Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-29
ATTHE NATIONS CAPITAL
RIVER AND HARBOR APPRO-
PRIATIONS UNDER FIRE.

RIVER AND HARBOR APPRO-
PRIATIONS UNDER FIRE.
The Land Grab" Question Laid Upon
the Table-COx, of New York, POurs
OIL on the Troubled Waters-Amend-
ments to the Eight-Hour Labor Bill
One Representative Afraid of an Aris-
tOcracy of Labor.
WASHINGTON, June 2s.-In the Senate
to-day Mr.. Plumb submitted the report of
the conference committee on the army
appropriation bill. The Senate agreed to
the report and ordered committee OF
conference on the clause relating to the
compensation to be paid to the Pacific
roads, the point on which the Senate in
sisted upon its amendment. The Chair
appointed Messrs. Logan, Plum and
Ransom as such committee.
Mr.. Blair, from the Committee on Pensions,
reported favorably the House bill to grant
pension to the widow Of Maj. Gen. James B.
Steedman. Placed on the calendar.
The Chair appointed Messrs. HOar Sherman
and Pugh as a committee Of conference on the /
part Of the Senate on the Presidential count
M Mr. Mcmillan gave notice that when the
general deficiency appropriation ball shall
have been compIeteu NJ win cali up tho river
and harb0r bill.
The general deficiency appropriation bill
was then taken up, and its consideration pro-
ceeied with. The committees amendment was
adopted striking out the prOvisO adopted in
the House, that no part Of the money apprO
pria.ed for District Attorneys and their as
sistants should be used to pay special counsel
7 fees.
ON motion Of Mr. Hale who SAID he acted in
I the matter for Mr.. Plumb, who was for the
/ moment absent, an item was added authoriZ-
ing the Attorney General to pay c. II. Reed
/ for services as counsel for the late Charles J.
/ Guiteau as Iauch as he may deem just, not TO
/ exceed $1,000.
The bill not being completed was read the
/ third time and passed. The amendments
above noted are the only substantial changes
made IN the bill, in addition to those reported
4 by the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
The regular order-the Atlantic aud Pacific
/ land grant forfeiture bil--was laid aside and
! the river and harbor bill was taken up and
! proceeded with.
on reaching the Senate committees pro-
I posed amendment appropriatlng S25,000 for
/ the improvement of the Coos riV5r, Oregon.
Mr.. Slater, aided by Mr.. Dolph. succeeded in
/ getting the Senate to add $500 to the amount
! allowed by the committee.
- On reaching the item for Yoquina bay, Mr..
slater moved to make the appropriation
$65, 600 instead of $4,000. This was too much
| for Mr.. Frye, who said he would like to see
fair play in regard to river and haFbor eXpen-
dituTes, but Oregon had already got great
| deal more than it was entitled to,
| if measured by the standard adopted
for other States. The Senate Com
| mittee on Rivers and Harbors had been COM
! PEELED to give that State four times as much
I as its proper share just because there was on
that committee as persistent and importunate
| a beggar for his State (alludng to Mr.. Dolph)
| as he (Alr. Frye had ever known in his life.
| Continuing, MIR. Frye asked where this bill
/ would end il the Senate were to increase the
amounts reported by the committee. The
I committee, he said, had in the first
place undertaken to cut down the House
appropriations, and had succeeded in reducing
it SS00000. The bill was printed with that re-
ductiOn, and within six hours after that bill
had been cut down almost every single item
was back in the bill. II we should appropri-
ate the amounts recommended by the engI7
neers and others as indispensable" we should
have river and harbor appropriation of $24,
100000.
Mr.. Slater said the trouble was that the
Congress of the United States had under
taken to put this great nation of
50,000,000 people in a straight jacket,
and they could not accomplish the task. We
were developing with rapidity with which
Congress did not keep pace. The river and
harbOr bill ought to be $4,000 900 a year. The
bill was far below the demands of the COM
merce of the country.
Mr.. Mcmillan thought there was no danger
that Oregon would suffer in the Senate. He
4 cOncurred in Mr.. Slaters view that the river
and harbor bill should be increased because
| of the rapid development of the coun-
/ try. We could not make appropria tiOns.
| however in anti cipatiOn of the necessities of
! localities and harbOrs. He hoped the Senate
/ would adhere to the committees recon-
| mendations, which it did. and Mr.. Slater's
I motion for an increase was not agreed to.
Mr. Pugh hoped the Senate would not agree
I to the recommendation of the Senate COM
| mittee reducing from $350,0O0 to S25o,000 the
/ Appropriation for continuing the improve
/ ment of the Tennessee river. including
| Muscle Shoals. After remarks by Messrs.
Pugh and Harris, for larger amount, and
Messrs. COnger and Mcmillan, for a smaller
sum, the Senate disagreed to the reduction,
and replaced the original amount.
The Chair announced as q committee of con-
ference on the part of the Senate on the legis
lative, executive and judicial appropriation
| bill Messrs. Allison, Dawes and Cockrell.
/ Mr.. Mcmillan gave notice of his intention to
I Monday debate
! river and harbor amendments to five minutes
for each Senator, and the Senate then, at 40
| O'Clock. went INTO executive session, and when
the doors were reopened adjourned.
IN THE HOUSE.
In the House to-day, on motion of Mr.. Hol-
| man, Of Indiana, the Senate amendments to
the legislative appropriation bill were non
Mr.. Hatch, of Missouri. submitted the con-
ference report on the joint resolution for
| printing the report of the Commissioner of
! Agriculture, and was agreed to. The joint
| resolution appropriates 100000 for printing
| 100000 copies of the report.
The Speaker announced the appointment of
| Messrs. ROsecranz Morgan and CutcheOn as
| a conference committee on the bill to reor-
ganize the Bureau of Military Justice.
The Speaker stated that the regular order
| was the question of privilege coming over
from yesterday and presented by the resoiu-
tion offered by Mr.. Cannon, of Illinois, that
the Record be so amended as to show that the
/ speech purportlng to have been delivered by
| Mr.. McAdoO, of New Jersey, in which allu-
sion was made to Senator Logan, was not
actually delivered by him.
Mr.. Cox, of New York, after deprecating
| the practice of printing long essays in the
Record, said that the present dispute arose
| from the publication in the Record of arti-
Gle from the New Ork Star, stating that Sem
| ator Logan owned $1,000 acres of land. 1t had
not been charged that he came by them
| wrongfully. He Mr.. Cox did not know that
/ Mr., Logan was dishonest man. What was
the object of this discussion to-day, except to
/ prevent adjournment? In order to put an end
TO the discussion he moved to lay the whole
matter on the table. Cries of "GOodW and
| '.Note!'l The motion was agreed to without
division.
Mr. Horr. of Michigan, from the Committee
| on Appropriation. reported the fortihcations
| appropriations bill, and it was referred to the
/ committee of the whole. Mr.. Randall, of
! Pennsylvania, on behalf Of the minority Of
the committee, submitted substitute there
for, and it was given the same reference. Mr..
| HOrr gave notice that he would call up the
! bill for consideration on Monday. The House
| then, at l:45, went into committee of the
whole MIR. Springer in the chair on the bus
iness reported from the Committee on Labor.
The bill considered was one providing for
the adjustment Of the accounts Of laborers,
| wOrkmen and mechanics arising under the
eight-hOur law. The bill is retroactive and
affects labor performed for the United States
Mr.. Tillman, OF South Carolina, opposed the
| bill, eharaeterizing it as claim agents bill
| and declaring it would permit another raid
on the Treasury, and not only to permit the
raid but to create an aristOcracy of labor.
On motion of Mr.. Hewitt, of Alabama, the
| first section was amended so as to read as fol-
| lows: THAT whoever as labOrer, workman
| or mechanic. hereafter employed by or on be-
half Of the Government of the United States,
shall be paid for each eight hours he has been
/ employed as for a full days work"
On motion Of Mr.. Mcmillan, of Tennessee.
| the second section was amended to correspond
/ with the first section so as to apply merely to
| the future.
The committee then. rose. The Speaker an
nounced the following conference committees:
| On the legislative appropriation bill, Messrs.
| Hancock, Holman and Cannon; electoral
1 count bill, Messrs. Eaton, Bennett and Hart.
/ The House then adjourned.
The Coming Adjournment.
/ WASHINGTON, June 2S.-The general
belief in an adjournment of Congress on
/ IulY B was greatly StrenOfhened hY the