The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-08-27
WASHINGTON ITEMS.

adversely to It, Mr.. Collins Will Drlng suit lOr
the amount in the Court of Claims. The Post
Office Department is informed of the with
drawal of the Ericsson from the line. The en-
couragement of ocean steam navigation will,
it is believed, be recommended in the next mes
sage to Congress.
The Washington correspondent of the NeW
York Commercial Advertiser says:
g. tasteful, elegant, and convenient man.
sion, in a salubrious part of the city, is pro-
posed to be built for the Presidents private resi-
dence. No one should be allowed to visit him
there, upon any business matter, or without an
invitation. From nine or ten till four o'clock
he will then, as at present, attend to business,
at the Executive Office. The President would
certainly be the better enabled to discharge his
duties to the country under such an arrange
ment, than while perplexed and annoyed at all
hours, by the crowd Of licensed beggars and
borers.
"The Heads of Departments have residen-
ces (if able to pay rent and provide furniture
at their own cost apart from their public Off
ces, and there is no reason why the President
should not have the same advantage.
"But, really, it is quite necessary that houses,
appropriately furnished at the public expense,
should be provided for the Secretaries. Some
of them are now paying yearly rents at from
eighteen hundred to three thousand dollars
and it is not always that Heads of Departments
are, like most of those composing the present
Cabinet, men who are rich enough to rent and
furnish good house.
at is unjust to throw upon them the hazard
of such an expenditure, without an equivalent
in salary, or other provision. A Cabinet might
be at any moment dissolved. 1t has often
happened know one gentleman, Mr.. Ewing,
who had the luck twice to be suddenly ousted
from place in the Cabinet, after having gone
to an expense, which he could hardly afford. to
fit up house for four years residence. The
apprehension Of suffering such calamity might
possibly render Cabinet Minister less indie
pendent in his course of conduct than he would
otherwise be-"
The Fort Smelling reservation of lands has
been sold by the Department to Mr.. Stole,
for 100000. The Tribune remarks:
"Here is nearly million dollars worth of
public property, which is still required for pub
lie use, privately disposed of to favorite for
1.-THE of its value without even notice that it
was for sale. The Secretary has thwarted
the plans Of the speculators,' by selling great
public estate for song, to the very parties who
had got up the job, and struggled clause into
an act OF Congress to authorize it. Whoever
fails to see that the Government has been enor-
mously robbed in this transaction, is wilfully
blind to the most palpable facts"
The Chief Engineer of the Navy has been
dismissed.
We clip the following from an exchange:
Governor Walkers personal friends affirm
| that he will cause the insertion of the Wilmot
| Provso, uerbatim Ell literatin,, in the Kansas
| Constitution, in order to spite the Free State
men, If they continue to worry him."
| We trust no one is silly enough to credit such
statement. We fear the Free State men will
have to contend with more terrible spite 4"
than this, before they secure their rights in
Kansas.
| Mr.. Dodge Is not going to resign. The
Northeast, an Iowa journal, says:
ave perceive, in an article in the Washing
ton Star of the 18th instant, that Gen. Dodge,
| our distinguished fellow citizen, and the United
States Minister to Spain, is said to have re-
| signed his position at Madrid, and ia about to
| return home. We are assured however, by
authority the most reliable, that the statements
"iludod to orc orrUnooue. Not only go, we
positively know that the Administration at
| Washington are fully satisfied with Gen. DODGE.
and that it desires and expects him to remain
| abroad
What becomes of the Administration princi
pie of " rotation if "favorites" are to remain
| in office?
The Commissionership of Patents is an Office
after which there are many seekers. Among
them we may mention Edmund Burke, of New
| Hampshire Ex-senator James, of Rhode
Island; Judge Sherman, of Michigan Judge
Palmer, of Connecticut and Col George w.
Hughes, of Maryland
The President, short time ago, received
letter from Professor Silliman and others. in
Guiding several Doctors Of Divinity of New Ha-
ven, objecting to the employment by him of the
United States military forces to execute the so.
called laws of Kansas, and assuring him that
they cease not to pray that he may have his
proper course of duty pointed out to him, or
something to that effect. To this letter the Pres
ident has just replied, briefly but pontedly deny.
ing their premises, and questioning their knowl.
edge of those laws. And after acknowledging
their validity, he calmly assures them that by the
help Of God he will enforce them, in accordance
with his oath Of Office.
1t is not to be wondered at that the Doctors
OF Divinity and the President disagree: for
while the former aim to make their conduct
square with the laws of God, the latter, accord.
ing to Democratic journals, must scout the
Higher Law, and attend to the interests of his
party.
The General Land Office has decided against
the presumption claim of colored man to 360
| acres of land in Wisconsin, taking the ground
of the Supreme Court in the bred Scott case.
that a free negro of the African race, whose
ancestors were brought to this country and sold
as slaves, is not citizen within the meaning
of the Constitution of the United States" This
decision of the Land Office applies to other
similar cases pending. Here we have practi.
cal result of Judge Taney's ubiquitous decision.
Colored men are not, hereafter, to be allowed
to pre-empt land in the Territories Thus does
great nation Cypress the poor and the out.
cast.
We copy the following from the Baltimore
San:
Governor Walker, in his official dispatches
recently received, says that in one point he has
been grossly misrepresented, namely: as de.
string that every man should VOTE who hap
pened to be in the Territory on the day OF the
election, for the ratification of the Constitution.
This he remarks, would be desirable, if there
we're CONCLUSIVE evidence that all such persons
were actual bona tide settlers; but the only
sufficient and usual proof of such a fact would
h4 n