The New York herald., 1871-10-14
A Nice System OF JObbing
Exposed.
Serious Charges Against the Board
Of Steamboat Supervisors.
ANOTHER HUGE RAILROAD LAND GRAB.
Martial Law To Be Proclaimed in
South Carolina.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 13, 1871.


Anothcr Victory for the President.
General Sherman returned to-day from the West. |
The most important news which the General brings |
Is that two OF Grants colts took premiums at Wese-
ern fairs, one OF them, yearing, trotting mile In
3l7. This was cheering news at the White House
and put everybody In good humor.
Departure or she Presidential Party.
The President, Mrs. Grant and daughter, Post.
master General CIeswell and wife, and her sister,
Miss McIntire; the Secretaries OF the Treasury and
Navy and General Porter left tonight in Q special
car for Boston. Secretary Beknap and General
Babcock win start for the same city tomorrow.
Jobbery Among the Board Of Steamboat In
sDectOrs-A Re0rsanization Needed.
The special meeting OF the Board OF Supervising
Inspectors OF Steamboats, now being held In this
city, has developed not only desire to evade the
law for the safety OF passengers but an amount OF
jobbery that Is astounding. The little schemes OF |
the inventors Of ltfe-saving apparatus and other |
appliances were to De expected. and there is ma
chlnery enough here to NIL the Patent once; but
the Jobs are IN an entirely dnerent directi0n and
the chief promoters Of them are the supervls-
Ing inspectors themselves. Mr.. Addison Low,
the member OF the board from New York,
occupies very singular position with regard
to these schemes and appears to be the friend and
counsellor OF the steamboat interest as opposed to
PUBIC 66CuTICy 6uQ b6kobys Q0 was luo lcaOlux
spirit In setting aside the law or Congress that It's
provision In regard to the appliances boilers ana
the equipment or steamers will not take effect till
January /, 1872, thus making the Westneld and
other accidents possible. 1t was mostly through the
influence that the meetings Of the Board were made
secret. he It was who secretly invited the steam
boat interest to come forward ana combat the
law, and he declared at meeting Of
the Board that the act Of Congress was conceived In
niqptty and born N fraud, even going so far 10
assert that evary friend OF the law which Is his
duty 10 execute was the friend OF job. For this
he was taken severely to task by Mr.. Bemis, OF
Buffalo, and ne afterwards explained his words
away but not till after the animus OF the majority
OF the Board was made manifest In some respects
the Jaw requires amendment. The act was drawn
by two clerks In tho Treasury Department. both Of
whom have been dismissed from their positions for
artiuy inserting provisions In the bill In the interest
OF ofspeculators 1t WIN be necessary to dismiss nearly
every member OF the Board before the act can be
properly amended or the law be made operative
Secretary Boutwells order reconvening the Super
vising inspectors in their present session was In.
tended more particularly to secure o wise and
equitable amendment OF the law than for anything
else but In this desire he Is likely to be defeated by
the unwillingness to aid him Of this very Board.
To-day the Board gave hearing to Western steam.
| boatmen, who are anxious to secure q greater
amount Of steam for freight boats, that they may
be able to blow up their engineers and deck hands
with impuniIy. The same kind OF thing is con-
stantly engaging the attention Of the Supervising
Inspectors, and they are having lively row among
themselves, q few men In the board taking the
ground that the stringent provisions OF the law
intended to protect the lives OF the travelling
public while the majority seek only the interests OF
the steamboat owners II the ngnt goes on for
many days lonss. .nsI: ~ e e some queer s. e:
National Nif i; Bank K !; Taxes.
The stockholders In the national banks OF New !
York, having been assessed Q State tax on the !
amount Of their stock, have been avoiding direct
payment the banks making the payments for them.
In this way the question or the liability Of the banks
for the payment OF tax on dividends has been
raised 1t being claimed tnst the laws OF Congress
have been evaded 10 the amount or state tax paid
BY the banks. w. II. Hollis and Benjamin D. SILL
man, Of New York. are here to argue tine matter be-
fore the Commissioner Of Internal Revenue and |
decision Of the question will soon be made.
Another Land Grab Attempted.
Washington wants o railroad to the Chesapeake,
and some New York and Boston capitalists are will
ing to build 1t II Congress will grant them two mil.
lions OF acres Of public land. In consideration for
this grant the company Will agree to allow the gov
ment to pass the mails, and IN time OF war troops
and munitions, free Of charge. No more cxtraordi.
nary land grabbing attempt has been made In many
years. and yet 1t seems ITS projectors viii seriously
press the scheme before Congress.
Martial Law for South Caroline.
The proclamation OF the President commanding |
the Ku Klux In certain counties In South Carolina
to disperse and surrender their arms and disguses
in I've days, Is only the legal form for pruclaiming
martial law. the counties named In the procIa- |
nation have but few newspapers and poor tele- |
graphic facilities. The proclamation was dated |
yesterday, and by limitation expires on Monday |
next. II Is not expected that the marauding bands
will hear the news OF the proclamation by tnat
time, but it Is expected that martial law VIII be
proclaimed In o few days Troops necessary to
enforce the Presidents order are already IN South
Carolina. g01 Hsel t.at13 134f t7aul8a8 fu
Examination Of Accounts OF Disbursins
e..f6 Onlc srs. fes. Dfr re l.
Since the defAlcauon OF Major Hodge the secre.
ary Of the Treasury mas given instructions that all
he accounts OF disbursing officers connected with
he Treasury Department shall be promptly exam
ned. Those relating to the construction accounts
II the New York and Boston Post once buildings
lAve been found correct There was some suspicion
hat disbursing ofncers in Washington had been ]
lsing government funds, but a thorough examina-
ion OF their returns and vouchers showed that the
was unfounded. Only seven ac-
counts have been examined, those OF =
colonel Van Buren,, OF New York, who
vas the pension agent OF that city, showed deficit
II little over eleven thousand dollars. On the 9th
instant he paid into the Treasury s55oo ana to-day
1850 was turned over to the government together
With claim for refund ON account OF over.pay.
nent. THIS Ia admitted at the Treasury Department
nth smile that Il cnldlike and bland, and the
Inference between his Indebtedness and the sum
'aid Will be repaid 10 Colonel Van Buren,. y
sxfeasive Fires Throagheut the Rocky Msus.
General Humphreys, Chief OF the Engineer Bureau,
Var Department, to-day received letter from CIar-
nee King, geologst in charge Of the geological ex-
edition OF the fortieth parallel dated .Camp In |