The Evansville journal., 1867-12-24
W 8INGTON.
The Capital Deserted-NeW Phase of
the Russian Bargain-The Missouri
Contested Election case. ~

( WAsHINGToN. Dec. 2l.-There has
been co6sidera BILE commotion In Radi-
cal circles to-day oyer the action of
the Virginia Convention in declining
to ask for continuing the Freedmen 5
Bureau, the resolution not having
commanded even the. whole colOred
vote. e,.us aa5 5s5aHas cese
The fight over stationery In the
House yesterday, which alone killed
the Deficiency Bill is causing real
distress among a number of employees
at the, Capital Seme of the fremen
and laborers of that class have had
no pay for over four months, and are
entirely dependent upon their daily
labor for support.
1 The veto to the bill striking the
word white" out of the laws of the
District was read Thursday morning,
and it was intended by Mr.. Johnson
to send it in. At the last moment,
for some unknown reason, he con-
cluded to give Congress the trouble
of passing the bill alter the recess.
The. city is very dull. A majority
of members have left for the holidays.
Many of the Western members have
started for home.
WASHINGTON, Dec. ga claim of
private parties against the Russian
Government, for five hundred thou
sand dollars, has been presented in
such way to the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs, as to cause con-
siderable perplexity among its mem
bers, and great annoyance to Mr,
Seward, who is severely blamed for
making no provision in the late
treaty to protect the rights of Ameri-
can citizens, although he was not only
aware Of the existence of these claims,
but had given the Russian Govern
ment7 through Mr. Clay, to under
stand that the State Department con-
sidered them just The facts
are as. follows Toward the
close Of the Crimean. war,
W. B. Perkins, of Massachusetts,,
made a contract with the Russian
government for one hundred and fifty-
four tons of American service pow
der, and thirty-fve thousand stands
of rifles. the price agreed upon being
half million dollars. The frst con
tract was made by Baron Stoeckle,
Russian Minister, in person. The
contract for arms was made by his adj
ivee, through a Russian ordnance
officer, sent out by his government
for the purpose. The powder and
arms vere inspected, and the powder
loaded on ship board, according to
agreement. At this time the war
closed, and the Russian authorities
refused to take the material or to
pay for it. The matter was soon
brought TO the notice of the State De
partment, and Mr.. Seward at once
wrote a strong letter supporting the
claim The matter is being strongly
urged upon the attention of the Gem
mittee on Foreign Affairs, with a
view to secure the Withholding of five
hundred thousand dollars in the APP
preparation for Alaska If ignored
by the Committee, the matter viii be
fully discussed in the House. Mr..
Seward is wonderfully troubled at
this turn of affairs, and is doing all in
his power to have the questions con
sidered separately from that of pay
ment tor Alaska.
In the late contested election case
of Burch, of Missouri, against Van
Horn, the committee was unanimous
in favor of the latter, even Demo-
Gratis seeing no law on the side of the
former Van Horn took no testimo-
ny whatever, nor did he summon any
witnesses Burch vested his case
principally upon the uucoustitution-
ality of the Missouri Franchise laws,
though he took considerable testimo-
ny on other points.
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