Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-07-07
The Senate took up the river and

| OcudUOl VI
the committee on commerce, stated
that as it came from the House the
bill appropriated S17,367,S75. The
Senate committee added S2,096, 100,
making the toral S19,463,975. The
principal items of increase are $877,>
600 for the improvement of the Mis-
sissippi River, from the head Passes
to Cairo, and 100000 in an item for
the Missouri River. The committee
had inserted provision authorizing
the Secretary of War to lay out and
construct canal from a point on the
Illinois River, at or near the town
of Hennepin, to the Mississippi
river at or above Rock Island, and
had appropriated 100000 for the
work
The bill was then read, and the
amendments of the committee con
CURED in as reached.
Inquiries by Senators. Butler and
Beck concerning the Hennepin
canal project as reported, elected
the statement by Senhtor Mcmillan
that the canal would be maintained
at the cost Of the government, free
of tolls.
Senator Vest said that the aggre-
| gate cost had been estimated before
the commarce committee at SS,000,>
900.
Senator Allison asserted that a
careful estimate by engineers, fixed
the total outlay at $3,900,0O0
The discussion of the proposed
canal occupied the remainder of the
days session. Without action the
Senate went into an executive $685.
sion, after which it adjourned
WASHINGTON, July Con motion
of Mr.. Singleton, of Mississippi,
Senate bill was passed authorizing
the New Orleans and Northwestern
Railroad Company to construct
bridges across the channels of Pearl
River and Lake Pontchatrain.
Mr. Belmont, of New York, called
up the motion to consider the vote
by which the House refused to order
the third reading of the joint reso>
luton authorizing the President to
call an international Conference to
fix on and recommend for universal
adoption common prime meridian
to be used in the reckoning of longi
tude and in the regulation of time
throughout the world. The vote was
recon>idered and the joint resolution
was read the third time, and then
passed.
The House then resumed consid-
Grafton of the naval appropriation
bill, and adopted, in gross, the
amendments agreed to in the com
mittee of the whole.
Mr.. Robeson took the floor to
close the debate on the bill. In the
course of his speech in defence of
his administration of the Navy De
partment, Mr.. Robson referred to
the investigation carried on by the
committee on naval affairs of the
Forty-fourth Congress, and, with
out mentioning him by name, al
luded, in terms of the deepest CON
tempt and insult, to Mr.. Whitthorne,
of Tennessee. Speaking of the
men who headed the committees of
that Congress, he said that IF there
was man who was accused of
stealing school funds in his own
State he came to the front"
At these words, up started Mr..
Whitthorne, and facing Mr.. Robe~
son in the space In front of the
Speakers desk, exclaimed, "That is
lie, and whoever tells it or who
ever repeats it.
Mr.. Robeson-"I have alluded to
no man by name. If any man
recognizes himself by the descripe
ton, let him step forward and deny
it,"
The members congregated around
the gentlemen and there was good
deal of excitement in the hall. but
Mr.. Robson continued in his attack
upon Mr.. Whitthorne.
At the conclusion Of Mr.. Robe
sons speech, the naval appropriation
bill passed-yeas 119, nays IS.
Immediately af er the passage of
the bill Mr. Whitthorne, of Tennes-
see, was recognized on a question of
privilege. He proceeded to reply to
the charges made by Mr.. Robson
against him, characterizing the state
ments made by that gentleman as
untrue, and said that in uttering
them he (Robeson) stated to the
House and to the country what was
absolutely false. He referred to the
administration of Mr. Robeson as
Secretary of the Navy, and charged
him with sharing swag with the
firm of Cottell & Co. Several points
of order were raised, and motions
that the improper language of the
gentleman from Tennessee be taken
down were submitted, but not IN
sisted upon.
In conclusion, Mr. Whitthorne
said: With all the responsibility
which belongs to me l attach to the
forehead of that member, (Robe
son'sJ falsehood and perjury"
MIR. Robson replied briefly, to
the effect that he would leave the
country to Judge of man who re-
cognized himself in the portrait
which he (kobeson) had painted
The matter was then dropped.
The House went into committee Of
A the whole on the sundry civil appro-
, pristion bill
Mr.. Hiscock, of New York, pro
seeded to make an elaborate speech
in explanation of the increase in the
appropriations made by the present
Congress over those made in pre-,
vious Congresses, and in praise o
= | the action of the Republican maiori.