American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1859-01-27
LETTER PROM wAsHINroN.

IS SOou out OF ethe faclllC nAilFOau Dlll--z
The origional bill is a cumbersome affair,
worked up BY Senator Gwin with his
CHARACTERISTIC style Of doing things. A
large member of amendments have been
offered from time to time, aud these a
lIaendmepts constitutes about all the good
ness there ever Has been about ths meas
ure. Tho Senate has been voting on these
aud killing them off one by one, suntif
there is little but the ofigional shell, which
is full Of all N nner Of corruption and un-
cleaness. - ~
Mr.. Sherman's demohstrat:6ni agafns;
the Navy Department bas created a senss;
tion. The Speaker named the committee
to day. It's CONSTITUTED as fol ows: Mr.
Sherman OF Ohio, Republican,; Babcock,
of Va. Administration; Richie, Of Pa,
Republican; R'ady, of Tenn, American;
Groesbsck, Of Ohio. Administration. "a
tYhe. committee is able and fairly construc
/, ted. Phs objection to il is that the time Of
the men selected is already severely taxed
oh the most important standing com
mittees IN the House, There are plenty
Of able meri III the House placed upon in.
ferisr Committees to get the out of, the way
who might have been called iuto service %
constitute the sslect cofhfnittse. = i'-
vaAmohg tie things Which it Is said will
lcome out in evidence, is that lie Depart
lsgreed to pay one bundled and thirty thod'
sand dollars for the construction Of engines
Tor sloops.of.war, when the builders OF the
Iengines did not charge more than Finely
thoasahd dollars for the work; chat al over
ninety were used in the elections againet
lthe Republican party; thata similar trans.
action occurred in the construction of one
or more Of the sloops-of war now building;
hthat wo!kmep had to pay a bounty to OBJ
tain work at tho yard; that Immediately
before the recent electioas IN New York
Estate, over 27D0 workmen were employed
lin the Brooklyn Yard, and that only few
Gays subsequent TO the election, over eleven
hundred Of the same mon were discbars ed;
that y, Sfe wasjno emergency existing at
ItLetme, requiring The employ ymente Of such
a force, and they were there 10 vots 10 and
control the election. 'This'is ouIy few
specimens. Tue letter which I alluded in
ills correspondence, a few days since,
signed by ore 'James Buchauan.' was ad
dressed to certain successful contractors for
building machinery for the new sloop Of
war at Philadelphia. Those contracto
became successful in Consequence of hav-
lang obtainned at the department the sche-
dule Of prices Of another bidder. They
then bid under him; and thus obtained the
oontract 1t is charged that Mr.. Touoey
is party TO this transaction. Phe letler
referred 10 was addressed to these success.
fol parties, directing them to have GER
tain quantity Of the iron work manufactur-
ed at Lancastet. Fhe resolution Of Mr..
Kunkle, Of Pa. tie other day. calling for
information relative 10 coal contracts, will
show that Mr.. Toucey's nephew. at Phiia
delphia. has been feathering his nest out
Of the Government. Ttere are certain ego
betweens" 10 that matter, who will be fer
teled out, n'1 '"
Tie new sio0p Of war buildihgat PhiA.
delphia rs not being built by naval Con-
tractor. but by John w, Griffith, tie editor
Of the Nautical Magaziue, which pubIi',a-
tion some nnonths since. contained a splen-
did puff, accompanied by a "pi;ter" Of Mr..
Tou"ey. I understand that, when MI,
Griffith submitted his plans for con'strnc-
ting the slocp, there was no'one but Mr.,
1Oacey who approved Of them. az they
were al so mu' h variance with known
laws, which should always govern the Jon
strucdon Of vessels Of war. The cost o.
this ship will exceed two hundred thou
sand dollars, and experienced ship builder
predict that she viii prove q perfoct fail,
ure.'The lud cfous part Of this is that Mr..
TOncey should presume to Judge Of the
plans OF ship building, against the advice
and settled judgement OF experienced ma.
val contractors, When he knows no more
about the subject than an old woman. nor
half as much as some whom | could name.
But this government isinsttuted for plum.
deTers, and contracts goesb by favors. Grif-
tiih puGed Toucey and Toucey rewards
Griffith, and some "go between" divides
the pTofitsl So much for Mr.. Toucey al
present. l41 a Ii.
wAsnrxofoS, b. O., Jan. 9f.-Tbe
House yesterday had up very important
bill from the Public L'nis Committee
which embodied Important changes in the
pre.emption laws Of the country. But a
still more important change Was presented
to the House in the shape Of an amend:
ment which gives tho pre- eniptor ten
years in which 10 pay for his claim. You
will see at once that this was deadly
blow aimsd atthe land SPECTATORS, and it
Instantly caused fut!ering among them
somewhat like the wind among the trees,
The House was in commotion at once
Pass such an amendment, and certain gen.
tlemen on that floor would find their IN.
vestt ents poor, and future speculations in
Western lands cut off. II is well known
fact that Speaker Orr among others has in
vesthett, ID lands III the North west, and
while the bill was discussed in the morn
ing iOur considerable laughter was indulg-
Ell in as oneof the speakers - Cobb, of AL
ALBANIA, another Southern speculatot in
Northern llnds, dwelt at length upon the
process Of squattiug'upon wild lands and
in Aery familiar style addressed the Chaii
upon the subject ~
] But this important anti:specutatof a.
1mendmeut drove out all disposition from
This House and an earnest contest at one,
commencei. Phe Amendment was carried
lby a small majority. The usual motion
for eugrossnient was then put, and on th'
ayes and noes being demanded Il wAs lost
A a,H -,