Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-28
AT THE NATIONS CAPITAL
PENSIONS NOT IN THE HANDS OF
SOUTHERNERS,

another Northern BugabOo Exploded
by the Explanation-The House Conn
mittee on Elections Not Selected for
the Particular Purpose of Keeping
Chalmers Out of Seat.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26.-The Erenino
Star publishes the following: "The fact
that Southern member was made Chair
man of the House Committee on Pensions
has been seized upon as a basis for criti-
cIsm Of Speaker Carlisle on the ground
that the subject of pensions for Union
soldiers ought not to have been placed in
Southern hands. The truth is that the
Pensions Committee has nothing whatever
TO DO with anything appertaining to the
late war, as the rules show. The House
rules provide that everything relating to
pensions Of the civil war shall 20 to the
committee on Invalid Pensions and
that to the Committee on PEN
slOns shall go all pension matters
arising from the wars of the United States
other than the civil war. The committee,
which has entire jurisdiction over the
pensions Of the civil war, ,Chas for it's hair
man Mr.. Matson, of Indiana, Union SOL
der, who won his way up from a private
to the rank of Colonel by gallant service
in the field. Speaking to a lStar reporter
to-day, Mr.. Matson said he believed that
majority OF his committee served in the
Union army during the war. The only
members from the South upon the COM
mittee are MessTs. HOuk. of Tennessee
who was Colonel in the Union army. and
John ;. Wise, of Virginia. Mr.. Fyan, of
MISSOURI, who has a fine record as a Union
soldier, is also member of the committee.
Aside from these three and with the eX-
tceptlon OF one member from California.
| the committee is composed of Northern
men. n statement has been published to
the effect that the House Committee on
Elections was made up with the object
kept steady in view of keeping Chalmers.
| of Mississippi, from getting the seat he
claims. A Star reporter has talked with
several members of the committee, and
they say that there is no truth in this as
sertiOn. Each one declared that so far as
! he knew the Speaker had no way of know
ing his views upon the Chalmers case.
THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE.
Chairman Morrison expects to appoint
| Henry Talbot, Jr., of Illinois, Clerk of the
Ways and Means Committee, in place of
John NJ. Carson. who served during the
last Congress. Mr.. Talbot succeeded DR..
Hambleton, of Georgia, in the same posi-
tion when Mr.. Morrison was Chairman Of
the committee III the Forty-fOurth Con-
gress. If there is quorum of members in
the city, the Ways and Means Committee
Will be called together sometime next
week for organizing. Mr.. Kelley has left
Washington for the holidays, with the
understanding that no business will be
transacted by the committee before Con-
| greSs reassembles.
REDUCING THE TARIFF.
The Post will contain tomorrow an
interview with Mr.. Morrison, Chairman
of the Ways and Means Committee. in
which that gentleman is quoted as saving
that the committee will report bill MAX
ing pretty general reduction of the exist
ing duties; that in arranging the provis-
ions of the bill the committee will look to
| the possibility of preparing a measure
that can pass through Congress, but that
whether or not the bill can get through
the House without being amended so as
to destroy its usefulness Is a matter of
mere conjecture