Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-16
CONGRESS YESTERDAY.
A windy Day D Both yOuses.

Mr.. Morrill, called I'd the arif bill.
Mr.. Edmunds saie he nOught the neces-
sites Of the public Business and justice
demanded a bri,f executive session.
which was held.
When the doors popened, the Senate re-
sumed consideration of the tariff bill.
MIR. Morrill, pesented a remOnstrance
/ against any re1uctiOn of the tariff upon
books below 25per cent, signed by Oliver
| Wendell HOlms, I. B. Aldrich and John
| u. Whittier, a, writers Of books, and set
ting forth thei reasons at length.
| Mr.. Morrill, gave notice that, if the bill
I should not bepassed to-day, he would ask
| the Senate tosit long enough tomorrow
10 dispose oft.
The Senate proceeded to consider GER
tain portions of the bill, which had been
temporarily passed over.
| Mf. Jonas moved TO reconsider the vote
| by which section 8 providing that in
| respect to al articles in the sugar sched-
ule the act shall take effect on April 1st,
1888, had been tgreed to. This provision,
ne salds was an unjust discrimination
| against the sugar producers in Louisiana.
Lost-yeas %, nays %.
The next item Considered was iron ore.
ana ON TINS the Senate spent the entire af-
! ternOOn without affirmative action, Mo
tions to make the duty one dollar, seyen-
ty-tive cents and sixty cents, respectively.
per lOn were TeJecbSQ. ana the rate WAS
eft unchanged at fifty cents.
All the reserved paragraphs were dis
posed of and the bill was opened to gen.
eral amendment. The internal revenue
tax on cigarettes weighing not more than
three pounds per thousand was reduced
from 20 to 90 cents per thousand.
The later proceedings of the Senate
We're marked by controversies over the
duty on rice, i'm which Messrs. Butler and
ingalls, exchanged some strong language,
and Messrs. Vance and Voorhees, were on
the verge of a quarrel. The session lasted
until 1923, but no changes were made in
the bill, which was not disposed of.
HOUSE PROCEEDINGS.
In the House, Mr.. Williams, of Wis
cOnSin, submitted a conference report on
the Japanese indemnity fund bill. The
effect Of the bill as agreed to in confer
ence is to return TO Japan the original
sum received from that government
$1Sj, ,OOO-withOut interest; to pay the
officers and crew of the steamer Wyoming
and the 7. A. Kiang $140, 900, and to can
eel all bonds comprising the Japanese
indemnity fund. After discussion the
report was agreed tO-132 yeas to - nays.
The House went into committee of the
whole on the tariff bill, and entered on the
consideration of schedule ''Er (sugars).
Mr.. Van NOOrhis, of New York. moved
to strike out the. first paragraph, which
imposes and regulates the duty on low
grade sugar. He stated that he did this
with the purpose of moving to place sugar
on the free list.
This OccasiOned renewal of debate on
/ the tariff question in all its phases, "a
| tariff for protection for revenue and for
revenue with incidental protection
Messrs. Gibson, King, Blanchard and
Ellis, of Louisiana, were the principal
| opponents. The motion was finally lost
| yeas 26, nays 130.
Messrs. King and Ellis each offered
amendments to the same paragraph in
/ creasing the duty on raw sugars.
Mr.. King withdrew his and supported
that of Mr.. Ellis, which fixed the rate on
| sugars below No. 13 at one and forty
| hundredths cents per pound.
| y long discussion ensued. which strayed
| far from the real question under cOnsidera-
/ tiOn, and was confined principally to a
| series of charges and counter charges of
/ inconsistency, the Republicans taunting
/ the Democrats with deserting their ''reve-
nue. only doctrine, when local interests
/ were at stake, and the Democrats assert
ing that they were only maintaining the
1 duty at a revenue standard, in turn claim
ing that the Republicans had deserted
] their prOte ctiye system, in order to single
| out and destroy a single industry.
/ Finally the amendment was lost by
/ vote OF 81 to %.
| The next amendment offered was also
/ lost, and against the next one Mr.. Car
Isle raised point of order, and pending a
decision the committee rose, and, at $50,
/ the House took a recess until 1880.
The House at the evening session con-
sidered the legislative appropriation bill
/ and completed so of its % pages.
THE SIGNAL SERVICE BUREAU.
! A good deal has recently been published
/ in criticism upon the Signal Service Bu-
/ reau. and Congressman BeltZhOOver, of
! PENNSYLVANIA, on the Sth inst. published
/ in the Congressional Record a speech,
/ which he found no opportunity to deliver
| i'm the House, in which he made some
! very damaging statements in regard to
/ the bureau. Yesterday General Hazen
| addressed a letter to Secretary Lincoln,
| referring to Mr.. BeltZhOOver's speech and
| asking that an inquiry be made by a COM
/ mittee of the Senate. To-day Secretary
! Lincoln replied to General Hazen in the
! following terms;
/ SSSIR-I have the hcnOr to acknowledge
/ the receipt of your letter OF the 14th inst,
\ in which YOU refer to the statement made
| by Hon. Mr.. BeltZhOOver,Of of Pennsylvania,
! in a speech printed in the Congressional
| Record. and asked that the President Of
| the Senate be requested by resolution to
appoint a committee of its members to
thoroughly investigate the matters alleged
/ in that speech, and any other matters that
| any DerSOn NAV see fit to bring to its
notice relating to the Signal Service. L
am unable to consider your request favor
ably. | am not advised of a precedent
for an application by chief
| of a department or bureau, either
directly or through the head department
| to one of the houses OF Congress for the
! appointment of a committee TO ipvesti-
| gate charges of official misconduct made
| in debate by a member. Your request Is,
] 30 .r#H nTar@TsE a~Tnu uuE
! objection i'm that YOU ask the Senate to APP
! point committee to investigate charges
I made in debate by a member OF the
| House of Representatives. The mere
! consideration by the Senate of your ap-
! plication would involve the violation of
| general rule of parliamentary practice
| THE Secretary here quotes section 3 of
! ,JeHeFSOR'S Manual, in which the rule is laid
! down that neither house can take cOgni-
| zance of proceedings in the other until
| DrOperlV referred.l The Secretary
then SAYS. 1T is believed that
any one OF the administrative
| departments of the government is
able to investigate thoroughly charges
of misconduct brought against its officers,
but. however that may be. when an OIL
Ger whose conduct is questioned is an OIL
| Ger of the army, 10 would not seem neces-
| sary 70 resort to tribunals other than those
provided ioI il the Articles of War"
WHOLESALE GAG LAW.
Speaking of KassOn's resolution, Bel
I ford. of Colorado, said to-day: Just as
soon as Kasson makes his motion will
make another. it will be to the effect that
the rules of the House be abolished en-
I tirelv. so that the majority Uill have full
swing. | have fully decided ea this
course. / believe the majority has right
to run the House, and when ! make my
i motion it will be accompanied with a
great deal of music.
CONTRIBUTIONS.
The senate yesterday confirmed the
nom nations Of tAe following POstmasters
Hiram l.. Grant at 6OldsbOro, \, e.;
Philip +. Ezekiel at Beaufort, .. L.
THE IRISH CONSPIRATORS.