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Show . HOUSE. The speaker presented a letter from Irwin, the recusant Pacific Mai wit-no33, wit-no33, stating hU desiro to answer the questions and purge himself, also stating that he was sullering from malarial fever, and unless soon released re-leased his testimony would be lost forever. A resolution was adopted rescinding so much of the resolution of January 6th as directed the aergeant-at-arms to keep Irwin in jail. Cox presented a petition from importers im-porters and dealers in foreign wines, protesting against the increase of tax on low grades of wines to forty cents a gallon as exorbitant and unjust, restricting re-stricting the importation of these wines and lessening tho revenue receipts re-ceipts and injuring the trade. O'Brien asked leave to offer a resolution re-solution calling on the 'president to state by what authority the courts and officers of Mississippi at Yicksburg have been interfered with by the military. Lynch objected to the resolution re-solution in that shape, the whole' olieui ''i10 oommittee of tion bill. The proposition to pay the Choctaw Indians an award of nearly three millions was discussed at length and finally agreed to, and the bill was reported re-ported to the house. The Choctaw claim was then amended by reducing it to 000,000. The bill was then rejected. re-jected. Loughridge moved a reconsideration reconsidera-tion of the vote. Hale suggested the recommittal of the bill to the committee on appropriations, appro-priations, with instructions to report back without the Choctaw claim, as that was the point ol objection. Tho speaker presented tho president's pres-ident's message calling especial attention at-tention to the absolute necessity of a proper armament for tlie sea coast defenses. Referred to the committee on military affairs. Charles. A. Wetmore, recusant Pacific Mail witness, was again brought belore the house and iked whether ho w;is now ready to answer the questions. He replied that he couldn't answer unless the question waa modified, and proceeded tj read a statement to show why. He complained com-plained ot the manner of his examination examin-ation ycsteixh'y, saying it must have been originally adopted by some person per-son desirous of having an examination examina-tion conducted so that tha evidence should be made to confirm the preordained preor-dained judgment of the committee. The cross-examination by Dawes had confitsed him so that he couldn't tell what he did know. He had an idea that the person who told him Beck received the check was a friend wiue confidence he ought not to violate without consideration of the subject, and was rushed before the bar of the house. He protested in the name of every American citizen against such examinations iu the future. He proceeded pro-ceeded in rather an impudent way to explain that he couldn't give the name of any party to whom he could trace the rumor, and concluded by saying timt he was ready, though not willing, to go to jail, but expected the houso would be satisfied with his statement. Dawes thought tho statement read by witness was such an arroigmneu". of the committee.th.it it was proper for 1 the house, not tho committee, to ! take notice of it. He moved the ordinary resolution'that Wetmore be considered in contempt of the house. Lamar thought witness had purged himself of contempt by answering explicitly ex-plicitly and positi vely that he wes unable un-able to give the name of hU informant, inform-ant, and intimated his doubt ot the accuracy of his di-palehv?. Hale (X. Y.) movrd a substitute for Dawes' resolution, that Wetmore, under pretence of answering to the charge of contempt, has been guilty of a series of gros and wanton insults in-sults to tho house in the presence ot tho house; that ho be adjudged guilty of contempt thereior, and committed to the custody of the serseant-nt-arms and ceufmcd in the common jail until the further order of the hnuse. Garfield intimated the beliet that witness was not of sound mind, and if this wero so the punishment ought to be milder. Payne asked Hale whether witness waa to ba sent to jail because his answer an-swer was insulting to the house, or because of his refusal to answer the questions of tlie committee. Haio replied that tha resolution spoke for itself. Hale's substitute was adopted and witness was removed by tiie serjeant-at-arms, and -ubsequcntly conducted to jail. Adjourned . |