St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-06
WASHINGTON.
Mr.. Belford Vies With Sunset Cox
as the Funny Man OF
the House.
An Unusually Magnificent State Dim
ner, for Gentlemen Only, Given
by the President.
The Duty on Coal--A Home for Friendless
Girls---Irving Visits the President
Keifer Again Testifes.
Especial Telegram to the Globe. /

Especial Telegram to the Globe
WASHINGTON, March 5.-Mr. s. S. Cox
took the trouble this afternoon, while the
house was discussing the naval appropriation
bill, to give an explanation of his failure on
three occasions to achieve the speakership.
ANOTHER FUNNY MAN.
Bedford, whom it will be necessary for the
house to suppress if he insists on being as
funny as he can be, moved to amend an item
for contingent expenses by raising the
amount from $4,000 to S50,00O,o 900 and
then made his daily onslaught on
Randall for his economy by saying that he
(BelforO never went to Philadelphia and
made a speech for the Democrats and was
then beaten by 900 majority. Mr.. Ran
1alrs aspirations were knocked in the head,
and he was politically as dead as Lazarus,
with no Jesus at hand to resurrect him. Cox,
to whom Bedford had also made some passing
allusion, jumped up and commented
upon Belfords dramatic manner, which
he said was as natural as if
he came from the top of the Rocky noun
tains and wore sunset on his head. He
would ask the clerk to read a paragraph
which would explain the source Of Belford's
dramatic inspirations. Thereupon he had
the clerk read a paragraph of very broadly
burlesque character describing visit Of Mr..
Belford to one of Mrs. Langtry's perform
ances, and his ecstacy over her
beauty, proceeding then to remark on
Belford's susceptibility to the fair sex and his
qualifications as a connoisseur OF feminine
41,o oil or
in the aisle shaking with laughter, as though
he would dislocate all his joints. It was
great occasion for the red haired rover of the
Rocky mountains, but it was none the less
piece of buffonry, and though everybody
laughed good many were not pleased at
having the debate interrupted for fun of this
character. Mr.. Cox's willingness to lend
himself to this sort of play, is the reason why
SO few members of the house care to put
him in the speakers chair. "Mr. Coz"
said one of the Oldest Democratic members,
''is man that new Democratic congress
men come to Washington with an exalted
opinion of. After they have been here
while and observed him, they still admit his
abilities and recognize him as good fellow,
but they don't support him for the speaker
ship.'
NAVAL KNOWLEDGE.
Mr.. Warner, of Ohio, during the debate
aired his ignorance of salt water affairs by
assuming that the technical term Glands
men" used in the navy referred to men en-
ployed on land and finding that 5000 men
were employed in the navy yards, he de-
Quoted them from the whole number of en-
listed men, and arrived at the conclusion
that there were only 1000 sailors in the navy
or one officer to less than three men.
KEIFER TEsTIFIEs AGAIN.
Coleman felt compelled to put Keifer on
the stand again to-day to deny the statements
so positively made by half dozen veracious
witnesses that Keifer talked with Boynton
about the tariff in Boynton's office on the
evening of the day upon which the alleged
attempt to corrupt Keifer is said to have
been made. He must have regretted the
necessity, for Keifer was as nervous and
evasive as though he knew he was lying.
He squirmed under Ramsey's sharp cross-ex-
animation, and made several damaging adj
missions. His denials had no weight with the
committee. Chairman Hopkins in tone of
surprise asked him to repeat it. This he did
in a shutting way, looking all the while at
the end of the room opposite to the seat oc
cupied by Hopkins. Keifer can seldom be
induced to look his questioner in the eye.
THE BANKRUPT BILL.
The house Judiciary committee having de
termined to-day to report the Sewen bank
ruptcy bill ..as amended by the senate judi
ciary committee, Gen. Collins, of Boston, who
will have charge of it in the house, will re-
double his efforts to get it through this ses-
sion. Senator Hoar is hard at work on the
other side of the capitol with the same end in
view. 1t is feared they will not be able to
get the bill through this session.
MUTUAL ADMIRATION.
Secretary Chandler and William Walter
Phelps took Henry Irving and Joseph Hatton
to see the president to-day. Irving told the
president how much he admired his admin
istration, and the president told Irving how
much he enjoyed his performance last night.
Afterwards Secretary Chandler took Irving
and Hatton through the conservatory, and
they subsequently joined William Walter
Phelps in the private dining room, where
they had some wine. Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher was also among the presidents
callers.
THE TARIFF ON COAL.
Morrison scored point on the bituminous
coal men, who appeared before the ways and
means committee to-day. He asked them
whether it was not true that American coast
ing vessels imported coal free of duty
through a rebate provision in the tariff law.
They thought not Looking at the law they
admitted that such was the case. Why should
not American factories have the same priv
ilege? asked Morrison. They could not say.
woman whom he supposed or chose to pre-
tend he supposed was bad character, and
commit her without trial or examination to
one or the other of those asylums for an in
definite period. It didn't take long to ex-
pose to the senate the danger Of bestowing
upon such ignorant and brutal men as may
be found in every police force, powers Of this
character. Only few weeks ago Wash
ington policeman arrested young man,
kept him in the station house
! over night and took him to the
police court the next morning to be punished
for public profanity when absolutely the only
offense the young man committed was to
laugh vociferously at the officer when he slip
ped down on the icy sidewalk
CONSULAR JURISDICTION.