Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-04-13

tCu Will ANO0AO AAtO NAah-A nc
Pension DrnIn-Mr. Beck on the
Bargain Mr. Pugh's Practical
View of the Coalition Programme
mr. XIndom's Plan tor the SIX
Per Cents.
WASHINGTON, April 12.-The situation in
the Senate continues unchanged. But very
little public interest in what is done on Capt.
tol Hill is manifested now. Even a row
between two Senators has to be unusually
lively to attract any special attention. The
engagement has been played too long. The
attractions of the show have become stale,
and the opinion grows stronger daily that
audiences now are very small. There will
soon be but a beggarly array of empty
benches. The only people who seem to be
pleased at the present position are the
boarding house keepers and hotel pro-
prietors. The Senate keeps many
here who would otherwise fit, and they
have to eat and sleep. Therefore those
who serve entertainment for man smile and
hope 1t will keep on forever. The anxious
ones are those whose nominations are pend
ing In the Senate, and who cannot grapple
with their emoluments until confirmed.
Every days delay is so much money out of
their pockets. They are quite outspoken
about the condition of affairs. They are
at the public crib, but with nozzles on;
they have the feshpots to their noses, but
cannot partake of the spread.
Secretary Kirkwood says that in dealing
with the Indian question he will continue
In some measure upon the same line of
policy as that pursued by Secretary Schurz.
He will, however, have many points of off
ference with Secretary Schurz' plans. He
regarded mar y of the details of the Schurz
administration, he said, as impractical and
somewhat dreamy. Mr.. Kirkwood is q
practical Western farmer, aud knows good
deal more about real live Indians than
Schurz. He has no sentimentality about
the noble red man. He has that specimen
of the human race fully within his know
ledge. He says that he intends to be Just,
but not to allow mawkish sympathy any
play. He thinks the first two important steps
in the way of legislative action are TO secure
to the Indians, whenever possible, title to
the land they own in seVeralty-a title that
will stand in any court. When it is not DOS
sible to locate the Indians in severalty, or
where land is owned by q tribe as common
property, that full and valid title should
be given to the tribe.
The immense pension business of the
government, which grows daily, has neces-
Stated the establishments of new bureau
to the War Department, to deal only with
business connected with pensioners. The
force OF clerks employed on work of this
character in the Pension Office and ia the
War Department has recently been increased
by about two hundred and fifty; this in ad-
dition to the small army before employed
The matter of pensions will before long take
such immense sums of money out of the
Treasury that a check OF some kind will
have to be put on.
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
On motion of Mr.. Vance, a resolution was
adopted calling on the Secretary OF the NAVY
for information as to what alterations have
been made in the relative rank Of graduates
of the Naval Academy as originally estab-
lished.
On motion of Mr.. Burnside, a resolution
was adopted requesting the President to
communicate to the Senate any information
in possession of the government touching
the alleged arrest and Imprisonment of
Michael Bovton, who claims to be a citizen
of the United States, by the Government OF
Great Britain.
The Vice President laid before the Senate
the unfinished business, the resolution for
the election of Senate officers, and the
usual motion to go into executive session
was withdrawn at the request of Mr.. Dawes
who stated that it had not been expected.
[NOTE.-The motion was withdrawn be-
cause If persisted in it would have necessi-
tated a call of the Senate, there being at
the time no quorum present.
Mr.. Beck then took the floor, stating that
he would not detain the Senate as long as
he had originally intended, but would CON
fine his remarks to the subject directly
under consideration. The Republicans had
said, he continued, that the Sen
ate should not go into executive ses-
sion, because they had held caucus
and had determined to turn out the Off
GERS now holding the places and install
others, and that the Democrats were
guilty of treason and revolution unless
they acquiesced in everything The
Democrats had replied: "You have or
ganized the Senate. You have power over
all the committees. We have surrendered
everything that tends to the convenience
and comfort of Senators, but when you
present to us a list of names for officers,
and among them that of a man from Vir-
ginia who was the head and front of repu-
diation in that State, we do not propose to
90 any further" He was not going to say
the Republicans were doing this because Of
corrupt bargain, because he did not intend to
make the Senate chamber beer garden, but
the country at large had strong suspicious
that the alliance was foul one. Leading
Republican journals of the country had
charged it in terms so offensive that when a
Senator Mr.. Voorhees) had read an extract
from a Republican paper danger of personal
responsibility had been threatened. He re-
ferred to facts which tended to
show that there had been a bargain,
emphasizing the fact that Mr.. Malone had
been placed on the committees which would
give him the greatest influence with the
people Of Virginia. While he avoided ex
pressing an opinion here, when the Vir-
ginia election came on, as the Senator from
Massachusetts, (Mr. Dawes was going to
keep the Senate here until December,
he would invite that Senator to pair
with him, and 90 there In September and
October. He (Mr. Beck) would tell the
people what he could not decorously do
here, what be thought was the meaning and
purpose and intent of ali this action. Sena-
tors might as well spend their time can
vassing in Virginia as quarreling in this
chamber. Whether the action of the Demo
Gratis was revolutionary or not depended on
this fact. IT they believed that the Repub-
licans had entered into a corrupt bar
gain, and were seeking to carry 1t out,
ought not the Democrats to resist the con-
summation Of that bargain by every means
In their power? Could anything be more
dangerous than legislation organized by
corruptionG Were the Democrats right in
assuming that the bargain was corrupt one?
If so, they could go before any community
in America and say that they
had prevented the consummation of
that bargain, and the answer would
be, "Well done thou good and faithful SER
want" If they had not done right they
would be held responsible. They would
take that risk on the facts, and would dis
cuss them with Republicans anywhere, in
Virginia or elsewhere. He proceeded to
argue that there could be no constitu-
tional majority where there was
no constitutional quorum, and called
attention to the fact that if the Democrats
should go home, there would be but thirty
eight Republicans reft-less than a quorum
so that the Democrats were relied upon
to help them consummate the bargain. The
Democrats did not intend to do so and to
allow the honor of the old commonwealth
Of Virginia to pass into the hands of the
worst elements of Virginia society. The
men of Virginia who were resisting the
Readiusters were men who had been stand
ing up for a free vote, fair count and an
honest payment of the debt.
fbo con Of Mr. RenL1a rpuarl-s