Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-01-07
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The VERA CRUZ AND ACAPULCO MAIL Con-
rRAcr.-Percsiving, in late New Orleans.
Delta, an onslaught on the Postmaster Gener-
al's Report, about his views on the subiec. of
the conditional contract named above, we
have taken occasion to inform ourselves upon
the matter, and have to say, that the Post
master General does not say one word in his
| report against the New Orleans and Vera Cruz
route. This route was established by special
act OF Congress OF Both August, 1852, and reg
uiarly let to contract under advertisement on
the 9Th of January, 1853. the contract being
executed on the l4th of February following
E. H. Carmick is the contractor.
| In advertising this route, Postmaster Gen.
eral Hubbard, at the urgent solicitation of in
terested parties, invited proposals for the ex-
tension OF two or more of the trips from Vera
Cruz. by Acapulco, to San Francisco: and,
finally, on the Sd of March. 1853, a condition
al contract was executed by Postmaster GEN
eral Hubbard, on the one part, and Messrs.
Ramsey Il Carmck, of the 'Mexic an Ocean Mail
! and Inland Company" on the other at
| 1921 900 per annum, for semi monthly service
between Vera Cruz and San Francisco as
above. 1t is this last contract to which the
Postmaster General, in his report, refers, rs
not meeting with his appreciation; and he
gives his reasons why, without, however,
taking any steps to annul it. This contract
expressly provides that it shall commence
only flem the time Congress shall ratify it,
and that it s'is to have no force or validity
until it shall have received the sanction of the
Congress of the United States by the passage
OF an appropriation to carry it into effect"
In regard to postage, on those routes, it
will be remembered that so long as we have
no postal arrangement with Mexico, each
country collects its own. Our single rate is
ten cents under $500 miles, and twenty cents
over 1900 miles, according to the law of 1851
Mexico charges what she pleases.
IRE FORMAL ACCEPTANCE OF AN APPOINT
AEST.-Recently case arose in the Treasury
Department, in which an officer received a
| staff appointment and discharged its duties
without formally accepting it. The question
then arose, whether under the law and the
opinion of the Attorney General of April Is,
1884, stating that g the pay of military officers
may properly commence from the date OF their
aceeptance,' the officer could not be paid in
his new capacity, inasmuch as he had not no.
tiled the proper authority of his acceptance.
The Second Comptroller decided that perform
ance of the duty of the appointment might be
date of acceptance is resorted to in ordinary
cases to ascertain the time when the service
actually commences; but when that time is
known from other facts, that of acceptance
becomes immaterial.
OF VERY GREAT INTEREST TO CLAIMANTS DE.
FORE CONGRESS learn that the House
Committee on Claims have just passed, for
their own future government, the following
very important resolution '+
Rcsokrea, That, in all cases where a ma
jority of reports have heretofore been made
against claim, the committee will not exam.
inc such claim, but report adverse to it; re-
ferring, in such reports, to the records, where
such adverse reports can be found, unless sus-
tanned by additional evidence in favor of such
claim since the date of the last adverse re-
port. ......
1t may not be known to the country that,
for the last thirty years, claims which have
been session after session reported against,
are again presented and referred to this COM
mittee, with additional testimony; entailing
on them, of course, the necessity for their re-
examination by its new members This GUS
tom on the part of many claimants, has at
length rendered necessary some such action
| wise, its members would have no time for any
thing else than the examination Of time and
again ignored claims.
REWARDS FOR FAILING TO DO DUTY.-We hear
that the Chairman of the House Committee
on Naval Affairs, is about to introduce reso
buttons of inquiry calling for all the CORES
pondence between the Navy Department and
the naval court martial recently in session in
Boston, by way of showing to the country, we
presume, who in the service there may be.
who conceive that the officer deserving reward
is the gentleman who most adroitly escapes
sea service.
SOLDIERS SUBSTITUTES RIGHTs.-It is
held in the Treasury Department, that when
an enlisted soldier is permitted to hire a sub
stitute at any time during his term of enlist.
ment, the substitute is entitled to any retain
ed pay that may have accrued (under the act
of July 5, 1881 for the service of the enlisted
soldier, as well as to the bounty land that may
be granted for the service of the whole enlist
ment.
GOVERNOR GoRMAN.-We have RETAINED up
to this time from noticing ony of the many
newspaper rumors derogatory to the personal
and official character Of this gentleman, only
in the hope that at length something tangible
would be alleged against him on which we
might base an investigation likely to elicit
information of some fact by which the truth
of the stories might be tested We have, how.
ever, waited in vain. 1t is very certain that
no written charges of any description have
been filed against Governor German in either
Department Of the Government here True.
hundreds in Washington have received copies
of newspaper containing the presentment
of territorial grand jury, finding fault with
the terms of his treaty with the Winnebagoes,
on the ground that under its provisions he
has brought those Indians back into the midst
of the settlements. 1t seems TINT the last ter
ritorial Legislature petitioned the National
Government to exchange the rice swamp lands.
lying low down on Crow river, which were
useless to the whites, but of great value to
the Winnebagoes, for the pineries, laying
higher up on the same river, where they were
then located, which are worth much for set
Element.
In accordance with this recommendation.
German, acting under proper authority, made
the exchange with the Indians In the treaty
he, however, failed to make provision also for
the payment of claims of the traders on the
tribe-or of their dues. As the case appears