The New York Herald Newspaper, April 27, 1872, Page 3

Tit The Impeachment of Three New York Judges. ne THE WRANGLE IN THE ASSEMBLY. Prince’s Motion to Commence the Proceedings at Once. SPEAKER SMITHS SOLEMN HARANGUE, Is There Misapprehension in the Minds of Members ?---Must Not the Business of the House Be First Completed ? THE JUDIOIARY COMMITTEE READY. ——— ——— Mr. Tilden Believes the House Fully Committed Upon the Subject. THE GOVERNOR AND THE CHARTER. The Seventy Solons and City Office-Hold- ers Besioging the Executive Chambers. ALBANY, April 26, 1872, The question of the impeachment of the New York Judges against whom charges have been pre- ferred, was up again in the Assembly to-day, and ereated some sharp discussion. Last week Mr. Prince offered a resolution to the effect that tho House complete its legislative business as far as possible by noon to-day; that the report of the Ju- diciary Committee in relation to the charges against the New York Judges be made the special order for that time; that the House then enter upon “proceedings for impeachment,” and that notice thereof be given to the Senate and to the Comptroller of the State. The resolution having been laid upon the table, Mr. Prince called it up yes- terday, and moved to substitute Wednesday, May 1, for Friday, April 26, which was adopted. As ® farther amendment, Mr. Alvord moved to strike out all of the resolution relating to proceed- ings for impeachment, and to simply make the report ofthe committee the special order for the 1st of May, immediately after the reading of the jour- nal. The whole subject was again laid on the table yesterday, but it was called up to-day, Mr. Preston moving to reconsider the vote by which it had been laid upon the table. Mr. Prince immediately moved the previous question, and Mr. Alvord calied for the yeas and nays upon that motion. The result was that the resolution was taken from the table by vote of 61 to 48. The first question was upon the adoption of Mr. Alvord’s substitute, and it wag lost by a vote of 88to 71. The question then recurred upon THE ADOPTION OF MR. PRINCE'S RESOLUTION, which was carried by a vote of 76 to 29, as follows :— Yuas—Mersrs. Alberger, I. H. Babcock, Badeau, Bal Beckwith, Bemus, Bennett, Diair, B. 8. Brown, TD: rown, Buckley, ‘Buell, Burritt, Carroll, Chamberlain, Chambers, Crandall, Bunphy, lammer, Foley, Ford, Fowler, Geib, Goring, Go: Greenhalgh, Haight, Hart, Haughton, A. L. Hayes, Herrick, A. Vill, Holdridge, Houghton, Hungerford, epnedy, Kilian, Knapp, Knet? jes, Lincoln, Lippitt, @: P. Fa ‘Loughran, Lynde, ‘ay, Marcy, Moore, Niles, Pell, Pierce, Preston, Pi Ray, Rice, Roché, Rose, Sage, rdson,' Siniley, nyder, Speaker, Springsted, ii Strahah, Swain, ucker, W. J. Van Dusen,’ Vedder, Whitbeck, White, pgiltey, Woodward, Wostsey, Wynian and Whitaker, Yeomans—' Abbott, Alvord, D, L, Babeock, Berrl, , Couchman, Dykeman, Enos, Fort, Grinin, D! ‘ollister, Husted, Nays—Me: Campbell . HEL, Eh ‘Jacobs, Kingsland, Lewis, Mor- » Moseley, Mother, Moisiton, Murdock, Osgood, Simson, im Ty west—a. SI Tobey, M. M.’ Tompkins, Twombly and THE SPEAKER'S SOLEMN SPEECH. Speaker Smith, who had resigned the chair to Mr. Husted, and who had changed his vote from the negative to the affirmative in order to be able to make @ motion to reconsider, then took the Moor, and, moving to reconsider the vote by which the resolution had just been adopted, proceeded to discuss the question involved in that portion of it relating to proceedings for impeachment. In his usual solemn and studied manner he first called at- tention to that calm, deliberate and independent judgment which members ought to exercise ina question of such great importance as the one which ‘was before them. He imagined that some had voted for the resolution under a misapprehension. He did not intend to criticise the chairman of the Judl- clary Committee, who had offered the resolution, for he believed it had been offered with a sincer desire to advance the public intersts; but he di desire to point out what the resolution itself pro- e&. First, it declared that by the lst of May the louse should as, far as possible, consummate its legislative duties, Such a formal declaration as this he considered id unnecessary, when every one cnew that the House was endeavoring to coni- plece its legislative business as expeditiously as ene But it was to the other part of the reso- jution that he wished to call the most serious atten- tion—that declaring that the House should on the Ist of May enter upon proceedings for impeach- meat. He dwelt upon the ity of such a declara- tion, and inguired what were proceedings for im- eachment ? Were they the eon investigation yy which the House was to be informed as to whether articles of impeachment were presented ? or were they proceedings upon the trial which should culminate in a judgment? He thought it highly improper that in the absence of any report from the committee the House, should solemnly de- clare by resolution that, on that da; it would enter upon proceedings for impeach- ment against thi Judges sitting in the Court of highest orignal jurisdiction in this State, for, in his opinion that meant that on that day they would enter upon proceedings to convict those Judges. For himself, he was desirous of proceeding with all yreren despatch consistent with other public iterests and the rights of the accused to the con- ance of the charges against these Judges; but e contended that before any report whatever was received trom the committee, it would be highly taaporopriate for the House to declare in advance on a certain day it would enter upon Pods for impeachment. It was paid there was a precedent for such a course, but he was opposed to being bound by precedents, for if we were to follow them the world would make no progress. He insisted that the resolution was inappropriate at this stage of the proceedings, REPLY OF MR. PRINCE. Mr. Prince made a short and sharp ly to the solemn speech of Speaker Smith. nated of those who voted for the resolution having done so under misapprehension, he said, he was willing to give those who voted In the negative the credit of hay- Ing done so undera Santer ton of the facts and of its scope, The Judiciary Committee had, said, been urged Py, the press, by embers of the House and by the gentleman from Albany fae Smith) himself, to bring this mat- ter in relation to the Judges to a speedy termina- tion. The committee had been blamed, and blamed ‘without stint for what was called their delay, when they had hag their days and nights to this work since the 20th of February; and now, when a mem- ber of that committee offered a resolution lookin; toward early and decisive action, which could not be interfered with by the third reading of bills, op- ition came from the very source from which he at hoped to receive the most support. Pro- ceedings for impeachment, he said, did not mean trial by the Court which was composed of the Judges of the Court of Appeals and the Senate, but Fre iminary proceedings of the Assembly, including ihe reception of the report of the committee, debate and action on that report, the appointing of a com- mittee to draw up charges, the reception of those charges Py, the House, the debate upon each one of them, which might be of considerable length, and the appointment of managers on the part of tho House to conduct the trial after the Legislature, as #@0ch, should have adjourned. The precedent for this course was found in the action of the Assembly on the idth of April, 1868, when a resolution was pted and sent tothe Senate informing that body that the House had entered upon proceedings for impeachment. More than three months passed before that Assembly adjourned and the trial was commenced by the Court, ‘Thus the Assembly was engaged from the 14th of April to the 2ist of July, Ww an intervening recess of tive weeka, in the Beroeeciae. ey to the formal trial in the rt. He contended that the moment the House commenced to consider the report of the commit. tee, any member of which might recommend the im- Sr of the judges, it entered npon ‘ cat ogg As this subject wt ‘ont important one that com before this Legislature, as it would ty ponaicone the great historical event of the session, he thought it proper that s apecial time shonid be sot apart Jor ite consideration, and that, as far as At SPATE CAPITAL, | | be ready to report by the Ist of May. jonld take precedence over all other matters. The debate tow assumed the shape of a EXAMINATION, In reply to a question by the SpeaRer, Mr. Prince said that one advantage of passing this resolution was that it would serve to allay public excite- ment. There was @ degree of uneasiness in. the public mind from the belief by some people that there was a possibility of the Legislature adjourning without taxing any action upon this matter of the Judges. He was auite confident that the Judiciary Committee would Mr. D. B. Hill here inquired Whether, if the House sustained this resolution, it would not be bound to enter upon roceedings of impeachment, even if the commit- ee should report that the charges against the Judges had not been sustained by the evidence. Mr. Prince replied that it would not, even suppos- ing the case suggested to be within the possal- bilities. Mr. Hill further asked whether the Judl- ciary Committee had agreed upon their report, to which Prince gave an evasive answer by statin that he did not consider it proper to tell what had | transpired in executive session of the committee, Hill then desired to know whether this resolatior Was presented by the Judiciary Committee, an Prince replied that it was not presented by the Ju. diciary Committee as such, but that it had been preseniea by himself, after consultation with mem- ers of that committee. In conclusion, Mr. Prince made a short appeal to the House to sustain him in this matter, The House had shown its confi- dence in the Committee on Ways and Means and in the Committee on Canals, and he hoped it would now show its confidence in the Judiciary Committee and sustain that committee in its efforts to carry on this important matter decently and in order, and according to the precedent that had been established, OLD SALT ON THE JUDICIAL ERMINE. Mr. Alvord now made a last attempt to defeat the resolution. In his opinion Prince had not taken a single tenable poskeen: He deemed it altogether wrong for the House to resolve to enter upon pro- ceedings for impeachment before the report of the committee had been presented, before even the report had been finished, and without a particle of evidence before the House tending to show the ne- cessity for impeachment, He pointed out also that under the constitution and the statutes of the State, after the report should have been presented, the Legislature had the power either to reject the report, to remove the Judges by concurrent resolu- tion, or to order a trial by a Court of Impeachment. He contended that no proceedings for impeachment, could be entered upon until after the report o| the committee ad been presented an adopted. He was willing to conside the subject without delay, would vote to set aside all other business if the report should be presented to-day, but he deemed it due to the high character of the Judges, due to the reputation of those con- cerned, due to the people of the State, and due to the highest of all earthly positions—that of the Judge, who holds in his hands the balance between right and wrong—that the House should proceed carefully to see that the fountains of justice are urifled, and atthe same time that there should Ye no attempt to prejudge the cases of thoseeJudges, Or by ae ene east any slur or indignity upon what ould be held most pure and sacred among men, For these reasons he was utterly opposed to the resolution. THE CLOSING SCENE. After a few remarks from Mr. Niles, a motion to lay the motion to reconsider on the table was lost, and the previous question having been moved by Mr. Prince, and the yeas and nays called for by Mr. Alvord, the Clerk proceeded call the roll upon the motion of the Speaker to reconsider the vote by which the resolution had been adopted, and which ‘was now really the test question of the whole matter. The scene in the Assembly Chamber while the vote was being taken was one which those who witnessed it will jong remember. Suppressed excitement prevailed in the galleries and on the floor. Many of the members were conferring with each other, and busy as a bee flitting from flower flower was ince, as he was skipping here and there among the members, in order to bo sure that ho would have sufficient strength to sustain the action of the House. Several members changed their yotes be- fore the result had been announced, and these changes were nearly all against reconsideration. By unanimous consent Mr. Tilden was given an Spporeantty to make some remarks, and he held that, having omy. considered the constitution, he was clearly of opinion that the House had ac- tually entered upon “proceedings for im) yh- ment” when the charges inst the Judges had been referred to the Judiciary Committee to investigate. Consequently he dissented entirely from the idea that the House had no power to transact other business haga! roceedings for impeachment, and he held that whenever part of the business of a session was devoted to such pro- ceedings the limitation of the pay of members to 100 days was abrogated. Mr. Vedder, in explain- ing his vote,'distinctly defined the difference be- tween proceedings “for” and proceedings ‘4n’? im- peachment, The one consisted of the necessal Beek anasoe and the other of the trial by the Sourt. The result was at length announced, and THE MOTION TO RECONSIDER WAS LOST by a vote of 41 in the affirmative and 68 in the nega- tive, as follows :— PR porter bes aun paki De Babood, Petia 2S . Brown, ell, Oham| » Ei rt, keen, tot, Healy, BB. Hill, Hol: pale 28 riffin, Haughton, Heal; lister, Moughton, Husted, Jacobs, Kennedy, Kilian, Rings- land, Lewis, Morton, Moseley, Moulton, Murdock, dakley, Osgood, Paige, Roche, Shepardson, Simson, Smyth, Sit: per, Sheaker,' Tobey,’ M. M. Tompkins, West, ‘Wood- ward—dl, Navs—Messrs, Aiken, Alberger, I, H. Babcock, Be? ssn, Baltz, Bemus, Bennett, Berrt, 1. B. Brown, Bue ir ritt, Carroll, Chamberlain, Couchman, C1 dat, ye man, Eastman, Flammer, Ford, Geib, Gori Goss, Grechhalgh, Gregory, Haight, Hart, 4-1. Hayes, Herrl A. Hill, E oldridge ingerford, Knétties, Lincolh, Lip G: D. Lord, G. B, Lord, Lott, Loughran, ‘Lynde, Mac! HBr har eplagncd aues Swain, ‘Tilden, Tucker, Twombly, A. L._Van Yah Dusen, Vedder, 'Whitbeck, White, Wool- , Yeomans THE NEW CITY CHARTER. The New York politicians, who are here in swarms, are still on the anxious seat about the New York charter. They have been working like beavers during the past on or two to strike some line of information by which they might get an pe as lo about it;”” but to what the Governor ‘intends to they have been so far utterly unable to obtain any- thing definite. The Governor is as close-mouthed as an oyster, and even lis most intimate political friends have given up the “pumping” work in disgust. Mr. Wheeler, the chairman of the Seventy’s delegation, is still on hand and is making the most of the time that remains before the ex- piration of the legal ten days to strengthen the charter in the good graces of the Governor; but even he has no idea what effect his efforts and arguments have had, and he is not likely to before thé ten days are at an end, if the Governot does not veto it in the meantime. heeler, how- ever, does not give up the ship, and although the impression is fast nin; ground that a veto will end the enera suspense next week, he still persists in thé belief that the bill will be allowed to become a law, if not by the Governor's signing it, at least by the pig-in- the-hole principle, This beltefis founded simply upon his carnest hope thet the charter will not be doomed, and is not based upon any official informa- tion that he has obtained from the executive office, for, as I said before, there is not @ soul in or out of Albany, except the Governor him- self, who knows for certain what the fate of the charter will really be. The OFFICR-HOLDERS FROM NEW YORK seem to be just now the worst scared people for miles around about the subject, and, judging from the general talk they indulge in as to the upshot of the whole matter, they are only waiting for a cer- tain sign in the heavens to “jump Jim Crow” in a way that will enable them to hang about the old pap tables or be selected to feed at the new ones, ‘here is scarcely a department in the city that has not some kind of @ representative here to post his fellows in New York as to every rumor that looks reliable concerning the Gover- nor’s intentions in reference to the charter, and to watch the movements of the “coming men’ of the reform party, who have the upper hand of thin; just now in the Matsa ll line among the “‘ou' siders” if they have it not in the matter of control- ling legislation for the actual good of the people. One thing ts pretty certain. e Governor will not take any definite action as to the charter until next week, lesday is generally looked upon as the “day of days,” when the great mystery will be solved, for, as the bill was sent to last Satur- day, the ten days will be up on Wednesday, if the two Sundays are not included, THE CITY AND COUNTY CLAIMS BILL. The Governor has signed the bili providing for the payment by the Comptroller of certain claims for advertising against the city and county of New York. An effort was made by certain es, Who were unsuccessful in getting alleged swindling claims they had an interest in included in the pro- visions of the bill, to induce the Governor to veto it; but as they had no other argument to use against it than their own disappointment, they of course utterly failed in the attempt. A certified copy of the bill was taken to New York to-day by Mr. Charles G. Sykes, through whose exertions it was steered along safely to its final triumph, for the purpose of having it filed in the Comj traliers office, ed oe (A having claims, fre payment of hich the makes peremptory, ma; without delay. AIRES Leet Gree BILLS IN THE SENATE. . The Senate to-day passed, among other bills, the Albany Patronage bill, the act making election day legal holiday, and that providin; or the charter fy iiy Pane bo be #8 in ois A MG ich was amended by Mr. a ‘o make the ele on the fourth Friday of the month, secihaiad aras THE EMPLOYMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN UNDER FIF- TREN, The bill prohibiting mannfacturers from employ- ing any child under Futeen years oF age who aan not have attended a public school or evening echool during at least three of the calendar months of the ee while employed in @ manufactory, came up in ‘committee of the Whole this evening, Mr. Madden clause, made a motion to strike out the enactin, and claimed that he mado it for the sake of the poor and the needy. There were thousands of chiidron Bia tnineh aaa tl votigh oush port a widowe re and sisters. M them wore leary trades, and he had known children who h worked for a living while undor fifteon to booomo the very best mon in tholr lovalition in every re spect. It waa all vory woll to as aot oompol- ing @ cuilld of the xod in the bill to go to School, but there word thousands who werd too POOF $0 go, aud could noF fo, Whilo others aa Woll aa homaolvos Word sutfo the vory Worst ive tions from extreme poverty, It was bottor ee, In his opinion, that they al ng than to bd Hod to wtary ould earn an honost liv 0 ANd pr id RoW together, . fooling Wat Atonl to Ke don's apres) waa shade With. aU carried the entire Senate with him, even against the strong effort made by Mr. Benedict to secure its passage, and the result was the killing of the bill by the enacting clause being struck out. FREE LIBRARIES. ‘The Free Library bill, which provides that every town that wants to indulge in a public library can expend $2,000 for the luxury and tax itself for the amount, provided a majority of the voters decide in favor of the idea, has already passed the Assembly and now awaits the signature of the Governor. The Vanderbilt “Sink the Track” bill has been made a special order in the Senate for Monday evening next. THE NEW YORK TAX LEVY. ‘The New York Tax Levy bill, with the fifth and sixth sections stricken out, 80 as to make it con- form to the Senate bill, was passed tn the Assembly this evening. These were the sections which gave rise to the hubbub between Speaker Smith and cer- tain other members of the House last evening, and which were smuggled into the bill by Nelso Waterbury, in the interest of Comptroller Green. INCREASED SALARY TO CORONERS’ MESSENGERS. Mr. Mackay had consent to introduce a bill ratify- ing the salary of the New York Coroners’ messen- fixed by the Board of Supervisors, December be 1968, and the Comptroller is directed to pay the same. TAX AND ASSESSMENT COMMISSIONERS, Mr. Twombly introduced a bill relating to taxes and assessments in the city of New York, which authorizes the Board of Supervisors to appoint four Commissioners of Taxes within ten days after the passage of the act; the Commissioners shall hold Office five years. On the election ofthe se Commis- sioners the terms of office of the present Commis- sioners shall terminate. The salary of each Commis- sione rshall be $6,000 per annum. The Commissioners shall appoint and fix the compensation of deputies and clerks, said compensation not to exceed $6,000 perannum. They shall also ix the compensation of the Board of Assessors, and which shall not ex- ceed $6,000 per annum to each Assessor. Mr. Hayes introduced a bill providing the manner in which the question of amending the constitution relative to the Court of Appeals, now twice adopted by the Legislature, shall be submitted to the peop:e. OBITUARY. pe George C. Hall. George C. Hall, an eminent financier, a director of the Erie Railway, a military colonel and distin- guished member of the American turf, died at his residence, Clinton avenue, Brooklyn, at six o'clock yesterday morning. He was carried off by a sud- den attack of severo illness in the forty-fourth year of his age. Mr, Hall was born in Brattleboro, Vt., on the 17th day of February, 1828, His father was a leading citizen and one of the most promi- nent men in the Green Mountain State. The oung man embarked in mercantile pursuits in joston at the age of sixteen ears. In 1853 Colonel Hall came to New York and em- barked in the white lead business, in which he has principaly continued to his death. In the year 1863 ¢ Was made purchasing agent of the Erie Railway Company. This position Colonel Hall held till his death, despite of Tis urgent solicitation to be suc- ceeded in it. He survived the chances and changes of Erie. Soon after his assumption of the duties of Purchasing Agent Colonel Hall was elected a di- rector of the Erie Railway, and continued such till his death, rong all the mutations of the company. It is said that Colonel Hall persistently endeavored to divert and dissuade Fisk from his financial feats, and to in- fluence him and all the rest of the old Erie Board to base the business and invest the moneys of the road in interests and plans that made for its direct advancement and solvency, His enthusiasm and zeal in turf pursuits and in perfecting and de- hilary | the breed of American horses was ad- Dy mitted by all, This fondness for riding and driving led Colonel Hall to be one of the earliest and most liberal promoters of the “Prospect Park Fair Grounds,” He had a stock farm of 1,000 acres at Brattleboro, At his death he was arranging to bring it uP, to a point of completeness no other place of the kind in this country could boast. The Colonel owned one of the best stables of horses in the United States. For one of them— Jay Gould—a racer of renown, he paid $30,000, He was a member of the Long Island and Brooklyn and several New York Clubs, as well as of the Art As- sociation; fora long time president of the Amert- n Turf Congress, and of the “Prospect Park Fair rounds’ Association.” re given to no osten- tation, he was very benevolent.'He died surrounded by his family and his mother, to whom his devotion was the strongest demonstration of an open, de- monstrative nature, TAMMANY SOOIETY. Tammany Society met last evening at Tammany Hall, Augustus Schell, Grand Sachem, presiding. The Committee of Seven, through its chairman, John Kelly, presented the names of the new Gene- ral Committee, which were accepted. The chief point of interest about these was the lists made out for the Third and Sixteenth Assem- bly districts. In each of these districts it had been found impossible to elect the ticket in the usual Way, owing to the a: opinions of voters. Each of these districts had rival tickets, and when all chance of compromise had failed among the voters themselves, the Committee of Seven stepped in and selected a ticket of its own reach from the names that appeared on the val ‘ickets. The following gives the ticket for each of the two districts as accepted by the soclety last evening :— THIRD ASSEMBLY DISTRICT. James Hayes, Michael Feeney, Charles M. Clancey, Patrick Horan, William J. Reilly, Patrick D. Byrnes, Ambrose O'Nellll, Richard Knabe, James A. Mona- han, George Cassidy, Thomas Stanton, James Gib- ons, Owen Cavanagh, James Dwyer, er O’Brien, Thomas McGuire, John Mulholland, Fred- erick J. Byrnes. SIXTEENTH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT. Samuel J. Tilden, John Mullane, Alexander S. Hewitt, Robert Foster, J. T. McGowan, James McGregor, James B. Dolan, George W. tson, James ‘arroll, Isaac Dahiman, William Condin, Patrick McMullen, Jacob Seitz, Robert P. Gilson, Philip O'Hanlon,’ John Egan, ‘Charles Robinson, James Thornton, Robert McCafferty, Alfred Storms. The Society ac gens to meet on the evening of May 13, when the anniversary will be celebrated and the new board of officers installed. BROOKLYN REFORM. The Reform Committce of Fifty Want the Legislature to Investigate the Affairs of Superintendent Kingsley, the Water Board and Other Commissions. To THE HONORABLE THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK :— At a meeting of the Committee of Fifty, held on the evening of April 24, 1872, the following pream- bie and resolution was adopted :— Whereas, William ©. Kingsley, signing himself General Superintendent of the ‘New, York, Bridge Company, in reply, bearing date April 15, 1872, to @ | report of iis committee, did assert that he “was out of pocket more than a quarter of a million before a blow had been struck on the Brooklyn Bridge ;” and whereas the said Kingsley did imply in sald communication, and has since stated, that a large portion of said sym was pace in procuring the assent of Congress and of the Leg- slaturo of this State to the act incorporating said Bridge Company ; and whereas the intorest of the people of the cities of Brooklyn and New York requires that the meang which have been used to obtain such legislation should be discovered and made public; therefore, be it Resolved, That the members of the Legisinture from the County of Kings be requested to secure the appointment of 4 commit sit ‘during the recess of ‘tive Legisia- the facts in reference to the means used to obtain the passage of © been of the Legislature for the incorporation of the “New York Bridge Company,” and the assent of Con- gress to the building of the bridge; and to report the re- t t sult of such investigation at the next session of the Legis- lature; and that sald committee be clothed with power to send for persons and papers and to examine witnesses and take testimony in the matter. And that the said com- mittee be also empowered to examine and take testimony in relation to such of the affairs and transactions of the Board of Water and Sewerage and other commissions of the city of Brooklyn as shall be furnished for investiga. Hon to such Legislative Committee by this Committee of ry: And we, the ‘sald Committee of Fifty, thorefore earn- gitly memorialize your honorable boty {hat an investiga- ing committee, with powers as defined in the foregoing Fesolution, to sit during the recess of tho Legislature, may be appointed before the adjournment of your honorable body. By order of the Executive Committee. E. T. BACKHOUSE, Chairman. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE, The United States Fleet in the Asiatic Waters—The Sanitary Condition and Command. ‘The HERaxp special correspondent in Hong Kong, China, supplies the following interesting report of the condition of the United States Asiatic feet un- der date of Hong Kong, March 14:— The Pacific Mail steamship America arrived yes- terday from San Francisco, after a very rough pas- sage of thirty-eight days. She brings no asi ern dates later than January 14, though she waited till the 4th of February, three days after her usual day of sailing. No trains had come through on the Pacific Railroad for ten days. This failure to connect caused great anxiety in the feet, as all were look- ing very eagerly for our new Admiral, who was ex- ected out by the America to relieve Rear Admiral igers as commander-in-chief of the Asiatic feet. There have been two cases of smallpox on the Colorado while here; John Kelly, a seaman on board, died of smalipox in the hospital on shore, the 8th of March. In the other case tho patient re- covered soon after removal to the hospital. The health of the fleet is now generally 1, od. Even the man Cronin, who was 60 severely {njured by failing on deck from near the top of tho Colo- rado's mainmast, is still alive and doing well, wiha fair prospect of respi Tho Bonicia camo in from Manila on the 2iat, The has been at Yokohama alnco last November. after Soing good sorvice near Foo- ing the hidden rook on which tho fas Log hag taken our dre, over to Formosa, to come down to Hon The Monocacy has boon guardin; ‘Amortonl duris @ Winter, And the WASHINGTON. History of the Fish Alabama Compromise. Rejection of the Drake-Morrill Claim Amendment. Passage of the Houard Resolu- tion in the House. Refusal to Date the Final Adjournment. DEBATE OPENED ON THE TARIFF BILL. Its Slim Chances Senate. in the The Pacific Mail Job in a New Disguise. Wasutnaton, April 26, 1872. The Alabama Treaty—Paucity of Relia- ble News—How the Fish Compromise Got Wind. It 1s exceedingly diMcult to get any positive in- formation on the question of consequential dam- ages outside of the well known position of the Presi- dent himself, Every declaration, even to the tail end of every story which comes from the White House, is to the effect that the views of the Presi- dent remain unchanged with regard to the Geneva Tribunal. Secretary Fish, on the other hand, occu- pies an exceedingly doubtful position. He has been playing two parts, one as Secretary of State, in which he does the bidding of the President; the other as Hamilton Fish, in which he performs as an amateur diplomat in private parlors and at society dinners. In the first character he answered Lord Granville that consequential damages were right- fully put into our case at Geneva, and argued the reasons why they should be acted upon by the tribunal; in the other character he hints at a possible accommodation, which practically amounts to a back down from our posl- tion, The President, all the members of the Cabi- net, the members of the Foreign Affairs and For- eign Relations committees and the leading republi- cans in both houses of Congress declare that no withdrawal is contemplated by the administration, When it is remembered that Mr. Cameron, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Commit- tee, in aspeech in the Senate days after we had news of Earl Granville’s first note, confessed that he knew nothing about it, the knowledge and opinions of these people are comparatively worth- less, Nobody interested in the settlement of this grave question knows how to accomplish it; and while the President insists upon what he has always insisted upon, Mr. Fish looks about for a way of retreat, and at last discovers an ab- surd basis of compromise, which he whispers into the ear of Mr. Russell Gurney, who communicates it toSir Edward Thornton, who despatches it to Down- ing strect, and the world beholds the wonderful spectacle of the Secretary of State conducting one negotiation and Mr. Fish another. Mr. Gurney believed until Tuesday night that the Treaty of Washington would prove @ failure, and actually] withheld from the public an award by the Mixed Claims Com- mission, because he believed any action by it would be futile, After his communication with Fish, as Fish at dinner and not as Secretary of State, he became convinced that the treaty was saved, and that the American government would withdraw from its position, He then proceeded to announce the award, which he before regarded as useless, and he and Fish together played the parts of amateur statesmen to the chagrin of the country and the astonishment of the world, The Houard Resolution Passcd by 145 to 45—Final Adjournment Still Undecidcd— Taking Up the Tariff Bill. Mr. Banks made the closing speech in the Houard case this morning, after which the vote resulted in the adoption of the resolution reported from the Committee on Foreign Affairs, with the amend- ment offered yesterday by Mr. Bingham, providing that the privileges secured to citizens of the United States by the seventh article of the treaty of 1795 were not denied in the trial of Dr. Houard, by a vote of yeas 145, nays 45. Forty-five members voted against offering protection to a man claiming allegiance to the government of the United States and asking its protection upon the miserable subter- fuge that his citizenship was not proved beyond the quibbles and technicalities of international law. Mr. Randall, of Pennsylvania, is entitled to great credit for the unpartisan spirit in which he man- aged the matter, ‘The following are the preamble and resolution as adopted :— Whereas it Is alleged that Dr. John Emilio Huoard has, after one year’s imprisonment and trial by a military court martial, been convicted of complicity in an Insurrection against the Spanish government in the Island of Cuba, and upon said conviction has been transported to a penal colon: of Spain for the term of eight years, from which conviction, sentence and punishment he appeals for protection to the government of the United States; and whereas it appears, first, that the said Dr. Houard was a native born citizen of the United States; second, that he never renounced his alle- giance as such citizen, but, on the contrary, has claimed to be and has been enrolled by the ofilcers of the government of the United States as a citizen of the United States; third, that itis not shown by any form of proof that he ever became, bs any act, a subject or citizen of the government of Spain; and whereas it further appears that his trial, sentence and punishment have been in disre- gard and violation of his undoubted rights asa citizen of the United States under the constitution Kon fntistel. st, changase, dur THEN ta similar du i) ly broaka, 0 United Staton stoamer Janiate, Commandor- Joe, Arrived at Gonos on tho oth tas trom Vilis, ANCA, ANd pallod the shipped Ailes having shipped woe vorpedoeme “ON and laws thereof and the treaty of October 27, 1795, bss the United States and Spain; therefore eit Resolved, That in booed te pet of this Honse the said John Emilio Houard was and is a citizen of the United States by birth and continued and uninter- rupted choice, and as snch is entitled to all and ery, protection from this government; and in the opinion of the House the President should promptly demand his unconditional release and the restora- tion of his property, which has been confiscated to the use of the Spanish government, unless it shall be made to appear on investigation, to the satisfaction of the Executive Department that the said Houard has been held for and duly convicted of an offence committed by him within the jurisdic- tion of Led and has been prosecuted therefor under authority of law and according to the course of proceedings usual in like cases, and that the privileges secured to citizens of the United States by the seventh article of the treaty with Spain of the 27th of October, 1795, were neither denied nor disregarded on his trial. NEW YORK HERALD, SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1872-TRIPLE SHEET, tested election cases before his committee w’ ought to be decided before another adjournment. Governor Blair, of Michigan, never knew any harm tobe done by an adjournment of Congress. He arsanged in a few telling sentences the tariff and revenue reform. Ifhis plan could be adopted it | would settle the country for business and prove | satisfactory all round. Mr. Dickey then spoke for his resolution, but the temper was evidently not for adjournment, and the resolution was lost; but resolutions freely made to hurry and get through as | 800n as possible, At last Mr. Dawes got the floor and moved to go into Committee of the Whole, which was done, with Mr. Scofield in the chalr. Mr. Dawes made a very few remarks to open the ball, when Mr. Finkelnburg, | of Missouri, who has charge of the bill, made the | opening speech, explaining the provisions and ably supporting them. Mr. Finkelnburg is a young man, and has already taken a prominent position in the legislation of Congress. He is the youngest man that has ever taken charge of a tariff bill, and his management of it is looked to with considerable interest, His introduction was an able, well con- | sidered effort, in which he made many telling points, going over the entire scope of the bill and defending it in detail, His manner when discussing the subject of reducing the duty on woollens was | somewhat patronizing toward tho chairman of the committee reporting the bill when he said he hoped, that the gentleman from Massachusetts would con- sent to sink the local considerations of constituents | and take a national view of the matter and act for the good of the whole country, Mr. Finkelnburg held the attention of the House, although he is not an attractive speaker, He holds by the weight of matter rather than through smooth speech, His manner is that of conviction, always addressing the reason rather than the feelings, There is a very general interest felt in the discus- sion of the bill. There is music in the alr and a Promise of some fleld days during the coming week. Debate Is limited to Friday, The Drake Amendment Killed in the Senate—Tho Goat Island Steal—Chances for a Tariff Bill. As predicted in these despaches of last night, the Senate this morning repudiated its action in Committee of the Whole yesterday in re-enacting the Drake Amendment, in the shape of Morrill’s Amendment to tho Deflctency Appropriation bill. The vote upon a reconsideration of the vote of yesterday and a rejection of the amendment stood 26 to 23 for the amendment, Mr. Frelinghuysen, who was in favor of the amendment, voting against it 80 a8 to be able to move a reconsideration, It was the tactics of those in favor of tho measure, if they lost it this morning to move a reconsideration late this evening, when few members were present, and if possible pass it, and so that a conference commit- tee could be obtained, which would save some of the provisions of the amendment, To this end Mr. Fre- linghuysen moved a reconsideration late this even- ing, pending which the Senate adjourned, which is a final burial of a most unjust piece of legislation. The Goat Island steal also came up in the Senate by the Vice President presenting it for considera. tion, when Mr. Cole gave evidence of his temper toward the bill by objecting to its reading. He will fight the swindle as long as he 1s in the Senate, partly because he has always been its enemy, and partly because it is the pet scheme of Mr. Sargent, of the House, who succeeds him. Senator Scott, chairman of the committee re- cently appointed by a caucus of the Senate to regu- late the legislation of the session so as to allow an early adjournment, will make a report to-morrow that the bill to repeal the tax on tea and coffee be taken upon Monday, so as to determine what may be done upon tariff questions during the session, The opinion gains ground that the Senate will not act on the tariff bill if it is passed by the House. May Interest on Government Loans. ‘The Treasury order for the payment of the May interest without rebate from 24th instant, includes also interest on the new loan. Assistant Treasurers are directed to pay all interest checks on presenta- tion, without reference to their date, Yreasury Balances. Balances in the Treasury at the close of business to-day :—Coin, $128,931,136, Including $25,233,500 in coin certificates; currency, $9,145,664, Kansas Pacific Freights. the Union Pacific Railroad to carry freight coming over the Kansas Pacific Railroad on pro rata terms, without discrimination against the latter road, which, under the act of Congress, claimed to be entitled to the privileges of a branch of the Pacific Railroad, The committee took no final action, but it was evident the majority are in favor of requir- ing the Union Pacific Railroad to establish pro rata rates with the Kansas Pacific for freight carried | over the road, from Cheyenne to both ends of its road, but the pro rata is not to be merely on the basis of distance, but also of grades and cost of transportation. The Pacific Mail Subsidy Job in a New Disguise. The postal appropriation bill, as reported by Mr. Windom, from the Senate Committee on Appropria- | tions, contains a provision, such as has been before stated, for doubling the China mail service and subsidy, but the amendment, as proposed by the Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, is put into the bill with one important change, discovered only to-day, since the bill has been printed. This change consists in substituting for the words “San Francisco” the words “some port of the United States on the Pacific coast,’’ so that, as reported by the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the bill appropriates $1,000,000 for steamship service between some port of the United States on the Pacific coast and Japan and China, and directs the Postmaster General to con- tract fora term of ten years for carrying a semi- monthly mail on the said route, at a compensation not to exceed the rate per voyage now paid for the monthly service, and upon the same conditions and limitations as prescribed by the existing acts of Congress in reference thereto, and the contracts | made in pursuance thereof. The amendment also contains provisos as to the size of the steamships Mr. Dawes moved forward with the Tarif bill after Dr. Houard was diposed of, and proposed to go into Committee of the Whole for its considera: tion, and pending some discussion in regard to the points to be adjusted in regard to limiting the timo of debate, &c., Mr. Dickey, of Pennsyl- vania, offered as a question of privilege a concurrent resolution for adjournment on the 20th of May. This proposition immediately raised o breeze, Mr. Garfleld, with his appropriations, in- volving work enough alono to absorb the time until the 20th of May, objected energetically, and Mr, Garflolde, Delegate from Washington Terrl- tory, objected in tho name of millions acres of territory and many thousands of constituents to adjournment before any of their interests had been considered, Mr, Banke protested in the namo of the unfinished business before the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Tariff bill, Mr. Cox asked if it could be possible the House would consont to an adjournment before the ship- ping interests of ihe country had received the least @ttontion. Ho sald his resolution was got up in tho interest of protectionists and this administration; that they were determined the nominees of the Cin- clanat! and Philadelphia Conventions should be discussed, Mr. Shanks ploaded for tho Indian Committee, Mr, MoQrary, of lows, for the Con- to be hereafter accepted for the said service, the right of government to use them in time of war, &c., in the same terms that have been al- ready published. California Representatives assert that the effect of the new amendment will be to leave the selecting of the American port optional with the Postmaster General, and also to allow him tocontract with some steamship company other than the Pacific Mail Company, running steamers perhaps to the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad on Puget Sound, Washington Territory. ‘The California Representatives also assert that this proposition is in the interest of the Northern Pacific Ratlroad Company, as against those of San Fran- cisco and of the Pacific Mail line, and will, therefore, be opposed by them in the House with the utmost determination. Reported Accident to the Kansas Boat. The Navy Department has received no advices concerning the accident reported as having oc- curred to @ boat of the Kansas in the harbor of Greytown, Nicaragua, The Secretary this morning telegraphed to the United States Consul at Kings- ton, Jamaica, where the Kansas is reported to have arrived, and whence tho report is telegraphed, king him if he had information of the reported cident, and If 60 to telegraph particulars “4 the oe. Nothing in response had been re- = Hg ve to the time of closing the department, at four P, M, INSTALLATION SERVICES, The Rov. J. 8. Ramsey Elected Pastor of the Harlem Presbyterian Church. The services attending the installation of Rev. J. 8. Ramsey as pastor of the Harlem Prosbyterian church—which office was made vacant by the resig- nation of Dr. Leggett—were held last night in the church, 127th street, between Second and Third avenues. Rev, George B. Street preached the ser- mon, and chose for his text:—‘I will not tho death of @ sinner, but rather that he live and be converted.” The Rey. Dr. Thomson gayo the charge to the paster, after which the chargo to tho Reoplo was de vered by the Rev, Dr. Robinson. e church was not decorated, as is usual on these it fact that tho occasions; but this was owing to the hn ld congre; fare soon to move in snngonein Piast street, between rourth and Fig Qvenues. At the closing of the gervicos Rov. a Ramsey made & few Koa the course Oo! which he said he hoped the con; tion would 4s prosperous under him, in @ religious and mort ise, as they had been under predecessors, the services wore concluded by well selected music by the oholr, The Senate Committce on the Pacific Railroad | had before them to-day the proposition to compel | FEMALE SUFFRAGE. Meeting at the Cooper Insti- tute Last Night. Mrs, Losier, M. D.; Mrs, Blake and Mrs, Morris on the Stand—They Testify in Regard to Woman's Capacity as a Politician. At half-past seven o'clock last evening there were gathered in the great hall of the Cooper Institute some 200 persons, the great majority of whom were ladies, Some thirty or forty young men were scat- tered about in the more distant portions of the house. At the above hour large accessions began to be made to the audience, and an old newsvender arrived with an armful of papers. This venerable gamin created a gentle uproar for a while, shouting in a husky, weak voice the name of an obscure evening journal, and stopping to harangue each lady purchaser in a set speech. At eight o'clock Mrs. CLEMENCE Lozize, M. D., came forward and said:—Our motto Is, “Do to others as you would have others do to you.” Men | and women recognize in each other something more than grown-up children, The Christian re- ligion teaches us that women have souls, They constitute one-half the population of the United States, and yet they are debarred from the privi- leges of the ballot boxes. In Massachusetts we have SIXTY THOUSAND MORB WOMEN than men, In New York we have 175,000 more women than men. Yet with this overwhelming majority we are debarred from representation. I¢ is claimed that England is more free than America, in that educated men rule there, while here the country is ruled by the dissipated and vicious through the primaries. I have been a property holder for forty years, and yet I have never had a voice in the making or unmaking of the laws relative to prop-, erty. ‘The speaker here quoted Charles Sumner, then glided off into a fine poetical rhapsody, grace-| fully turning a point which brought her to the level’ of the common schools, which throughout tho) length and breadth of the land were in the major- ity of cases presided over by women. Theso women would conquer the obstacles before them by teaching the children who would be the men. and women of the future, The Chairwoman then introduced Mrs. BLAKE, who read the following resolution :— the family are the basis of nen and men have in the family iutiuence, though different duties; therefore Resolved, That ih the Stato also women. should. have & recognized place and volce, and that the time has come when the wisdom that 1s Pound up with maternity and Thess, as well as the wisdom that proceeds from g and reflection, is required to perfect our govern ment. Mrs. BLAKE—In offering this resolution to your acceptance I propose, before putting it to the vote, to say somewhat in explanation of it. The first statement is that “marriage and the family are the bases of society.” This is so self-evident @ propost- tion that I hope ev one here will agree to it. The strongest instinct in the human breast is that which leads to monogamic mar and the most sacred feelings of the breast are those which cling to the remembrances of the home and the fam Are we alk 80 old as to have forgotten our childhood? No; for- ever and forever its tender memories are with us. We are hurrying swiftly away down the river of time from that enchanted land of sunshine and of flowers, but ever looking backwards along the rapid stream we catch the reflection of that “light of other days,” and over the waters there yet floats to us faintly the echo of the songs and the dances of that light-hearted time. central figures of these PICTURES OF THR PAST? The father and mother, going with us hand in hand; watching over us, caring for us, providing our plea- sures. Perhaps the grass waves green over their exe now, but memory still brings back to us the ind clasp of the father’s hand, the infinite tender- ness of the mother’s kiss, and if they are gone from us the breast still yearns, sometimes with a longing that will not be stifled, for one glance from the dear eyes that are closed, one word from a voice that is still. Youth has been with us all, too— youth with its generous impulses and turbulent passions. We are all lovers, then; at first full of fluttering admiration for every bright being of the opposite sex that crosses our path. This ts the time in which young gentlemen declare a dozen timesaday, “Ihave just seen the most beautiful girl I ever saw in my life,” and each thne with the most engaging frankness and absolute conviction of truth—a period in which young people | are profoundly sorry for their elders, even by a few years, because they don't go to balls, and are | quite certain that, liowever much they may change, they shail dance to the end of thelr days, All this lasts fora while, and then there comes across the path the one creature who can sway the destiny and shonid be sovereign of the heart; not, perhapa, always brilliant or beautiful, but inexpressibly dear. ANOTHER PHASE OF LIFE is with us later, when children spring up in our | home—that home that is the dearest spot to every human heart. Frolic and dances may be all very well for a few short years, but there comes to every | onca longing for the shelter of a home—a spot where one has a right to go, where there are bright eyes to welcome one and loving hearts to sympa- thize with one’s own. These philosophers would destroy thisalso. They tell us that children must ENLONG TO THE STATE, and that each human being must be an independent unit, with no ties except the abstract ones of duty to humanity, What lonely desolation there is in this thought! NO MARRIAGE! NO HOME! What would life be withont these And who were the No children! ties? Adreary desert, In which each human being | would be as isolated and a8 helpless as one of the shifting sands of the Sahara. ‘The trust of young hearts, the ciasp of lit- tle hands are some of the influences | that help us older folk to fulfll the aspirations of our youth—that inspire us to try to lead such lives as shall be seemly in those young eyes. And what happiness there is in the thought ofahome! The fire burns brightly on the hearth, the little ones are frollicking in its light, and grandpa looks on with a simile of contentment on the worn and aged face; but better than all and dearer than all is the light of love that looks out of the dear eyes of the companion of a ilfetime—the thought of the youthful affection that will go with us to the end, But do you not see that to the realization of a happy home snd s happy marriage the equality of the man and the woman is indispensable ? Between two lovers there is no thought of who shall be ruler; the young man gladly avows himself a slave, and is only too ready to wear the flimsy fetters of mar- riage, And #0 in the home, the wife and mother has her allotted place, and there is no thought of deny- ing her right or her voice; she rules over the parlor and the kitchen generally with undisputed sov- ereignty, and the government of the family and tho education of the children are entrusted to her. She is considered quite competent to TAKE CARE OF FUTURE VOTERS, to educate future voters, and even to box future voters’ ears. In the {deal family the husband has his duties, the wife hers, but no one thinks of denying her place or influence. We are on the eve of an exciting political contest; but in tho heat of wy strife are the claims of our sex to be forgot- en? The advocates of woman suffrage are to- day ® powerful party—no longer a mere handful of reformers, but a great body of people, with ED yey societies in nearly every Rate in the Union, and with hundreds of eloquent tongues and pens enlisted in our behalf; and we say to the states- Men of the land, gentlemen, your wives, your sis- ters, your mothers ask you for freedom, At the END OF A HUNDRED YEARS the daughters of this republic appeal to her sons to fulfil the pledges of their forefathers. This govern- ment claims to be founded on the “just cousent of the governed,” and the constitution of our coun- try declares itself established by “the people of the United States.” These assumptions are bn Beh false #0 long as a large portion of the inhahitants are cruclly disfranchised; denied all voice in mak- ing the laws, yet forced to obey them, refused all choice of their rulers, yet compelled to contribute money to Lo cig them. Only think how colossal this oppression is! We ple; not for some small fraction of the human race whose interests might be set asido for the benefit of the mauy. We plead for one-half of the tax-paying and law-abidinj citizens of the land. In the name of ten millions 0) wom en we ask for liberty. A Mra, Mornis now followed in a rather oxclta- ble strain, which soon involved a mention of certain ladies of Wail street fame, by whom the leaders of the meeting last night seemed to fear they would be scandalized. The chairwoman consequently 8p roached and whispered a few words of warning tn he ear of the ener, who, after some hesitation, turned the stra{n of her eloquence in the direction of the temperance question. She was evidently flustrated, and, saying that it was the last time she should attempt to speak on that platform, she re- tired, amid shouts of applause. THE EARTHQUAKE AT ANTIOOH. . ‘The late disastrous earthquake at Antioch hag’ rendered homeless thousands of human beings, ‘That our fellow creatures are not only in dire ex. tromity, but are absolutely starving, can be gleaned from the following telegraphic despatch, In the days of old Antioch held as high a place as London hicago in the world’s esteem. For antiquity’ sake, if no other, let relief be granted her citizons:— Mr, William A, Booth, of Now York, has Just received ene tplowlng elegramy Rom the wel knot American lesionarion In Syria, Rev. 8. H. Calhoun and Rev. Dr. ages destroyed. Pegrizors a, Bend re- A erarively i faa a I =< Kntlod vi Ermine oO}