Morning journal and courier., 1881-02-09
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

kAarOOrS-VhG Bill Not Yet Smothered- Committee Members Determined to Push it-The Counting ofthe Electoral VOte-A Tame Affair in Prospect-Other Matters.
 WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-The Committee on Commerce, by its action to-day, through MT. Reagan, in referring the river and harbor bill to the Committee of the Whole: indicated very plainly it's purpose to push the bill to a vote in the House. It will be called up as soon as the legislative appropriation bill shall have been disposed of. The members of the Commerce committee are confident of their ability to pass it. The vote on Monday indicated that there were nearly two-thirds of the members in favor. The minority can cause some trouble by offering amendments and by debating each item, but it is not thought they will pursue that sort of tactics for more than two or three days. Some of the members of the com mittee say they are not at all worried about the course they have taken They believe in the justice and right of the river and harbor appropriation bill, and think that when the matter comes to be considered in the House they can demonstrate it's necessi- ty. They invite discussion and are confident that they will be able to show that money will be saved by the passage of the bill. If it is not passed the prosecution of many the sunds appropriated in the bill for the current year will be exhausted by the 18th of June, the end of the fiscal year. There are l cases in which there will be no money after the expiration of the fiscal year, and if the bill is not passed all work will have been re- moved, which will again have to be formed, and there will be other Instructions which will involve, as the members of the commit tee think losses of several millions of dol lars by suspension of work The members of the Commerce committee think that when these facts are presented to the House that all factious opposition will be withdrawn. The count of the electoral vote tomorrow will be 8 very tame affair. Compared with | the count of the vote four years ago it will be mere child's play. Then the count lasted | from the second Wednesday in February un- l til the very eve of the inauguration and every day was day of excitement. There is no contest now. Garfeld's election is conceded l and the joint resolution adopted few days | ago settles the whole question with regard to Georgia, the only State whose vote could have been at all questioned. According to | the programme arranged, the members of the Senate and House of Representatives will meet in the hall of the House at 12 o'clock. l Vice President Wheeler will preside, with Speaker Randall on his left. The tellers- 1 Messrs Thurman and Hamlin on the part of | tN0 Senate. ana MeSSrS. nOub6 ana CrOWl6Y | on the part of the House-will take their places at the clerks desk and announce the votes as they are presented in envelopes 1 opened by MT. Wheeler. It need not take l over two hours to complete the ceremony That there will be large crowd there is ne doubt. There is a large number of strangers | in the city and the people of Washington as l rule delight to attend any such proceeding l The only action taken by the House to-day on the subject was to reserve @ certain DOT ltion of the galleries for the families of mem bers,. otherwise the public at large will have free access to all parts of the building as on ordinary legislative days.
 The subcommittee of the House Commit tee on Public Buildings and Grounds has ia. | vorably considered the proposition of the Northern Electric Light company of Boston for the introduction of it's electric lights in
 and around the Capitol. 4 series of immense lanterns, each with fifty electric lights, one
 on the dome, one on each wing of the Capi- l tol and one at each of the four corners of the grounds, is guaranteed to illuminate all parts I of the Capitol grounds so that the finest 1 print can be read with ease. The cost of the
 apparatus is put at $35O 600 and the annual
 running expenses are not to exceed $6O GOO, against SIC, 900 now spent yearly for gas for
 the Capitol and it's surroundings.
 Judge Billings, of New Orleans has sub mitted to the Judiciary committee of the Sen ate his reply to the charges which have been made against him by certain members of New Orleans. He is accused of having rendered unfair and illegal decisions in cases before