Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-15
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDING GS.
A Hitch on the River and HaFbOr
BllI-A Star Route FIRGeO.

river and harbor appropriations bill, but Mr..
McCook, Of New York, stated that he
would raise the point of order that thoee
amendments must be first considered in
committee OF the whole
Mr. Page thereupon withdrew his motion.
The morning hour having been dispensed
with, the House proceeded to consider the
remaining SenaIe amendments TO the gene
raj deficiency appropriation bill which had
not been non cOncurred in yesterday. The
large ms i0rity of them were non -concurred
in. Few Of them gave rise to any discussion,
except that appropristing $33 600 for the
payment OF mileage to Senators who attend
ed the special session convened on the 10th
of October, 1881.
Mr.. Townsheud, Of Illinois, characterized
this amendment as s"little ary grab, 'and
hoped that The House conferees, when ap-
pointed, would not yield to the Senate on
that point.
Mr.. Hiscock, Of New York, for the pur-
pose of testing the wishes of the House.
moved to concur In the amendment, and
this motion having been voted down by
heavy ms jority, stated that the committee
of conference would take that vote as an
instruction that It should never yield the
point.
"NeveI" repeated several members, but
Mr. Robinson protested against such con-
struction being placed on the vote. So the
amendment was non-concurred in.
The last amendment In the bill was that
constituting a board of audit, consisting of
the Fl st and Second Comptroller of the
Treasury and Treasurer OF the y nIted States,
to whom shall be referred all claims and the
determination of all allowances to be made
growing out of the illness and burial of the
late President James A. Garfield. An
attack was promptly made upon this
amendm n, led by Mr.. Blackburn in long
speech, in which he declared that all claims
embraced In this.smendments should be settl-
ed through a Probate Court. When so settled
Mr.. Blackburn was willing to appropriate
any amount that might be needed to REIN
burse President Garfield's estate, whatever
sum was requ'red to pay them.
After long debate, the House, by vote
OF Is to 81, non-concurred In the Senate
amendments.
field $50 600, which amount to be paid to her
late husband on account of salary, was in
troduced by Mr. Taylor, of O1io, and by
unanimous consent was passed.
Mr.. Bowman, of Massachusetts, called up
the bill, reported from the Committee on
Civil Service Reform some months ago, to
refer all claims and demands against the
government to the Committee of Claims for
investigation, and 1t was passed.
The House then took a recess until s
o'clock.
The House, at its evening session, agreed
to the Senate amendments to the House bill
granting d pension to Augustus Miller.
This amendment prohibits the payment of
double pension. Pension bills were then
passed to the number OF forty, among them
the Senate bill granting an increase of pen
sion to the widow OF General Geo. A. Gus
ter The House also passed bills granting
seventy-five condemned cannon for monu-
mental purposes, and then, at ten o'clock,
adjourned until to morrow.
SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
In the Senate, Mr.. Rollins called up the
resolution for daily meeting of the Senate
at II a. m. on and after Monday next.
Adopted.
Mr.. Logan, from the Committee on APP
propriations, reported the pension apprc-
priation bill, and it was ordered to be
printed and laid over for future action.
The Committee on Appropriations recon-
mended the adoption of several amendments,
the most important of which are these pro-
hibitlng the payment of double pensions,
and directing the Secretary of the Interior
to transmit annually to Congress q list of
persons borne on the pension roll, together
with the amount paid to each.
The Senate then devoted itself for an
hour to the consideration of pension bills, a
number Of which were passed, among them
Que increasing the pension OF Elizabeth Z.
Custer, the widow of Gen. Geo. A. Custer,
to $50 per month, and one, House bill,
granting a pension of $50 per month to
Betty Taylor cambridge, daughter Of Presi-
dent Taylor.
The House pension bill was amended by
the adoption Of a general provision, pro-
hibiting the payment Of double pension.
At 2:l5 the Senate resumed consideration
of the tax bill, the floor being accorded to
Mr.. Bayard.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Bayard's speech
the bill was read for amendments.
Mr.. Beck offered an amendment reducing
ten cents per pound the tax on manufac-
tured tobacco. Pending the discussion the
matter went over for the day.
The presiding officer announced the ap
pointment of Messrs. Hale, Allison and
Cockrell as conferees on the general de-
ficiency bill
MIR. Jones, of Florida, gave notice of an
amendment to the sundrY civil bill, appro-
priating 100000 for continuing the i'm
provements of the Pensacola navy yard.
After an executive session the Senate ad-
iourned till tomorrow.
THE STAR ROUTE TRIALS.
Soon after the proceedings in the star
route trials got under way to-day, they were
interrupted by the entrance of the grand
Jury into the court room. A hush fell upon
the spectators, and counsel listened eagerly
as the Clerk put the usual question:: Have
you found any presentment upon the evil
deuce presented TO you?
The foreman answered: We have found
no indictment.
The court, with an air Of surprise You
say you have found no indictments
The Foreman-We have considered the
evidence presented to US and have found
no indictment.
Counsellor Bliss-There was no present.
ment.
The Foreman-We make no presentment.
District Attorney Corkhill said that he
had been informed by Mr.. Bliss that he had
no further business requiring the action of
the grand jury, and after thanking the
jurors for the speedy discharge OF their
duties the court dismissed them till October
OH next.
Since it became known recently that the
grand jury was to be reconvened to consider
new evidence In the star route cases rumors
have been busy foreshadowing from this
action harm to several members aud ex-
members Of Congress, particularly to Sena-
tor Kellogg, of Louisiana. The failure OF
the grand jury to find ground for
auV Indictment on the evidence pre-
sented, and the dismissal OF the jury until
October, sets at rest all uncertainties
upon this point. 1t is stated that the vote
of the Jury concerning Kellogg was unani-
nous that no ground was presented for an
Indictment, and in regard to the other names
presented bv the prosecution the vote was
19 to 4 against Indictment. Counsel for the
prosecution profess to be very much sur
prlsed at the slender outcome OF their last
move.
BLAINE AND THE CREDIT INDUsTRIEL.
Robert r. Randall, counsel for the Credit
Industriel, has been permitted by the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs TO file with
the papers in the Peru Chill investigation, a
sworn statement in the nature of an argu-
ment, to show that at one time Mr.. Blaine
favorably received a proposition Of the
Credit lndustriel to assume the pay
ment of the Peruvian war indemnity,
and to utilize the compsny's pro-
gramme-restoriug peace between the
belligerents. After submitting his proof
upon this point, which consists mainly OF
extracts from official correspondence, Mr..
Randall statesshis conclusion thus "This
must convince every fair-minded man of
one of three things-either that Mr..
Blaine at that time, when 1t occurred, was,
as we believed him to be, honestly and earn
estly in favor of utilizing the pro-
gramme of the Credit Industriel at all
hszards, and that he pushed the conven-
tional diplomatic license of misrepresenta
tion beyond all precedent and example, mad
that when he testified before your commit
tee he had utterly forgotten every material
fact connected with his South American
policy" Mr.. Randall's statement was to-