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Show LATEST DISPATCHES. GENERAL. F0RTV-F0URTH C0XGRESS. SENATE. Washington, 12. There was n short executive session, after which the chair laid before tho senate the house bill to amend the Pacific railroad rail-road acta. The bill provides that the net earnings of the railroads be ascertained as-certained by deducting only the actual operating expenses from tht gross receipts, without allowance foi interest payments, and requires the companies to pay annually into the United States treasuiy to create sinking funds aucb sumB as will ag gregate in connection with the per cent, payments and amounts earned for government transportation, 2o per centum of their respective net receipts, as above defined, and if thie should leave them unable to pay their interest on prior mortgages, the secretary of the treasury may abate the 25 per cent, requirement sufficiently suffi-ciently to allow the paramount claim to be satisfied. The aggregate ol these annual amounts is estimated by the bill at $9,500,000 each, for the Union and Central Pacific companies and $350,000 for the Kanaaa Pacific. During a long discussion as to whether the bill be referred to" the judiciary or the railrowl committee, the morning hour expired and the matter was laid over. TnurmaQ, from the judiciary committee, com-mittee, reported back the resolution of January last, instructing the committee com-mittee to inquire into the various matters relating to the Pacific railroads, rail-roads, and those bills introduced by Dorsey and West in January and March last to amend the Pacific railroad rail-road acts, together with a written report re-port and bill to amend and alter the Pacific railroad acts of 1832 and 1864-Tbe 1864-Tbe report waa ordered to be printed. Sargent waa excused from further service on the conference committee on the sundry civil appropriation bill on account of sickness, and Windom waa appointed. On motion of Paddock, a joint resolution authorizing '.he president to accept the services of volunteers to aid in suppressing the Sioux Indian hostilities waa taken from the table and referred. The senate then resumed re-sumed the consideration ot the articles of impeachment againBt Belknap. J.J. fisher corroborated Marsh's testimony as to payments to Belknap. 1 Had read the contract between Marsh and Evans, and the money bad been paid in accordance with its terms, rfelknap had never to his knowledge written to bis firm on the subject of complaints from troopa about excessive exces-sive charges. Carpenter asked leave to have read a letter from Marsh loClymer'n committee, com-mittee, in which Marsh, to avoid testifying, tes-tifying, pleads biB wife's illness in New York as the cause of his inability inabil-ity to appear and testify, and also stated that he made no contract with Belknap. McMahon assented to this, but de-aired de-aired also another letter to appear an evidence, in which Marsh promised to bring bis contract with Evans. To this Carpenter objected, but his objection ob-jection was overruled, and the letters were placed in evidence, the point gained by defendant being that Marsh made no contract with Bdknap but only with Evans. Heister Clymer was called aud testified tes-tified to the letters from Marsh previously previ-ously mentioned. Carpenter asked him how long his , committee had been engaged in investigating in-vestigating the aflairs of the war department. McMahon objected, and a lively debate ensued between him ana Carpenter, Car-penter, during which the latter charged that the managers were not trying to throw light on the caao, and McMnhon retorted with much spirit and ability. Clymer'a evidence presented no-thing; no-thing; new, and at ita conclusion McMahon said the managers bad con-chidtd con-chidtd tho case in cnief of the United States, but would demand the right to place Evans on tho stand when he arrived. Goncral Pope wns sworn for the defense, and testified to General Belknap's Bel-knap's excellent character nnd bo forth. Commissary General McFcely also attested to tho puro character oil Belknap nnd his management of tho ! war department. Carpenter submitted a loiter from Lieutenant General Hheridan, dated Chicago, March SJUlli, 1H72, stating that ho bod examined a circular on tho subject of post-trailers, issued 25 th of March, and though L vi-ry well of it. 8o far aa tho troops wero concerned con-cerned it waa cupecially fair. Adjutant General E. D. Townsflnd wag recalled and tenlilirxl that bo forwarded for-warded a letter o( Mursli's making application for tho pont-trnIornhip, j aud also a letter of Goncral Criernon complaining of abuses at Fort bill to the secretary of war through thoordi-1 nary course of business. Colonel Duvifl, inspoctor gonrral, testified that ho knuw Post Traders Dureo and Pock; thoy had forte i JUice, Btoyonson aud Kully. Boforo proceeding further with tho examination of the witness, Carpenter said he desired to state to the senate that it would he impossible for the defense to ge on without the witness Evans, and asked the court to adjourn over Borne reasonable time to allow the witness to get heie. Conkliog Bubaiitted the following order: Ordered that the senate will receive any evidence otherwise competent which tte counsel for respondent says will be connected with the case by the testimony of the witness Evans. Agreed to. The examination of Colonel Davis was commenced, and he testified that so far as bis knowledge went, the manner man-ner in which the war department had been conducted by the late secretary of war was good. His character had been one ot integrity and honesty. General Hancock was called, but was announced too sick to attend today. to-day. H. T. Crosby, chief clerk of the war department, was recalled, and testified that after the passage of the law of 1870 in regard to post-traders tho secretary of war called upon all department commanders to report the names of persons acting as post-traders post-traders within the limits of their command. com-mand. He testified that Evans was recommended by all the ofticerd at Fort Sill- He understood that the order of March 25th was prepared by General McDowell for the purpose of correcting the abuses complained of 1 in the New York Tribune. Question Did the seretary of war i express a desire to have all the I evila complained of in that article remedied ? A. Paragraphs in the order according to my understanding were framed to remedy the charges in that article. The defence here submitted an extract ex-tract from the report of the secretary, dated November 0, lS7o, calling attention to the law providing for the appoiutment of post traders, suggesting suggest-ing that the law be passed giving the appointment of sutlers to the department depart-ment commanders. C. C. Augur testified that as far as he had relations with General Belknap his administration was regarded aa a just and able one. Ex-Governor Ralph B. Low of Iowa, Senators Allison and Wright, General Ruger, General S. V. Bennett, Ben-nett, General A. A. Humphries, General R. B. Marcy, Judge Advocate General Dunn, Associate Justice Miller Mil-ler of the Bupremo court, and Hon. John A. Kasson, all testified to the integrity aud ability of Belknap. Carpenter renewed hiB request that the court would adjourn until the , arrival of witness Evans, Without taking action on the matter mat-ter the Benate, sitting as a court, adjourned till 12 o'clock to-morrow, , and legislative business waa resumed. ; The committee on appropriations '. reported favorably on the senate bill , orovidine for the construction of the Washington monument. Adjourned. HOUSE. Harris, chairman of the committee on elections, reported a resolution on the Louisiana contested election case, declaring Darrell, the Bitting mem-Der, mem-Der, entitled to a seat. Adopted. The bill providing for the sale ot Fort Kearney military reservation in Nebraska, was taken from the speaker's table and passed. The bill reported by Page from the committee on Indian aflairs, declaring declar-ing the country north ot the North Platte river and east ot Big Horn mountain, open to exploration and settlement, was taken up. The demand de-mand for the previous question was not sustained. Mason moved to recommit the bill. Agreed to. Harris, from the committee on naval aSaira, reported a hill relating to the promotion of commodores ou the retired lists of the navy. It provides pro-vides that the secretary of the navy may promote to the rank of rear admiral on the retired Yut, in addition addi-tion to the nine allowed by Jaw, commodores com-modores who have performed distinguished dis-tinguished services, or who being, at the outbreak of the rebellion, citizens of any state engaged therein, exhibited exhibit-ed fidelity in adhering to the flag of the Union, Passed. Hewitt, from the committee on foreign affair, reported back the resolution declaring the action of Robert C. 8chenck while United States minister to England in becoming becom-ing a director of the Emma mine and his operations in connection with the shares of said company and as vendor ven-dor thereof as ill-advised, unfortunate and incompatible with the duties of his position. Adopted. The speaker laid before the house congress congratulating congress on j the event of the United States having , reached its Centennial. The house went into committee ol j the whole on the bill for the protec-1 tion of the Kio Grande frontier from cattle thieves and marauders from Mexico. Townscud, in the course of his speech, commented severely on the democratic policy of cutting down the strength of the army from its present pitiable figure of -5,000 men, and asserted that it was as much owing to a desiro to get rid of the colored regiments as tho professed purpose of economy. Ho ridicukd the profession and warned the democrats demo-crats of the house that if they went on in their work to cripple the government and to disgrace it before foreign nations they would awaken a spirit that had not been awakened since IS'jO, and which had never been and never would he put down. On motion of Banning tho Bcnutc amendment to the bill in relation to leave of absence of army odiccrs way concurred in and tho bonne adjourned. |