Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-03-03
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
From our Regular Correspondent,

from our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, d. c., Feb. 2S, 1881.
On Thursday night the Republicans,
permitting themselves to be led by Con.
ger and Robson, wasted ten or twelve
hours in vicious effort to delay action
on the apportionment bill. Their pur.
pose was not to amend or defeat or dis.
cuss it, but simply to delay action,
They succeeded in putting the appro-
priation bill and the funding bill in
peril, and made an extra session of Con.
gress probable. Elrly on Friday morn.
ing, after an all night session, more sen.
sible counsels prevailed, the Republi.
cans listened to Mr.. Hawley instead OF
Conger, and proposition was agreed
to that each party should select five
men who should meet aud suggest an
acceptable mode of action on the sub.
ject. So far, this committee of ten has
settled upon nothing. The Republicans
seem determined that no bill shall pass
unless they can have their own way
about it. The discussion of the River
and. IIarbor bill in the Senate to day
developed the fact that Senators, like
members of the House, are inclined to
be extremely liberal in expenditures
for the improvement Of commerce"
Petty creeks, unknown but 10 the few,
and streams innumerable, where "cat
fish may navigate" as Mr. Thurman ex.
pressed il, are put down for handsome
sums Mr.. Thurman opposed the hill
with great vigor. After large number
of amendments had been made end dis.
posed Of. Senator Herman declared that
the aggregate Of the bill, $1,000 900,
was altogether too large, and he moved
to strike out all amounts for streams
and harbors not Of national commercial
importance. And when Mr.. Hereford,
of West Virginia, inquired why he did
not strike out some of the items from
his own State, Mr.. Herman said if it
could be shown that there was one item
not for the protection of national or
ocean commerce he would gladly vote
to have il struck out. 4 motion 10 re.
commit the whole bill to the Commit.
tee on Commerce and reduce the total
amount to 100000 was voted down.
Mr.. Wallace quoted statistics showing
that in 1870 the total amount appropri-
ated was only 100000, whereas now
the River and Harbor bill reaches $ll,.
100000, and charged that the national
government was compelled to pay i'm.
mense sums OF money for purposes en-.
tirely chargeable 10 the various States.
Mr.. Hill, of Georgia, spoke Of the mo.
nopoly of power and influence welded
By few railway magnates and their
capacity to subject the public to their
exactions in freight transportation. He
thought system Of internal water ways
would secure some relief from these ex.
actions. Mr.. Herman replied to the
effect that Ii was a delusion to suppose
that the expenditure proposed by the
bill would enable the navigable streams
TO become competitors with the rail.
roads. lie thought the remedy for the
exactions complained of was to be found
in the enforcement of the law, which
provided that the railroads should
charge reasonable rates. Finally the
bill was reported to Senate and passed
Yeas 32, nays IL. The following was
the vote.
Yeas-Messrs. Beck, Brown, Booth,
Burnside, Butler. Call, Coke, Davis OF
West Virginia, Farley, Ferry, Garland.
Groome, Hampton. Hereford. Hill OF
Georgia, Johnston, Jonas, Jones Of
Florida, Lamar, Mcdonald, Mcmillan.
Maxey, Paddock, Pugh, Ransom, Saun.
ders, Slater, Vance, Vest, Voorhees,,
Walker and Williams--32.
Nays--Messrs. Bailey, Bayard, Blair,
Dawes, Eaton, Harris, Jones Of Nevada,
Herman, Logan, Pentlleton, Salisbury,
and Wallace-l2.
The surprise Of the week has been
the very prompt action OF Secretary