The Portland daily press., 1872-12-09
Washington Matters.
WHAT GEN. GRANT THINKS OF THE HISTORIC
BATTLE FLAGS.

WHAT GEN. GRANT THINKS OF THE HISTORIC |
BATTLE FLAGS.
A Washington correspondent says that
Gen. Grant said recently in conversation
with some gentlemen who were at the White
House, that should Congress pass the resolu-
ton directing the names of the battles of the
war for the suppression Of the rebellion to be
removed from the flags of those regiments
which took part in them, it might be neces-
sary to Immediately order the Imprisonment
for life OF all the one-armed and the one
legged soldiers of the land, that they might
not remind the people of the struggle through
which the nation had triumphantiy passed.
MR.. BOUTWELL, ON THE NEGOTIATION OF
THE NEW BONDS.
| The Secretary of the Treasury has inform
| ed the cominttce ofways and means that he
has received an offer for three hundred mil
| lions of the new five per cent bonds, and
| nerlaps carrying with it an offer for one hum
ared millions of four and half per cent.
from the same European syndicate with
which he has had transactions, except that
the Rothschilds are now concerned in the
offer. The Secretary further said he could
never negotiate the new bonds with one-half
Of one per cent. to which he is now limited,
| and must either be allowed one and a half
per cent. to place them, or be authorized to
dispose, as he did before, of the new bonds
ninety days before redeeming the old ones.
THE INTERNAL REVENUE REFORM BILL.
Commissioner Douglass bI revising and
reducing the internal revenue establishment
which passed the House by. substantially
| unanimous vote Friday afternoon. is the Sec
| ond important measure which the House has
despatched during the first week of the SEES
ion. All of the amendments from the COM
mt5ee and one by Mr.. Bingham were
agreed to. the important notifications of
the bill are those which reduce the number
OF special revenue agents from fifty to TWEEN
ty-iive, require the commissioner to effect the
proposed consolidation by the first of July
next at the latest. limit the one-half of one
per cent. allowed collectors to $4,000 annual
ly in the aggregate, and require collectors to
give new bonds on assuming their new du-
ties. Most of these changes are made with
the approval of the commissioner and other
prominent revenue officials now in town. 1t
is expected that the Senate finance commit
tee will take prompt action on the bill and
that it will become a law in ample time to
prevent all difficulty under the present law.
Mr.. Dawes in the course of his remarks on
the bill this afternoon, made the statement
that the committee of ways and means ex-
pected during the present session to report a
bill abolishing all remaining internal revenue
taxes excepting tuose Oh Wnlskev @uu toDac-
co.
THE CREDIT MOBILIER INVESTIGATION.
Speaker Blaine expects to be called as the
first witness, he having moved the investiga-
ton. An impression is already well defined
aud increasing in the best informed circles,
that the results of the whole proceeding will
be altogether disproportionate to the excite
ment and attention which the subject has at
tracted. and that but little of general interest
will be developed. All of the Representatives
and Senators mentioned in connection with
the matter during the campaign manifest no
anxiety except that the whole truth shall be
told and the entire history of the Credit Mo-
bier and its operations disclosed When
this is done it will probably be found that one
Or two of the gentlemen named held for a
short time small amounts of Credit Mooilier
stock, but that they at once and long ago
withdrew from all connection with the COM
pany and have since had nothing to do with
| it.