Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1871-05-21
WASHINGTON LETTER.
southern Claims and Pensions of IS12
Miscellaneous Hens. i
Especial Correspondence of the ChronsfIeJ 81
WAsHIN6EoN, D, e.,

- - WASHIN6TON. D,G-J1 I
r. = g y May 18th, 1S710
The rapid growth of this city during the
past ten years has made it much less de-
pendent upon the sessions OF congress 10
give an appearance of life to the streets
than formerly. The special session fofthe
Senate now sitting can add but little to the
population, especially as-the- subjects ua-
| der consideration are not such as attract
! members Of the Third House or lobby.
Yet, have rarely seen the city SO full of
life, or the streets IS crowded. fhe lay
| ing of wooden pavement on Pennsyf
yania Avenue has brought out throng Of
orally crowded with snowy turnouts,
ranging I'm size from Che no-top coal-box
buggy with one fast horse, and an equally
fast driver, to the ponderous equipages of
the diplomatic corps with their heavy car
riages, tall footmenr and fat horses, al,
however, driving like mad" Then the
wheels strike the Nicholson pavemenE
The country at large is indebted to THIS
city for trying valuable experiment..
and substantially the sanae as that 80 well
known as the Nicholson, the paving of the
avenue was done by six different eofitrac-i
tors, using as many different patents.
There is little choice between the sections
at present, butthe question of comparative
durability of the different plans will re-
ceive very satisfactory solution within
the next few years. 1es -. old .sssy tit9ir,.
The Senate has been occupied to-day in
considering the treatment of w hite 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 bropght,to the bar
of the Senate this morhing and EXAMINED.
He stated on oath that he did not procure
his copy from any Senator or officer of tile
Senate, but refused to answer how .iH- had
obtained il. Without any distinction ef
party lines, the Senators seemed to follow
their own ideas, and took ground warmly
some for Whites immediate release, and
others for close confinement until he should
answer .Fsp9RE .stsi-s-TN
Sumner could find but one precedent for
committing witness refusing ooanswer
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, yOf Virginiaathen chairman ofTthe in
vestigatlng co1m9lmittes, and warming up
chusetts called, in laundering tones, upon
the Senateiif they were willing to follow
that example and such a precedent. There
seemed to be general dislike to meeting
the legal question and the matter of ex-
pediency fairly, and much of the debate
was personal and far from the point. T@
: The prospect now lis that the session will
last a week or ten days longer The
Southern Claims Commission is hard at
work butefro the nunibers and. infinitel
variety of the claims submitted, the action
must be perysslows Claims for gbuildiilss,
for rents, for cotton and stock, amounting
to hundreds of thousands of dollars take
their turn with those ofifive ideIlars. for
one calf eaten up, orr perhaps, a. dozen
chickens furnished some hospital Not
that claims mo larger in Jamemt than
these are filed, but that items of these
amounts are found III the claims, and the
amount of an item cannot shorten 1the
time required for it's proof and consider
alton. .f ~ sl.'eH :, ii -.
There will be consideYablelI delay 6lin |
granting the pensions given by the last
Congress to the soldiers of the war of 1gI2, 1
and their widows, from the ginadeauacyl
of the clerical force at the pension Office. 4
Nearly twenty thousand of these. claims
were sent ia before any work at cali could
be done on them IL9di 70 yl1hs q gaea afh'l
u Old habitues of the Land Office naiss thes
genial face of thenold Commissioners, VIII
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, inl the Ssanles satisfactory
condition which has always characterizedII
this office OHIO ,lT&>ETI0EI0 ANON.