Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-10

speculation concerning appropriations
for the Land of Flowers and Work in
the Rivers and HarbOrs-CoI. Nor
gan Rawls' Chances for Indemnifica-
tion.
correspondence oftAe Nornfng Neaos.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8.--Many citizens
of Florida are interested in what are
known as the Florida claims under the
spanish treaty. The settlement of these
claims has long been agitated. Success
has never attended the effort, though
some progress was made in the Senate
last year. Of course it will all have to be
started over again. Senator Jones has
again taken the matter in hand. He said
to-day that by commencing early aud
working hard, he expected to accomplish
something looking to final settlement
during this session. The text of the
resolution on this subject which Senator
Jones introduced the other day and which
was unanimously adopted by the Senate
is as follows:
:, Be II Resoteed, That the President be, and
ne hereby Is, requested to inform the Senate
II not Incompatible with the public ser vice:
!. whether or not, in his opinion, the ninth
article OF the treaty of 1919 between the
United states and Spain has been fully exc
cuted by the United States.
2. II 1t has not been fully executed, then
whether the impedIment to its execution
arises out of unsettled questions of fact or un-
determined questions of law, and what if
any, are such unsettled questions of fact and
undetermined questions of law.
Senator Jones also said that he has
great confidence in being able to receive
an appropriation for a suitable public
building at Key West, Fla, and legisla-
tion to settle the claim of that State on
account of expenditures made in sup
pressing Indian hOstilities. Considerable
progress in the latter measure has, it VIII
be remembered, been made heretofore both
in the Senate and House.
ASKED SENATOR BROWN, OF GEORGIA,
to-day what he thought the prospects
were of securing the passage of CON-
mensurate river and harbor appropria-
tiOn bill. 81 think they are very good in
deed" he replied. ave certainly must
have river and harbor bill. We GER
talnly are, going to work for
one hard enough ADEQUATE
appropriations for the important works
IN Georgia, especially at Savannah and
Brunswick, must be secured. think YOU
can safely predict that they will be Sc
cured"
another thing" continued Senator
Brown, sis that L hope to see justice at
last done to Col. Morgan Rawls for the
loss of his house, near Savannah, which
was destroyed by Federal troops, without
warrant under the rules of war. 1t is
good claim, and l VIII do all can to have
it paid"
A bill to reimburse Col. Rawls for the
destruction of his house passed the lower
branch last session, but did not get
through the Senate.
ONE THING Is VERY NOTICEABLE
in the character of the bills which have
been introduced in both Houses so far.
While most of them are old bills, and
many of them private claims, there are
but very few cotton claims among those
that have so far been presented. Not one
hundredth part of the claims which here
tofore nave been sent agOing at the very be-
ginning of each Congress has appeared as
yet. The Clerks in both the House and
Senate have noted this. They explain it
in this way: The claimants have either
become weary in waiting and endeavOring
to be reimbursed for cotton seized or de-
stroyed, or have already spent as much,
if not more than their claims are worth in
prosecuting them. Thus are the land
marks OF measures growing out of the
late war rapidly disappearing.
MEMBERS ARE ALREADY DISCUSSING
the probable date of adjournment for the
holiday recess. Nearly all of them are in
favor of long recess, though some hold
out that Congress ought to stay here, get
through work and adjourn at as early a
date as possible. This is known to be
impossible. The most experienced men,
bers expect to be sitting in Congress as
sembled wren August 1st next rolls
around. You can't make a long session a
short one. But about the holiday re-
cess: The date for adjournment, it
is generally believed, will be the
Goth inst, and the date for re-
| assembling January 10. In the
|
made up and conferences
and caucuses will be held to determine
more definitely the policy of either party.
| BY the latter part of next week it will be
found that members will gradually COM
mence absenting themselves, not to return
until after the holidays.
EXCEPT THE PRESENCE HERE
of number of prominent whisky men,
there has been no sign of a temperance
of the whisky questionable time that
whisky may be kept in bond-which
Houses last session. 1t is not
absolutely certain that it will reappear.
In certain contingency it will not. If
it shall be the policy of the Democratic
party, in which a Republican Senate
would doubtless concur, to remove the tax
from whisky entirely there would be no
necessity for raising the bonded period
question. But L do not think that such
will be the policy of the party. 1t GER
tainly is not that of the leaders, who do
not believe in removing the taxes from
luXuries. 1t is, therefore, more than
likely that the old fight about the bonded
period of whisky will be fought over
again this session. Nothing, however,
will be inaugurated until the question to
which reference has just been made has
| been settled. POTOMAC.