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[From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, January 13, 1874.
CLAIMS ron DAMAGES, &C., By THE ARMY
Agood part Of yesterdays session In Con
! gross was taken up with debate In an at
tempt to define the jurisdiction Of the CourI
of Claims. The Union men generally are in
favor OF leaving all those claims for damages
by the army to. farms, fences, crops, &C., to
Congress, and allowing the Court to pase
upon those claims only which arise on con.
tracts. dc. If the Court Of Claims is to pass
on every case Of damages claimed on &C.
count Of the passage or encampment of the
army, the country would be 6wamped in.Icss
Than six months; The expenses Of witnesses,
dence taken would be almost all frpzrte.
secesh would swear for Union men and pies
tr'sd, as regards the amount Of damage done
TO both. The only way In which damage can
oe done IN sneh cases is By commissioners
appointed to visit the property. Some gen
wherein officers :Quartermasters, &c, have
given receipts. But the Qaartermastcr-
Generals Department has already the decis-
ION IN snch cases, and can only pay In cases
where the receipts are regular. ANY one
having passed month or two with the army
knows With what recklessness receipts are
given, especially when the army Is about to
more from an encampment- Here Is mine
OF 1raud and corruption In which It
Will not do to let every shyeter attorney have
chance to dig ont the money of tile people
IN the shape ct claims tTumped up by every
lmaginable system of deception, fraud and
TIE coMMuTA71oN CLAUSE IN THE con-
scRRTIoN.
This subject attracts more general atten-
ton in and out Of Congress tlan my other.
It is genernlly understood that 1t will be re-
tanned In modified form. l{r. Sumner, to-
day, In the Senate, offered an amendment to
the Conscription Act which fixes scale Of
Communication. BE supported 1t In one Of those
perfectly classical and statesmanlike speech
cs which are seldom or never heard in these
days Of slip-shod and disjointed efforts ut elo-
cuf1on. It was not long or elaborate
speech, but IT was to the point and purpose
Of his amendments, and every word and SEN
tence might be printed as he delivered 1t,
and the whole published in aSchool Reader as
aperfect specimen Of the English language
regret to notice that Mr.. sumner shows
age. That nalneless appearance of something
indicative Of q want Of nervous energy is yisi-
Bile In his noble looking form aud features.
He looks as if he spent more time than he
onght IN his study, and prolonged his 1abors
too far into the hours which should be given
to repoge. The brutal assault upon him by
the ruftian Bro oks, may also, and no doubt
does. effect his nervous system unfavorably.
But, even as he is, with age creeping on
aparc, and the physical inan showing signs
Of the wear and tear Of the mind within, Mr.
Sumner is the greatest man in the United
States Senate, and is likely to be In all our
day md generation
Mr.. Summers amendments provide that
the communication be $500, except tha. every
person discharged shall in addition nav On ail
income over 5000 and not over s., 900, ten per
cent; over 600 aud not over St, 900, twenty
per cent; and on all income over 5000,
thirty per cent.
Nj. Stanton, I learn, asserts that If the
communication clause is not repealed the Gov
crnmcnt cannot succeed in raising sufl-
Client number OF troops.
TAx oS sP1n1rs-EoREAsEp TAX.
The Ihe Committee on Ways and Means in the
senate Yesterday reported a tax Of 90 cents
Per gallon on spirits, and two cents per
Ponnd on cotton. The duty on spirits is to
be levied on all on hand On which no duties
have been paid and no returns made from the
18th Of January, 1864. It WAS at first deter
mined In the COMMITTEES. to put the tai at 50
cents, as some time since informed you,
but within day or two it was cut down to
60. 1t was reported in New York yesterday
that spirits were to have an additional tax Of
20 cents, upon which the article went up in
proportion. notice some agents Of Chica-
paying literally therefor. Isaw some money
change hands in this way to-day-a fiat broke
correspondent Of paper {not the Ta1puSE)
raising enough at ono haul to pay q months
board, and keeping nest-egg for future op-
erations. There may be still further nd
$t1f ft1n 3x,$r- $15r Ia t.4k
Mr.. Chase sent to the chairman Of the Fl
nance Committee. =
TILE CorPERuEADs COMMENCING TIE CAM
The.resolutions Of the Copperhead caucus
on Saturday night, directed against the none
taIy interest OF the country, which now sus-
taIna the war, and the resolutions Of Fernan-
do Wood in the House yesterday, are looked
which will only close with the Presidential
election: Wood is q fitting representative
man Of the Democracy, az respects the hon
esty and integrity Of the party. There is
about as much honesty In the movement as \
II the mover. Still these two moves Of the
Democracy give them q platform, for which
they had been casting about since the open
ing Of the session They intend to fight the
battle for the Presidency almost exclusively
on financial and economical grounds. They
will howl "ftand,'' fraud "" corrnption,h
NO11 1AHl4Quf 44Vlu 1luh I'LL 1QES Q1 NO
vcmber, with ylgor worthy Of better
cause. The peace propositions will be kept
In abcyancc, except when some unt1edged
politician, like Rodgers of New Jersey, sends
up rocket in the shape of resolutions pro-
yiding for commissioners to Richmond, &c
escape Of the extra steam Of the party, not
intended Tor present Use. But when Fernan-
do Wood ignites the fnse, and throws hand
grenade like that OF yesterday, into
the House, it means mischief 1t is
tue movement Of q cunning politician WHO
Eatchls events, feels the public pulse, and 1
acts accordingly. Woods resolutions, it !
struck me, were badly met on our side OF the |
House. The laying of them upon the tab1e,, |
On motion Of 1'haddeus Stevens, exhibited q |
fcar Of Investigation unworthy Of party |
Which has been foremost in investigations |
as desired, and By unanimous vote. Such \
course would disarm the coppcrhcad move |
q Its sttng and prove to the country that the 4
Union men even when In power are as anx-
ious to ferret out MI frauds Us when they arc
IN opposition. Mr: Washburn, of Illinois,
view Of the case, and ia so doing showed |
tLelr good sense and sound statesmansiip. |
If the "Gcnt1eman In DIack" himBelf call for /
an Investigation, let him haye it. Corrup-
tions are incidental to all parties and. all
times. They can only be successfully dealt /
|
good men Of all PARTIES to ferret ont the per
retrators and bring them to merited punish. !
ment. The Union men who voted for Woods !
res oluton arc: Messrs. Fcnton, N. r:
Dawes, Mass; Order, Ky, and Washburne,
III. Wocd claims thas' his resolutions are
respectfully wordcd and that his intention in
offering them was honest, I have rcasons to
know that q committee of this kind would
Ee movement highly satisfactory TO the
President himself. The copperheads to-day
claim TINT the moving Of these resolutions
the Union men has been the fIrst substantial
triumph they have achieved this session.
!: AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
Several members have offered Joint resolu~
lions providing for amendments to the Con-
to abolish slavery. ], however, look
upon them all as 30 much time and effort
WaEted. To amend the Constitution REQUIRES
i vote Of tWo-thirds Of both houses Of Con-
greee, 60 an application from tWo-thirds of
The Legislatures Of the several States, to call L
4 convention for amendments, which atter-
wards must be ratified by the Legislatures Of
Lhree-fourthE Of the States or BY conventions
in three-fourths Of them. Now, it is p1ain
hat no amendment abolishing slavery can
obtain any such ratification IS is above re-
luired. Therefore, why take up time with
Int which can never accomplish the end
oughts
- SENATE ooHF1RMAT1oSs. |:
It is rumo1ed TINT the Senate will refuse to
.onfTm large number Of Major and Briga-
1ier Generals; at least five Of the former and
wcnty Of the hitter. Among the former the
lame Of Gen Schodeld is prominently men@}
Toned. It should be borne in mind that in |
making these promotions the President had
o balance the claims Of political and military
supporters Of yarious officers. If be refused
n rrnfn ntp the nnf3fica1 Eenarala fhn Eenn~ |