The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-12-14

LATEST NEWS
BY TELEGRAPH TO THE
PORTLAND DALEY PRESS.
Friday Morning. December "A, 1866.
WASHINGTON.
The Currency Contraction
Question.
THE FINANCE BILL.
Illegal Settlement of United States
....r Claims. sF..g

Means Committee inclfnes to a contraction oi
| the currency and agrees generally with the
views OF Mr.. MeCulloch as expressed to the
| members of the committee, it is Still considered
very doubtful whether Congress will adopt it
The temper Of the House upon the subject OF
| interfering with the present status of the Nat
| tional Banks was plainly seen on Monday
| when 1T voted down sunmarily several at
| tempts of the kind that were then made The
| proposition to aud twenty-five millions to the
currency is not approved by the Currency
| committee, and the present belief is that
| neither contraction nor an equitable distribu-
| tion of the currency can succeed.
| The President has sent to The Senate FIR
confirmation large number of appointments
| made by him during the late recess. TT in
cludes the appointment of Gen. Dix as Minis
ter to France. As the Senate has not, up to
| noon to-day, had an executive session since its
meeting on the first Monday of December, the
/ reports that that gentleman had been confirm
| ed is erroneous. 5sff4
A number of Senators and Representatives
have indicated their intention to spend Christ
| mas in the Southern cities
| The Clerk of the House to-day delivered In
| the President resolution of that BODY calling
| for all the information in his possession rela.
| tive to the New Orleans riots 1t is to he re-
membered that several months since all the
| papers in the hands of the Executive were
| given to the press, and it is now believed that
| there is not much if any additional matters
| that remain unpublished.
Inc hnance bill framed by Representative
Hooper IS substantially the same as the one in
troduced by him at the last session of Con-
| gress. 1t provides for the redemption of Ma
! tional bank issues at central places There
| are no restrictions upon banks; it does not
either authorize an increase or contraction of
the currency, and favors pro rata reduction
OF the currency from those banks at the North
which have more than their legitimate quota
| and the distribution Of the same in the South.
| The last provision of the bill will meet with
herce opposition in Congress, and is almost
certain to fail.
Mr.. Stevens will renew his proposition for
an increase of the currency at an early day.
MIR. Boutwelps bill will be taken up for con-
| sIderation by the Ways and Means Committee
The settlement made by Consul Morse at
London, with Frazier, Trenholm s. Co. the
| disavowal of which by the United States was
| mentioned, purpOrted to be settlement of all
claims OF the United against that firm nvoly-
ing many thousands of pounds sterling 1t
| appears the proceedings in Chancery were be-
ing vigorously prosecuted by our Consul at
Liverpool, MIR. Dudley who had succeeded in
forcing Frazier, Trenholm & Co. into posi-
ton where they were compelled to make a full
disclosure on oath of all the dealings of that
blockad1ng running firm with the Confederate
| government, Including all transactions of the
rebel Secretary of the Treasury. Mr. G A
Trenholm, together with full exhibition of all
their works and papers. To avoid this disa-
Si9oapie anu lttal disclosure, FRAZIER, Tren-
holm q Co. sought and effected settlement
which has been clandestinely made through
Consul Morse and one Montgomery Gibbs. the
reputed agent of the Treasury Department
which agreement provides for the dismissino
OF all legal proceedings in England and the
United states, and giving up all claims of the
United States, and merely requires Frazier.
Irer holm q Co. shall state under oath what
Confederate property they have had in their
possession, that they shall dispose of the same
n hnT aCnIx L
out any statement of an account is agreed on
as the indebtedness of the Confederate govern
ment to them, and they shall pay the remain
ing balance to the United States The settle
ment was made by Consul Morse under color
OF general authority from the Treasury De-
partment to secure the Confederate property
in England, but it has been promptly rejected
by the United States government on the
ground that it Is relinquishing every thing to
FRAZER, trenholm q Co., and was an act utter
~ without authority on the part { of the
Consul at London, whose instructions did
not apply to these proceedings, which were I'M
der the sole management of the Consul at Liv-
erpool, and Mr.. Morse made the pretended set
tlement behind the back of Consul Dudley.
and without the knowledge of Mr.. Adams.
without whose sanction no action of Consul
Morse was to be valid. The disavowal of the
agreement having gone forward to England
by telegraph, due legal proceedings will beire-
newed and pressed with vigor until every dol
lar of rebel property in the hands of the chief
financial agent of the rebellion shall be Sc
cured.
Col: J. w. Forney has written letter to
Hon: Wilma Worthington of Pennsylvania, in
which he asks withdrawal of his name
should it be presented in the Union caucus as
candidate for 7. S. Senator. With no disposition
to underrate others he is free to say he thinks
the election of Hon. Thaddeus Stevens as the
successor of Mr.. Cowan, would promote last
ing harmony in their political household and
would unquestionably secure champion of
those great principles of matchless experience,
integrity and courage. .EsE