Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-06
BANKRUPTCY PROVISIONS
LoWELLs BILL TO BE REPORT
ED GREATLY AMENDED.

MIR. Oates, of Alabama, Casts the Vote
Which Decided the Measures Fate
Some of the Important Changes made
in COmmittee-The Blair Bill to be
Defeated In the House.
WASHINGTON, March 5.-The House
Committee on Judiciary would not have
determined to-day to report the Lowell
bankruptcy bill even as amended to the
House had it not been for the vote of Mr..
Oates, OF Alabama, who said that while
he was opposed to the ball he thought 1t
but right and proper that it should be re-
ported to the House, so that 1t might be
discussed and decided upon then. So
that it really comes from the committee
loaded with the dIsapproval of a majority
OF its members, who will express it in the
debates, and yet the bill as reported is not
even the Lowell bill,
IMPORTANT CHANGES.
Important changes have been made in
it by the committee. The provision for
supervisors in bankruptcy, the provision
for committee of creditors to act with
the assignee, and the provision making
the nonpayment of commercial paper
within 80 days after maturity an act of
nhAuRbCy u6FG 0GCn Dbt I'm
en- out. SO has the provision making an
assignment without preferences an act of
involuntary bankruptcy. The provision
making an assignment with preferences
an act OF involuntary bankruptcy still re-
mains.
BONDS FOR WARRANTS.
A provision is added to the clause re-
quiring creditors to give bond on the issue,
at their request Of a warrant for the
arrest of debtor, allowing a debtor to
recover exemplary damages in cases
where the warrant is procured without
probable cause or through malice. A
clause is also added to the effect that
neither the wife nor attorney of the debtor
shall be required upon examination 10
disclose any communication to them by
the debtor, which is protected as conf
Dental by the practices Of the common
law.
THE BILL WEAKENED.
But it will be seen that the bill has been
greatly weakened. 1t will be the purpose
of the members of the Judiciary Commit
tee, who favor the original Lowell bill, to
have these committee amendments
stricken out of the bill which was to-day
ordered reported to the House. Probably
they will attempt to substitute the Senate
bill for it. The other members Of the COM
mittee, except Mr.. Seney, of Ohio, who
will present mis- own bill, will simply eu-
deavor to prevent the passage of any
bankruptcy bill. 1t is believed that the
friends of the original Lowell bill have q
majority in the House. a
HOW THE BLAIR BILL PASSED.
The Blair bill would not have had so
large majority by ten or a dozen votes
to-day. had it not been that the Republi-
can Senators, who might otherwise have
voted against it on principle, deliber-
ately voted for it on policy with the hope
and belief that it would be defeated In the
House. This will be its probable fate in
the House, where 1t has the opposition OF
the strict c0nstructionists, the revenue
reformers, and the particular friends of
the cOlOred man. The House Committee
on Education, to which 1t will be referred
on Monday, is opposed TO it, and so it will
come before the House handicapped by an
adverse committee report. The debate on
it, II Ii should ever be considered, threat
ems to be so prOtraeted that its consfdera-
ti0n will probably be postponed till after
that Of both the tariff bill and the silver
question.
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
On Monday the Senate Committee on
the Judiciary will consi the Presidents
special message of last Monday. Mr..
Edmunds will have the majority adopt
report embOdying his views OF it. The
minority will also submit report. Then
these two reports will be discussed in the
Senate, together with the Edmunds and
Pugh reports, already before it. Then the
Republican majority will quietly proceed
to the confirmation Of nominations on
their merits. The Presidents lesson has
not been lest on them.