Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-05-25
WORK OF THE HOUSE.
4 Number of Private Bills Occupy Most
of the Time.

OF Ine AAtlSs
WASHINGTON, May 24.-In the House
to-day MIR. Hatch, of Missouri, presented
the conference report on the bill to estab-
lish a bureau Of animal industries.
The House conferees recommend concur
renee in all the Senate amendments. The
amount OF the appropriation Is reduced from
$4,000 to $4,000, and the jurisdiction OF the
Commissioner of Agriculture Is limited to
such investigation and to such disinfectiOn
and quarantine measures as may be necessary
to prevent the spread Of contagious and infec-
tiOus diseases from one state or Territory into
another, and he is prohibited from applying
any money toward paying for animals it Is
found necessary to slaughter in order to pre-
vent the spread Of the disease. The report
was agreed to.
UnGer the order of the House this
day was assigned to measures called up
by the Committee on Naval Affairs. The first
bill called up was the Senate bill granting
permission to l. X REYNOLDS. of the United
states Navy, to accept the decoration of the
royal and imperial order of Francis Joseph
from the Government of Austria. This was
opposed by MIR. Robinson. of New Ork, who
asserted that its intention was to PROSTATE
the American people In dirt and dc graduation.
1t was the beginning of series of orders Of
nobility. There were twenty applications
before Congress to-day made by dudes of the
navy asking to be allowed to receive decora-
tlOns. He had not time to pour out the alb
hOrrence and hatred which he felt toward
Mr.. Cox, OF New York, denied that the
IA edal 'V"s decoration Of the nobility. 1t
was merely present givUn ~ Young naval
officer for gallant services. The young man
whom the gentleman called dude was now
on his way to the Arctic regions on q mission
Of humanity. The evidence showed that
he had saved eleven lives at the imminent
peril Of his own, and Tor this he had been in
suited by this man here to-day. A life saving
medal was only worthy of gallant man like
him, the objection only worthy OF the gentle
man who was his colleague. Applause.
The bill was passed without division, Mr..
Robinson being unable to muster sufficient
following to call the yeas and nays.
The following bills were passed:
To cqualize the rank of graduates Of the ma
val academy. 1t provides that all graduates
Of the academy who are assigned to the line Of
the navy shall be commissioned ensigns and
abOllshes the grade of junior ensign.
For the appointment of Julius A. Kaiser on
the retired list Of the navy with the rank Of
Passed a Assstant Engineer.
For the retirement Of Samuel Kramer with
the rank of Chaplain.
Granting to Passed Assistant Engineers an
increase of pay of $3.50 after ten years service,
and a similar increase after fifteen years.
The next bill restoring Alfred Hopkins to
the rank Of Captain in the Navy was con-
sldered In committee of the whole. This is
the officer who was in charge of the Pensacola
Navy y ard in 1882, and was dismissed from
the service after being tried by court martial
on charge OF leaving his post Of duty before
being relieved during the prevalence of yellow
fever at that place. The Committee on Naval
Affairs bases its report on the ground that as
commandant of the yard Captain Hopkins
had limited discretion conferred upon him
to leave the limits Of his command
not longer than one week in
any successive two months. Can't. Hopkins
was absent but five days when he was put on
writing orders, and therefore had violated
no law or regulation. The report critcises
the action of the court martial in excluding
certain testimony, ana the committee comes
to the conclusion that the finding of the court
IS wholly without evidence to support it.
MIR. Buchanan, OF Georgia, gave a history
OF the case, aud made an argument in sup
pert of the bill, denying that there was par
ucle of Justification for the finding Of the
court.
MIR. Lyman, of Massachusetts,, in opposing
the bill, quoted from the record TO show that
in 1861 Capt. Hopkins had been convicted Of
drunkenness while on duty. There was no
excuse for the interference OF Congress in this
case. II was true that Capt. Hopkins had
only been absent for five days, but it was well
known that in moments of peril the common
rules Of the army and navy as to leaves of alb
sence was suspended.
Mr.. buchanan inquired under what law
that was done.
Mr.. Lyman replied that there was no law,
but that ii was a custom OF the service. 1t
was not desirable to have Capt. Hopkins in
the service when the service was Overcharged
with good officers.
f. b. Taylor, of Ohio, protested against the
action OF Mr.. Lyman IN bringing a charge of
drunkenness against Capt Hopkins in 1867 in
order to influence a decision on the pending
bill. He had been punished for it, but no man
would dare to argue that he had been tried
properly at that time.
Mr.. Taylor then went on to speak on the
pending bill, and asserted that at the time
Capt. Hopkins was charged with dereliction
Of duty he was actually exactly and all the time
within the limits of the law. After further
debate by Messrs. GOf, of West Virginia, and
Foran, of Ohio, in favor of and by Mr.. Brumm,
of Pennsylvania, in opposition to the bill,
Mr.. Lyman moved to strike out the enactng
clause. The motion was lost. The bill was
then laid aside with a favorable recommen-
datiOn, and when the committee rose the bill
was Dassed The House then adiOurned