Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-05-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Southern Claims and Pensions OF ISI2-
Miscellaneous Items.


WASHINGTON, ID. c., -
May 18th, 1871.
The rapid growth of this city during the
past ten years has made it much less de-
pendent upon the sessions of Congress to
give an appearance of life to the streets
than formerly. The special session of the
Senate now sitting can addbut little to the
population, especially as the subjects un-
der consideration are not such as attract
members Of the Third House or lobby.
1eti have rarely seen the city so full of
life, or the streets as crowded. The lay
ing OF wooden pavement on Pennsyl-
vania Avenue has brought out throng of
fast trotters, and the wide Avenue is lit
orally crowded with snowy turnouts,
ranging in size from the no-top coal-boX
buggy with one fast horse, aud an equally
fast driver, to the ponderous equipages of
the diplomatic corps with their heavy car
riages, tall footmen and fat horses, all,
however, driving like mad,n Then the
wheels strike the Nicholson pavement.
The country at large is indebted to this
city for trying valuable experiment.
While all of the pavement is made of wood
and substantially the same as that so well
known as the Nicholson, the paving of the
avenue was done by six different contrac-
tors, using as many different patents.
There is little choice between the sections
at present, but the question Of comparative
durability of the different plans will re-
ceive very satisfactory solution within
| the next few years.
The Senate has been occupied to-day in
considering the treatment of White and
Ramsdell, two Newspaper men, who OBJ
tanned by some unknown means copy of
the Treaty at Washington, and sent it to
the New York Tribune before the Senate
had allowed it to be made public. White,
who is, in figure and address, not unlike
one of your editors, was brought to the bar
| of the Senate this morning and examined.
He stated on oath that he did not procure
his copy from any Senator or officer of the
| Senate, but refused to answer how he had
obtained it. Without any distinction of
party lines the Senators seemed to follow
| their own ideas, and took ground warmly
some for White immediate release, and
others forclose confinement until hesh
answer.
Sumner could find but one precedent for
committing witness refusing to answer
| TO Jail, and that was when man suspect
ed of having been concerned in the John
| Brown raid, was committed to Jail by Ma
| son, OF Virginia, then chairman of the in
| vestigating committee, and warming up
| with the subject, the Senator from Aiassa-
| ehusetts called, in laundering tones, upon
the Senate if they We're willing to follow
that example and such precedent. There
seemed to bea general dislike TO meeting
the legal question and the matter OF ex-
4 IfSttttAiff flatt1es anu Hucl Oh lie OcDut1
was personal and far from the point
The prospect now Is that the session will
| last week or ten days longer The
| Southern Claims Commission is hard at
work, but from the number and infinite
variety of the claims submitted, the action
must be very slow. Claims for buildings,
for rents, for cotton and stock, amounting
to hundreds of thousands of dollars take
their turn with those of five dollars. for
one calf eaten up, or, perhaps, a dozen
chickens furnished some hospital. Not
that claims no larger in amount than
these are filed, but that items of these
amounts are found i'll the claims, and the
amount of an item cannot shorten the
time required for its proof and consider
alton.
There will be considerable delay in
granting the pensions given by the last
Congress to the soldiers of the war of 1912,
! and their widows from the inadequacy
of the clerical force at the pension office.
Nearly twenty thousand of these claims
were sent in before any work at all could
be done on them.
Old habitues of the Land Office miss the
| genial face of the old Commissioner Will
son, who had been at his post for many
years, but the new incumbent keeps this
most valuable branch of the Department
of the Interior, in the same satisfactory
condition which has always characterized
this Office. ANON.