The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-15
FROM WASHINGTON.
ConsiitutionnIity OF Legal. Tenders
The 100 Notes-ReVenue from Dis.
titled Spirits Barred Beneaih q

Constitutionality OF Legal. Tenders
The $50 Notes-KeVenue from Dis
titled Spirits - Buried Heneaih a
wall.
WASHINGTON, February li.-AttOrney
General Stan berry, in the Supreme
Court of the United States to-day, read
a letter from the Secretary of the Treas
ury, addressed to him, stating, i'll effect,
that the Department understood that
the question of the cOnstitutionality of
the legal tender act had arisen at this
term, in several eases, between private
parties, and they had been discussed and
were under Amusement. As the Gov
eminent had no opportunity to present
an argument in support of the law, and
as deep interest WAS felt ON the sub
iect By the Government and country at
large, it was hoped that the Attorney
General would ask and obtain leave to
present an argument in support of the
law before the cases which bad been
discussed should be decided by the
Court.
The Attorney General said that owing
to his mutifariouS legal duties he feared
he would be unable To prepare proper
argument during the present term, and
therefore desired that the Court would
not deliver its opinion in these cases
until the next term. The Court took
the matter under advisement.
One of the cases alluded to involves
purely a question OF ordinary debt
whether party has a tight to discharge
an obligation in legal tenders; another
of the cases, argued by Senators johnson
and Williams, presents the question
whether u debtor can pay his taxes in
legal tenders, the State OF Oregon hay-
ing declared that all its taxes should be
paid in gold, and the third case, argued
by Messrs. Carlisle and Wills, is from
California, which has 4 statute declar-
ing that all fiduCiary taxes shall be paid
ply in gold.
The committee on Ways and Means
has decided that the refined oil tax
shall be g per barrel of ID gallons, and
on exports - cent stamps are To be
used. The committee are engaged in
framing a bill regulating the exporta-
ton of alcohol, high wines, &c.
The 100 treasury notes outstanding
and falling due June 18th and July 18th
next which are converted into go
bonds, amount to over 800, 900, 900, and
it will reGuirs full time between this
and July 18th to enable the Department
to convert them promptly at their ma
turity. The public are notified that
unless such notes which tho Govern
ment is now offering to convert are
promptly forwarded TO the Department
for that purpose, great delay must en-
sue in the future delivery of the bonds.
The Director of Statistics has FUN
ished table showing that the revc-
nucs derived by the General Govern
ment, from the use of distilled spirits
i'm the United States, during tie fiscal
year ending June 18th, 1853 to 1867
inclusive, or for five years, were Sl35,-
$50, asa in currency, or total average
of 81 ,10l ,27l in currency per annum.
A number of persons were buried be-
meath the runs of n falling wall at a
fire. One white man and four negroes
have thus far been taken from the ru-
ms, in a maugled condition. 1t is be-
lieved that all of them will die. Large
numbers of hands are at work on the
ruins to recover other bodies. 1t is
feared that ten or twelve were crushed.
The fire was confined to the buildings
mentioned in the dispatch last night.
Loss abOut Sl26,000.