New-York tribune., 1882-03-01
AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
PERSONAL AND GENERAL AFFAIRS.

EXPLANATIONS OF REPREsENiAii'h0-ii N
LING OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES RUMoRS.
Several members of the House OF Representa-
tivcs made personal explanations yesterday in
reply to an attack made upon them by news
paper. The nominations OF ex-Senators
Conkling and Sargent were reported favorably
Yesterday, and were placed upon the Senate
calendar. There are rumors OF Impending
Cabinet changes, one of them being to the
effect that William Z. Chandler is to be made
Postmaster General.
PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS IN THE HOUSE.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
WAsurNGroN. Feb 2S.-1herc chorus OF
"rcrsonal explanations in the House of Represent
at;ves today at q most uuoxpect ed time The
IIopse was drowsy and the Clerk reading in
mechanical tone the Military Academy Ap-
propriation bill. lie had just read, card
boards tacks, scissors, knives, brushes, roll
er-shades for skylights and Photographic
slides for lanterns $780," when Mr.. Atkins, OF
Tennessee, who had been busy with newspaper,
rose to his feet and demanded recognition. lie
then read an editorial paragraph from the paper IN
mis- hand which forth, among other things, that
" the attorneys for the Star Route thieves, among
whom we must always include Messrs. Atkins,
Bland. Singleton and Neal, insist that valuable
and spoke of Mr.. Atkins as one who has ever been
the most reckless as well jealous advocate of the
Star Route gang" In his explanation Mr.. Atkins
asserted what is undoubtedly tru'-for the official
record bears him out-that he has labored
yealously with others so to amend the
postal laws as to purify the postal service ana
prevent frauds which he has attacked as often and
as vigorously as any other member OF the House.
He denounced the statement in regard to himself as
"an infamous untrutb," and used other strong Ian
guage respecting it. He also spoke in terms OF
praise of the efforts made by Mr.. James to detect
and punish the Star Route frauds. 1t is simple
iustice to MI Atkins TO say that DO
one who is at all familiar with his course in
Congress will for an instant believe that his egisa-
tive conduct has ever been governed by any except
the best motives aud the highest personal integrity
The same may be said of Mr. Neal of Ohio, who is
man of the most sturdy honesty and an implacaDle
hatred for thieves and rings AS for Messrs
Singleton and Bland the former steadily acted and
voted with Messrs. Hawley, Hiscock, Blount Atkins
and others, who criticised General Bradys course SO
severely in the last Congress, while probably the
worst thing known against Mr.. Bland is his con-
nection with the Silver bill. all these gentlemen
TODAY declared that they had opposed the recon-
mendations of General Brady in the last Congress,
and appealed to the official record to confirm their
assertions Mr. Bland also felt impelled to suggest
that the Star Route iniquities were chargeable to
n Republican Administration, and this declaration
came near to launching the House ON general pol
itical discussion.
Mr.. Hiscock made some excellent remarks de-
Tending both x-Postmaster-General james and
Mr.. Atkins, but taking the latter to
task for his insinuation that the former had been
influenced by improper motives to increase the COM
pensation to the New-York Central Railroad for
car ) ing the mails. In the course OF his expiana-
ton Mr. Bland declared that the Star Route
resolutions had not been pushed with suffi-
cient vigor, that all the Star Route saw
ipgs have been wasted ON the railroads" given to
to Vanderbilt and other railroa1 kings" Waxing
grandiloquent Mr.. Bland concluded by declaring
that "this $500, 900 a year for special mail
facilities is nothing but acorruptsubsidy to the Van
derbilts the Jay Goulds and other monopollsts."
Mr.. Bland made trifling of $499, 900 re-
spectng the annual cost Of the special fast mail
service,
In his reply Mr. HiscOck declared that the 2l-Flth
Congress had found itself hepless-unable to cope
with the abuses perpetrated in the Star Route ser
vice. These abuses had existed under Republican
Administration to be sure but 1t was brave and
honest Republican Postmaster-General under
n Republican Administration who had
fearlessly exposed those abuses and had applied
the knife to an ulcer which Democratic Congress
had shown its inability to remove,