The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-04-18
WASHINGTON.
A, Contract Made for Improving Red River,


WAsHINcroN, April 16--Capt. John N. Bof-
finger, of st. Louis, made contract with the
Secretary of the Treasury to-day for the re-
moval OF wrecks of gunboats, ETC., In Red
river.
THE SENATE coNMITrEE ON RAILROADS.
A meeting of the Senate Committee on
Railroads was held to-day for the purpose of
considering the Northern Pacific and Texas
Pacific Railroad bills; but, In consequence OF
the absence OF four members from the city,
and the illness of another, only bare quo
rum were In attendance. After colloquial dis
cussion OF the subjects In hand, the commit
tee adjourned until Monday, without action
upon either OF them.
BRILLIANT CROP PROSPECTS,
Reports to the Department of Agriculture
show that the wheat crop thus far looks as ia
vorable as In the spring of 1879: The condi-
tion OF the live stock l. very favorable; no
disease Is reported, except cholera, among
the swtne,tand that no worse Ii as bad, as last
year.
THE ELECTORAL COUNT.
The Democratic members of the Senate
Committee on Rules and of the Senate select
committee on the subject OF counting the
electoral vote had long private meeting to-
davA with a view to agreeing upon some re-
commendation for action in regard to the
electoral count to be taken by the Senate at
this session. It WAS substantially decided to
recommend that the two houses OF Congress
shall adopt new joint rule providing that In
case only one certificate of electoral vote of a
State be presented to Congress, 1t shall not
h rejected except by an affirmative vote of
the two houses, and that In case OF dual re-
turns neither shall be counted unless the two
houses agree that one of them Is true and
valid returns. This proposition was substan-
TALLY the. same that was offered by Senator
Morton In the Forty-fourth Congress, and
then adopted by the Senate in the form of a
bill, which, however, failed to receive final
II, hat hpIxr tn, rf
Thurman having entered motion to recon-
slider Its passage. The former twenty second
joint rule on the subject required every vote
TO be rejected to which any objection was sus-
tanned by either house.
EXAMINATION OF SEVERAL LOUISIANA
PLANTERS BEFORE THE EXODUS COM
MITTEE.
Before the Exodus Committee, to-day, L.
IL. Tomkins, OF Shreveport, planter, testi-
lied: There was no difficulty in colored peo-
pie-men, women and children-getting
plenty of work In that region. The blacks
furnish the best labor the South has. 1t Is
pecuniarily the interest OF the whites to treat
the negroes well. He had never seen in-
nmtdation or outrages at the polls. The ne
groes enjoyed all the civil ghts In his vicin-
tty. The credit system OF doing business un-
.doubtedly affords facilities for dishonest
merchants to cheat ignorant laborers white
! AID black. The negro suffers more from Inn.
providence than from small pay. He stepped
A%lC UlONSIatuL RIS SSCtlOu NY GIL
ploying on hts place a blacE@m man who had
been to Kansas. His description of that
country cured the negroes of their immigra-
tion fever
r. Z. Wilson, Of Shreveport, planter, had
never seen any interference with the voting
OF negroes. Educational facilities for blacks
were fair; one black laborer was worth five
whites. II the negroes had saved their money
they would own the State of Louisiana now
they spend their money al gin shops, ginger
cake and peanut stands. etc; merchants
cheat them outof Seine of it. The blacks are
better of now as a race than when they were
slaves. The condition Of the planters is now
better than before the war.
Benjamin Singleton, colored, of Kansas.
said he considered himself the originator of
the whole Kansas ex0dus movement. He had
previously founded two colored colonies in
Kansas, and flooded the country with circu-
lars 1viting emigration to Kansas. Thus,
under God, he believed the exodus was due to
his efforts. He hoped it would go on until
the negroes had all left the South. Then a
change might come In the disposition OF the
Southern people. II 90, he would advise all
, TO go back for the South was their best home
IL they could be- treated well. Singleton is 9