Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-03-04

WASHINGTON, March 3.

CoNG9KooaoNA1.
WASHINGTON, March 8.
House.
Washburne offered q preamble an.
resolutions reciting that . petition ha(
been presented to the speaker concern
ing the Jeanette arctic expedition At
fectinx the conduct Of surviving mem
bers and the manner Of investigation o.
the naval court Of inquiry; that fact
presented involve the honor and hu
maniiy of officers in the United States
service ~ well a. the conduct of thoss
who persisted in the exbedition and tina
it il alleged the oours Of inquiry resuse<
to admit valuable testimony 70 be Rive1
to bring out the facts in the CASE: anc
directing the committee on naval affsirI
70 investigate the facts connected with
the said expedition and the alleged IN
oficer-like and unseamaulike conduc
therein, and to send for persons ane
papers- Adopted.
In connection With this resolution
Washburn presented forprintinR in the
record q petition from DR.. d. F. Collins
a brother Of Jerome j. Collins, Of the
Jeanette expedition, setting forth that
after the month Of September Jerome
j. Collins. together With other members
OF the expedition, was treated with
every indignity and outrage, even to be
ing deprived Of all scietific instruments
and the appliances of his position as
Iueteorologist Of the expedition, and
that while the Jeanette was held IN
the Toe Jerome ]. Cssllins was placed
under suspension or arrest by the CON-
msndinR officer of the expedition and
remained % until he died of starvation
and cold on the bank of The River Lena,
ia Northern Siberia. The petition re-
cites the attempt of the officers and
crew in parties to save their lives
after the destruction of the Jeanette
and the loss Of two parties, while the
third under Chief EnRiseer Melville
found placs Of safety. The petition
thorslpon charges that Chief Engineer
Melville made no effort to obtain
information a. TO the condition or Ioca
ton Of the missing parties, aid that he
refused permission TO any party to
search. DR.. Collins further alleges that
the evidence offered to the naval court,
aad that which will be further given by
the survivors, goes to show bev0ad any
reasonable doubt that had Melville per-
formed the duty devolvinR upon him as
commander of the party, and obeyed
the directions given him by Lieutenant
De Long, and Immediately comipuni-
GATED with the Russian authorities, and
conducted tho search for the Captains
party, each and every member Of the
party. with the exception of Erickson,
might have been rescued and alive to-
day. The petition further charges that
the naval court of inquiry in the loss of
the Jeannette refused to Admit or allow
to be given valuable testimony, and
that tho court ruled out nearly every
question that would bring out the true
history Of tho expedition that many
witnesses we're, il is alleged by compe-
tent authority, dependent on or under
the jurisdiction Of and afraid of prose-
oution by tho Naval Department that
the official stenogrspher Of the court
publicly declared in writing that i'm
partial and valuable testimony was sup
pressed, and the proceedings in the
court we're calculated to cover all mat
ters relating to the expedition.
Collins offered q preamble and reso-
lutiOn directing the Committee on
Banking aud Currency to consider the
expedienoy of making an immediate
investigation Of tho charges concern
ing the Pacific National Bank, of BOs-
ten, and 80 amending the banking laws
- to prevent fraud and misconduct in
the future. Adopted.
Bland offered resolution amending
the rules 90 as to make it out of order
to ask unanimous consent for the
adoption of q resolution affecting the
relations of the United States with
foreign countries until referred to and
reported back frOn the proper CON-
mittes. Referred.
Bills we're introduced aad referred as
follows:
BY Caldwell-To prohibit the i'm
postation into the United States Of pau-
per lsborers, lazaroni and beeQars.
By Hancock, by request-To liquidate
the national war debt in gold aud sill
yer bullion, to increase tho circulation
Of national current money, to discon-
tinue the collection of internal revenue
and to establish merchant marine.
[The means by which these results are
to DO obtained il the issue Of 81, DC, OOO,-
600 in greenbaoks.
TOwnshend moved to suspend the
rules in order to pass the bill pension
ing the survivors Of the Mexican var.
The bill does not apply, like that pend
ing before she House, 10 soldiers of the
Blackhavk and other Indian wars
T0wnshend explained the provisions
of the bill. He said the notifications
frsm the bill as introduced by him at
the spring session have been made at
the suggestion of the survivOrs of the
Mexican and various Indian wars. The
latter we're left 10 he considered separ-
ately, letting each stand ON its own
merits. He favored penaiOning the sur
vivors of the Black Hawk and Florida
Indian wars. This bill was in line with
precedents established in pensi0ning
the soldiers of the revolutionary war
and the war of 1912. The average age
of Mexican war survivors was now 81
years.
Browne Of Indiana opposed the bill
ON the ground that IL would pension
men who never saw living or dead
Mexican, merely because their names
were on the muster roll Of that waS. Il
would pension men who did not need .
pension. He was willing to pension
those who engaged in any battle in this
var, or who was on the muster rolls 60
days and nov needed pension. He
thought the soldiers Of the late rebellion
Who served three years deserved pen
sions a. much ~ the soldiers Of the
Mexican war. OF 10000 men who went
into the Mexican war, 5000 vent from
the slave holding States, and this bill
Was brought in because rebel soldiers
could not be pot ON the other pension
roll.
ToWnshend in reply said that Browne
was trying to knife this bill by indirect
means which vas not fair. The Rspab-
lican party held control of both
branches Of the lass Congress and the
executive department and no attempt
was made 20 place these soldiers on the
pension roll. He introduced the bill 70
test the question whether the Mexican
soldiers had enough merit in their
claims to stand alone. He believed
they had. The leRislatures Of the gen.
tls0an's state Of Illinois and twenty
iivs ether states had shown moro pro
tsction and gansf0aity than Indiana's
representative on this a0oT.
Altar further debate the rules were
suspended and the bill passed BY 2s7 TO
Is.
Adjourned.