Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-03-03
FROM WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, March, 2, 1866.


WASHINGTON, March, Z, 1000,
COPY RIGHT LAW.
The two memorials presented to the Senate to-day
and referred to the committee on Foreign Relations
asking for legislative action TO secure international
copy right law, embrace the names of two or three
hundred authors editors and publishers. including
Longfellow, Bryant, Holmes, Jared Sparks Lowell,
valuable collection of autographs.
THE MASSACHUSETTS LIQUOR CASES.
The argument in the Massachusetts, liquorcases be-
fore the United States Supreme Court is concluded
and the court now has them under consideration.
MILITARY COURTS.
On Monday the same tribunal will take up the case
er oqrte of Milligan and Bowlesi of Indiana which
involve the consitutionaty of the Military Courts
and Commissions to try civilians. Major General
Butler and Stansbury, of Ohio, will assist the Attor
ney General and Judge Black and others will appear
for the petitioners.
The Gomez case was before the Supreme Court to-
day. 1t involves the title to valuable and extensive
mines in California.
CONTESTED ELECTION CASES.
The contested election case of Dodge against
has not yet been decided by the Committee on Elec
tiOns Two other cases will be taken up by the
committee namely: Fuller against Dawson, and Fol,
lett against Delano, of Ohio-in the case of Boyd
against Kelso, of Missouri, and kuntz against Cof-
froth. of Pennsylvania. These parties are now en-
gagged in taking evidence, under special resolutions
of the House.
PURLIC PRINTING.
Sone days ago the House passed resolution call
ing upon the heads othe departm furnish state
ments showing the amount of money expended for
paper and printing outside the service rendered by
eral recently reported thano printing other than that
executed by the Government Office, executed for
his department. The Secretary of the Treasury re-
ports the cost of paper for that department during
the year 1865 at nearly $4,000 type and printing.
$4,000; advertising 81, 400 He adds: mo printing
has been ordered of private parties excepting when
the exigencies of the public service required it; of
this, 1924 for advertising in the Secretary g
office of which nearly the whole amount was directed
to the advertisement of the conversion of United
States securities and proposals Tor loans. No list OF
papers is given.
1t is computed from official data that since the last
annual report of the Secretary of the Treasury made
on the 3Oth of October last he has reduced the ag
has paid $29OOO,OOO of currency interest in 7-3O
bonds, and $30,0O0O0O and interest in bearing
bonds, making an aggregate of currency of coin in
erest of $59000OO0 paid In addition to this he has
paid sll current expenses of the Government and a
large amountOf requisitions from the War aud Navy
previous to his report not before audited and not
cluded in the statement OF the public debt On n To-
vembsr his coin balance was $3t 9S7.l5 and his
currency balance S33, 500 59l54, making aggre-
On March ist. he had in coin s55 1885, 1922 and in
OlS "a of coin and currency, an lncreaseln coin o
S2lSl 10497 and an increase in currency Of S26
l5 Total increase @ ssa Ct money IN 'he treasury In
In brief the public debt has been reduced S29 000
900 since Nov lst whilst there are IN the Treasury
SAT 100000 of specie and currency, more than at
the first named date, showing an improvements the
| finances of the Treasury, in the debit and credit
| statement OF over Slb,0UUUOU.
There are still further encouraging features pre-
sented This reduction of the public debt is entirely
in the short date obligations and interest bearing
| and plain legal tenders all of which have more o.
/ less an initiating tendency. On November first th
they were $685. 0440O0, showing reduction in 7-30'
| of nearly $l2,000,000 The increase of compound
| interest notes during the interval has been onl
81 100000 while the decrease of and two years
legal tender notes has been S2 100000, and of pai
| legal tenders 81. .736, 1856.
The legal tenders of all kinds in circulation on tn
1st of November, S633, GIL, and 1st of Mare
S6O 9S4 4l4 showing decrease of $27,725 1877. Thes
| results may be summed up as follows
| Since November lst the debt has decreased $24,
100000. Balance in the Treasury increased owe
| SAT 100000. Contraction in the value of legal ten
ders circulated $27,T2 1877 and contraction in shor
date obligations of the Government Sl2 0OO,0 ,000 Th
argument is advanced by skillful fnaneierS iudgin
from the exhibit made above, that the process of
traction of the currency, can go on without any {
the anticipated evils which have been predicted tn
healthy condition of the currency being sufhcier
| proof of the correctness of these impressions.
| QUARANTINE AGAINST CHOLERA.
| Senator Evans proposition for general quarar
tine against the introduction of cholera into tn
country is before the Committee on Commerce
| both branches of Congress. 1t meets with gener,
| favor. and is of such momentous Importance that
will doubtless receive prompt consideration and fs
| yorable action.