The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-01
WASHINGTON ITEMS.

The proclamation of Governor Walker rela-
tive to the October election in Kansas has been
received. While admitting the injustice exhib-
tied in the apportionment, the Governor excul-
pates himself from blame by declaring that
only four days remained, after his arrival in the
Territory, to make the appointments that he
did not know there existed any law requiring
him to make the apportiOnment, and therefore
the duty devolved upon others.
He expresses the opinion that no one can
vote except those who are qualified under the
Territorial law; also, that under this law a
Territorial tax will not be required as a quail
fcaton. Troops will be stationed at the vari-
GUS voting places where any violence is appre-
hended, and the best exertions will be used to
make the election fair and honest expression
of the views of the people.
The Attorney General has decided that there
can be no vested right in pension claim. The
Star says:
Gle is said to hold that there is no law of
Congress which will enable the children or
grandchildren of revolutionary soldier to
sustain a claim against the Government, based
services for which pension might have been
allowed him."
1t is said that this decision interferes with
the practice of previous Administrations and
decision of the Supreme Court.
Agent Twiss, in charge of the Indians Of the
Upper Platte, reports to the Interior Depart
ment, under date of the 18th July, that band
of Mormons, under pretence of a contract with
the Mormon church for the transmission of the
Salt Lake mails, giving them right to take up
lands there, took possession of the valley OF
Deer Creek, 100 miles west of Fort Laramie,
on the 25th May last in which Agent Twiss
had located band of Sioux, to whom, by treaty
with the United States, the said valley belongs.
| The Mormons there already number some 300,
and have buildings to accommodate 500 per-
sons. They have ploughed and planted zoo
| acres.
INTERNATIONAL CoPYRIGHT.-A Washington
correspondent of the st. Louis Republican has
the following important news, if true:
"Lord Napier informs me that so soon, as
he gets his table clear of the Central Amer
can question, he shall bring to the attention Of
our Government the subject of the Interna
tional Copyright subject in which he seems
deeply interested. He is now procuring stats
tical information and consulting all our pub
fishers, and he feels confident that tariff &C
moderate and just may be agreed upon between
the two Governments, that it must meet the ap
probation of the entire book trade of the whole
country. l learn that the leading feature o
his proposition will be to secure to authors {
| I'll 4f,,oc oofe he 10
all copies sold Of the republication of toreig,
aCOrk, the amount to be accounted for by tn,
publisher. The result of this would be an ad
ditional tax to that amount upon the reader
but a sum 30 trihing, to go to the author of thu
work which we deem worth reading, no reason
able man would object to. The only thing W
would desire to be assured of is, that this sum
trihing as it might seem to be, would certanl
reach the party for whose benefit it is paid"
Possibly, some such plan as this Nigh
be adopted without awaking the opposition
of the enemies of an International Copyright
by giving to the author of work absolut
ownership of his writings in both countries
At this rate, many English authors would re
ceive the most of their income from America
publishers. We once heard Mary Hewitt de
clare that an American copyright of singl
penny would have given her a greater incom
from her works than all she received from he
Enslish .,..hl;shA-a
The President has just made visit to Ian
caster, Penn.
The Richmond Examiner thinks that III,
Virginia Legislature VIII refuse to appropriat,
funds for the completion of railroads in III,
State now under construction Already III,
State has advanced near twenty millions. Ar,
we to believe, if the State will not complete III,
work already begun, that she will favor an,
new projects like that of Nc. Dudley Mann?
The Star of this city says;
We, however, cannot realize that the Fr
0miner can be correct in ts impression, be
cause it involves a policy far more suicida
than any that can possibly be adopted by 80 en-
hghtened body as the Virginia Legislature
10 stop the construction of the progressing
roads OF the State, will be to PROSTATE the en-
ergies and repress the enterprise of all interests
and classes within her boundaries, depreciatinp
the aggregate value of Virginia property one
hundred times as much as the cost of the com
pleuon OF the works in question can possibly
be to her treasury
1t is just in such times of commercial revnl.
slons and decreasing prices of produce and
property, that it behooves her State authorities
to strain every nerve to ward off as much OF
the tendency of the times, from Virginia. as
can be so warded off,"
The National Lntelligencer pertinentlv asks.
=" how comes 1t to pass, that whilst -four is
quoted IN Baltimore, Georgetown, and Alexan-
dria, at from IS to $3.50 per barrel, the house.
keeper is still paying from SlO.50 to $ll. so, or
Sl2? Allowing the dollar for the difference
between the superfne and family, and also the
reasonable difference between wholesale and
retail prices, there are still from two to three
dollars to be accounted for? 2" We mention
the above, for the purpose of suggesting that
some enterprising and reliable merchant of
Baltimore might realize snug sum by bring
ing hither lot of -four, aud selling it at a
reduction of from one to two dollars below the
rates now prevalent in Washington"
Politics AND RELIGIoN.--The Journal of
Commerce is responsible for the following par
agraph
Vermont, in proportion to its population, is.
1t we mistake not, the most thoroughly Black
Republican of any State in the Union. 'Only
about one'fifth of the people on the average at.
HnEadV