matter
either Mt the White House or at the war de-
partment, but in some way the friends of
Porter have obtained such intimations as
give them great satisfaction.
PERSONAL.
Speaker Randall is very busy considering
the qualification of new members for COM
mlttee places 1t took Speaker Kerr five
weols to appoint commit tees, when the
ber or new members was lGnCh less than it
now Is. 1t is Randall's desire not to appoint
the committees until near tho end of the
session, 1t he Is obliged to appoint them at
all. but the commands of the caucus are
likely TO be too strong for him.
THE ARMY BILL.
The war department has some concern at
the threatened defeat of the army bill unless
the Republicans consent to the repeal of the
federal election laws. A letter received bv
the war department from Col. Walsh, who is
IN command of the Canadian mounted DO
lice on the Dakota frontier, reports that Sit
ting Bull and his warriors are show
ing very ugly and insubordnate
disposition. They have made no
movement as yet toward the boundary
line, but as soon as spring opens serious
trouble is apprehended. Col. Walsh esti-
mates the strength of Sitting Bulls band at
1000 all told. of whom $500 are warriors,
we'll armed and equipped. In order to guard
against the apprehended raid of these In
dians across the frontier, and a possible at
tack upon forts Stephenson, Buford and
soften, it has been decided by Gen. Sher-
man to transport the Eighteenth infantry,
Col. kuger. now at Atlanta, to Bismarck,
Dakota, as speedily as possible, and thence
d'S'r'oute 1t to such points along the border
as may be threatened or seem to need de-
tence. Two companies of artillery now at
Charleston' have been ordered to Atlanta to
take charge OF the barracks there.