Morning journal and courier., 1884-12-18
18th Gongress...Seeend Session.

WASHINGTON; Dec. IT:
 SENAfR: -SeeTstary Chandler replied to- day to resolution of inquiry by Mir Vest that orders had been issued to certain civil service engineers to survey the route for the proposed Nicaragua canal under the general powers of the department to issue such or ders for the public interest. The estimated cost of the expedition, in addition to officers pay, was put at $1 ,000 for outfit and $1,- l 900 a month during the time consumed by the survey. MT. Vest gave notice that he l should criticise ChandIer's position at an early day that such a step could be taken without consent of Congress.
 MT. Dawes brought tip the question of 1n- dian land leases; stating that he had received a communication from Montana the three million acres of the Crow reservation were reported leased by Indians at one cent an acre, and that threats and bribery had been resorted to for this purpose. He found no record of this lease in that Interior denart- ment A resolution calling on Secretary Teller for information was passed | The Senate then took up the naval ap- propriatien niis. Mri .Hal6 explained that the proposition of the Senate U apPoiht new conferences the naval bill of last sessttcc,, had been ignored by the House. Whether such action comported with the courtesy usually maintained by the two bodies, senators must judge for themselves Instead of adopting the House bill making another lump appropriation for the remaining six months of the year, the Senate, Committee on Appropriations now proposed to make an appropriation in the amounts already ap- l propriated for each item and send the bill over to the House and leave with them the l responsibility of saying whether this great department should be provided with money or not.
 Pending the consideration of the bill the | Senate, on motion of MT. Morrill,, at 1:15 D. ] m. went into executive session The nomi- | nation of Charles F. Ashley of Chatham, N. Y., to be Indian agent of the Colorado seen- 1 cy, Arizona, was confirmed and that of Isaac Heyman to be postmaster of Opelika. Ala, was rejected. The executive session con stunned more than an hour, the greatest part of the time being taken up byfSenator Rid | dleberger, who continued at great length his | opinion in opposition to the confirmation of Hon. Hugh MeCulloch to be Secretary of the l Treasury. Among other documents read by 1 the Senator was Secretary McCul10ch's last | annual report.
 The Senate shortly after 8 o'clock resumed 1 it's open session without acting upon the nomination and took up for consideration | the Senates substitute for the House naval
 appropriation bill, which includes the pro- | visions for constructing additional steel
 cruisers, rams, torpedo boats and guns con-
 tained in the unsuccessful bill of last session.
 MT. Morgan strongly opposed the revival of | the gun foundry board, who by | the bill were to advise the Seere-
 taries of War and the Navy upon 1 the question of armaments. He declared that Johnstown Penn., had greater capac- ity of manufacturing and produced better grade of steel than Krupp's works; that Cal | ifornia had the finest steel ores in the world
 and that the capacity of the United States for producing within it's own limits by pri-
 yate competition the most improved modern
 ordnance was excelled by no country in the ! world. not executing EnplaQd. | MT. Hale accepted amendment limiting l the services of the gun foundry board to the present session of Congress- and as thus
 amended the bill was passed and at five min utes to 5 the Senate adjourned.
 l HoUsE-A meager number of private and
 sundry bills came up to-day.
 Tuesday, January 20, at p. m. and Mon
 day, January 26, at 2:30 D. m. were fixed for eulogies of the late John H. Evans of South Carolina and W. A. Duncan of Pennsylvania respectively.
 MT. Reagan then called up the special or der and the House proceeded to vote on Mr. O'Hara's motion to table MT. Blounts motion
 to reconsider the vote of yesterday by which MT. O'Hara's amendment was adopted Mr. l Blount's motion to reconsider was tabled :; yeas 149, nays 120.
 | MT. Crisp, of Georgia, offered a further
 amendment that nothing in this act shall be | 80 construed as to prevent any railroad com pany from providing separate accommoda I tions for white and coloIed persons. He says the laws of Georgia emphatically re- | quired railroads to furnish equal facilities to
 all without regard to race, color or previous l condition. Why seek now to open anew the | agitationR If the popular sentiment of a
 State required separate accommodations ! why should it not be regarded?
 l. Mr Smalls of North Carolina opposed 1 the amendment and said as a matter of fact l in Georgia there distinction made and l co1ored passengers were forced into smok- ! ing or ssJim Crow'' cars. l MT. Herbert, of Alabama, said that there
 was no disposition on the part of southern Democrats to deny to any class equal facili-
 ties in travelling. He charged that. the
 amendment of MT. O'Hara was intended to
 renew political agitation and arouse political prejudice. MT. O'Hara regretted that the colored question had been brought into the 1 debate. All were American citizens and it | was too late for the American Congress to consider the color question.
 l. MT. Breckenridge, of Arkansas, offered a statement providing that nothing in the act shall be construed to prohibit railroads from classifying passengers as they may deem best for comfort and.safety, and that it shall not 1 apply to points within a single State MT. Reed of Maine, was glad to see by the l last amendment an abandonment of the color question and the question made one of as-
 sortment Were they to be assorted by these robber barons If so, it to be a ques- tion of sizes Wal he to be put in one car and the gentleman from Arkansas in another
 simply because of an unfortunate difference
 in measurement Was it to be question of moustache complexion
 MT. Reagan said the gentleman had sought to be humorous. Did he not know that rail 1 road conductors did assort passengers l. MT. Reed denied that there was any sorting
 of passengers in New England or New York
 MT. Crisp said he had not intended to raise | a political question. It had not been sup Eposed that the co1ored people of the country
 desired mixing of the assortment. ]"
 Neither did he suppose any large portion of
 the whites of the country desired such mix
 ing.
 | MT. Henley, of California, said that ap-
 pearance was not to be considered, therefore
 the gentleman from Maine need have no ap- prehensions.
 MT. Brumm, of Pennsylvania, said he found the color line so clearly defined that
 the colored assistant sergeant t-at-a arms attend ing the funeral of the late senator from Georgia not allowed to sit in the same
 room with the funeral cortege.
 MT. Barksdale, of Mississippi, said in Mis-
 sissippi there was actually no discrimination
 made.
 Mir. Browne, of Indiana, said the world
 moved and the spirit of John Brown went
 marching on Only a few years ago at | the national capital @ distinguished physician of Boston was put off the street car because he was half
 black. He did not object so much
 to the black as he did to the ejectment of the white half. He denied that this was social question. He had seen cases of intermar- l riage of the races and, as far as his expert
 ence went, the darkey invariably got the | worst of the bargain. The time had come
 when there should be an end to class legisla-
 ton.
 | Further debate was cut off by demand by MT. Reagan for the previous question MT Breckenridges substitute was agreed to; yeas 138, nays 127. The amendment as amended
 was then agreed to; yeas 137, nays 131.
 MT. Mills of Texas, offered an amendment
 making three cents per mile the minamum
 charge for the transportation of passengers
 from one State into another; agreed to, yeas 139, nays 121.
 MT. Golf, of West Virginia, moved to add to MT. Breckenridge's amendment the words I ''No discrimination shall be mode on account
 of race or color;" agreed to. yeas, 40, nays 109.
 Pending ssrnotions to reconsider and to lay