National Republican., 1882-12-12
YEAS

Bayard, Johnston, sawyer,
Beck, Jones of Fla, sherman,
Brown, Lamar, Slater,
Call, Mcmillan, Vance,
Cockrell, Maxey, yan Wyck,
Coke, Morgan, Vest
Davis of H., Plumb, Voorhees,,
Garland, Pugh, Walker,
Harris, Ransom, Williams.
Mr.. Slater moved to strike out the provision
that failure for sixty days to procure a dis
charge from arrest in civil action, or failure
10 dissolve an attachment before final iudg-
ment, or failure for sixty days to satisfy
final judgment or decree for the payment of
money, unless a stay of proceedings has been
granted, shall subject the party to invOlun-
tary bankruptcy.
Mr.. Sherman remarked that the senate hav-
ing decided to consider the Lowell bill, the
best present disposition that could be made OF
it was to refer it to the committee ON the ju-
dietary for Il careful revision, and he made II
motion to that effect.
Mr.. Hoar said that if the question had
arisen at Il later stage in the session he would
have felt bound to oppose the motion, but in
view of the fact that other important meas
mres, such as the civil-srryice bill and the re.
port of the tariff commission, were pressing
tor consideration he would not now earnestly
oppose it.
The bill was then referred to the judiciary
committee, together with certain amendments
offered by Mr. George.
THE NICARAGUA BILL.
The bill to incorporate the Maritime canal
company of Nicaragua the special order, was
laid before the senate; but on motion of Mr..
Pendlcton it was laid aside Mr.. Pcudleton
moved to take up his civil service bill.
THE CIvIL-sERvICE BILL.
Mr.. Brown opposed the motion. He did
not understand why there should he so much
haste on this subject just now. He observed
that senators on the republican side were very
anxious to aid Mr.. Pcndleton to press his bill.
If the matter was so important and
urgent, it was strange that the
republicans during their twenty-five years of
power had not dealt with it sooner. Possibly
the elections in November last had influenced
their minds somewhat. The republican party
had now some 10000 officers under its CON
troll, very few of them occupied by democrats.
When ever he had applied at any of the depart
mcnts for an appointment, the first question
asked was: is the man a democrat y and
if he was, that settled his fate. In view of
these facts, he preferred to wait until after
the next presidential election to see whether
we could not have a better civil-service bill
enacted by a demOcract congress and prcsi-
dent, and whether the democrats could not
have fair share of the offices before the SER
vice was reformed.
On vote the Pendleton bill was then
taken up; yeas, "A; nays, 16,
Mr.. Sewell asked Mr.. Pendleton to consent
lhat the bill should be temporarily laid aside,
III OIutI luhU lHS DllI ICIlCl VI
FIrZ-JouN PORTER
might be taken up.
Mir. Logan objected. He desired, he said,
tI make some remarks on the bill, but was
uUt prepared, not having expected it to come
up SO soon.
Mr.. Mcpherson said that great injustice
had been done to Gen. Portcr, which ought
To be rcdressed without further delay and
rlica Mr. Logan whether he would be ready
to proceed to-day. r''
Mr. Logan replied that he would be ready
to speak as soon as he heard somebody say
something in favor Of the bill.
Mr.. MCPHERSON said that probably everybody
tXcgpt Mr.. Logan himself would be in favor
D. the bill.
Mr. Logan said Mr.. Mcpherson would find
out something on that point before the matter
was disposed of. He (Mr. Logan was pre-
pared to demonstrate to the country, if not to
the senate, that he was right in this matter,
and that no man had ever been more Justly
convicted than Fitz-.Tohn Porter. He did not
care who might have been dragged into this
case to sustain Porter. He felt confident that
the facts and the law were on his Mr. Logan's)
side.
Mr.. Mcpherson said that if Mr. Logan sue
ceedcd in making the demonstration he prom
iscd he Mr. McPhcrsOnl would certainly vote
with him; but he had noticed that other SEN
ators and other gentlemen not less dis
tinguished in military and civil life than the
senator from Illinois, who at one time held the
senator's view on this subject, had afterward
changed their minds, and therefore he was not
without hope that the senator might change
his mind during the course of this discussion.
Mr. Logan Ironically, Yes, very likely.
Mr.. Mcpherson appealed to the Senate to
axe up the Porter bill.
The president pro tcmpOre ruled that the
.ivil-serviCc bill being before the Senate one
objection would prevent the taking up of
the other bill.
Mr.. Mcpherson. And the senator from Hi
nOis objects?
Mr.. Logan said that after having decided
90 take up the icivl-service bill it seemed to
be convenient for other gentlemen to lay that
aside and take up another measure, but il was
not convenient for him, and he would not
agree that the Porter bill should come up I'M
til the Pcndleton bill should have been dis
posed of. As to the senator's intimatiOn that
other people who had changed their minds ON
this question must be right, he had known
people to change their minds on very slim and
tlimsy evidence, and he had known their assoc
citations and surroundings to influence men.
When a man did change his mind he ought to
be able to demonstrate that the change was
made on good grounds, and no such demon
stration had been made in this case.
Mr. Sewell said that in asking the senate to
consider the Porter bill at this time he had
supposed himself to be conforming to the wish
of the senator from Illinois.
Mr. Logan replied that if he had known
that the bill was to come up he would have
been prepared to discuss it, but he had been
led to believe that it would not be reached
until Thursday.
At the request of Mr.. Garland the civil
eryice bill was laid aside temporarily TO take
Up the bill to release
HE MEMPHIS AND LITTLE ROCK RAILWAY
rom its obligation, as a land grant road to
AIRY government troops fire. and the mails
1t reduced rate, the release being claimed
upon the ground that the company received
only small portion of the land granted il.
The bill was discussed by Messrs Cockrell,
Garland Mcmillan, Harrison, and Harris,
and, ON motion of Mr.. Cocllrel, it was indch-
nitely postponed. The senate then went into
executive session, and when the doors were
reOpened (at 4:i0) adjourned.
NOMINATIONS
The President sent the following nominations to
the senate to-day:
John p. Baker, of Illinois. to be major and
puymaStgr
Joseph W. Davis, justice of the peace for the
District oi Columbia Ito be located in Tenually-
town.,
Chandler b. Watson to be collector of customs
for the southern district Of Oregon.
THE HOUSE.
There were introduced in the House yes
tcrday ninety bills during the morning hour
most of them for personal relief. The other
important ones We're: TO repeal all pre-emp-
ton laws; to force railways to pay costs of
surveying their land grants; to discontinue
the purchase Of bullion and coinage of silver