The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-01-30
Washington Matters.
LARGER SALARIES.

The House Committee on the Judiciary
after much celebration have agreed to report
a bill increasing the salaries OF the following
officers as follows: President of the United
States, $4,000; Vice President, $4,000;
Speaker $4,000; Chief Justice, $1O,5OO;
other Justices of the Supreme Court, $4,000:
Senators, Representatives and Delegates.
$4,000 and actual travelling expenses, in lieu of
the mileage now paid.
TIME SERVING POLITICIANS.
1t is well known that many members of
Congress voted for the abolition of the frank
ing privilege on the ground that it would offer
good excuse for voting to raise their sala-
ries, and that they expect when it has been
done to vote themselves supplies of postage
stamps.
The Boston Globes special says that ''the
passage between Messrs. Blaine and Steven
son was very sharp and amusing, and once or
twice brought down the whole audience in an
involuntary applause of the speakers ready
repartee.
The special of the Boston Journal says that
OF the hundred and more people who were in
the Committee room to-day and heard Mr..
Stevenson's questions and answers and Mr..
Blaine's statement, there was not one who
failed to agree with the verdict that Mr..
Stevenson had placed himself in very RI
diculous position, and that Mr.. Blaine stood
before the country blameless and irreproacha-
BILE, so for as his connection with this road
was concerned. Indeed, the Speaker is one
of the few implicated in these road scandals
by political malice who has emerged from the
investigations without the slightest faint of
suspicion.
THE VIENNA EXPOSITION.
| The President has received for his approval
the bill providing for the representation of
this country at the Vienna Exposition. It
appropriates 5000, 900, and the fifteen Com
missioners are each to receive $1,000. The
direct appropriation for the representation at
the French Exposition was $150,0OO, and
| about $50, 900 more were expended in the
reports of the American Commissioners.
THE CREDIT MoBILIER INVESTIGATION.
The Boston Aduertisers special says:
Since the days when an investigation was
ordered into the causes OF the failure of the
impeachment trial, there has been no excite.
ment in Washington approaching that which
has filled the city to-day. The case of Mr..
Colfax is uppermost in all minds. On the de-
mand of Cakes Ames, the cashier of the
bank where Mr.. Colfax keeps his account
was ordered to appear with his books. 1t
will be remembered that the check which
4uis hH1Co oW Odlo LO S5nSC 4llIs SClidA, pdyd-
BILE to S. G. or bearer, for $1,000, June 20,
1868, was charged to Mr.. Ames's account the
same day as paid, on the private books of the
sergeant at arms. Mr.. Colfax appeared a
S cond time before the committee, and swore
in the most impressive and emphatic manner
that he had never received this check or the
proceeds of it. There were over hundred
people in the committee room to-day when
the cashier opened his books to the pages
where MI. Colfax's accounts were recorded.
There was perfect silence in the room as the
members of the committee ran over the dates
and amounts.
When Judge Poland pointed out to the
cashier the sum of about $1,000 deposited
June %, 1868, and asked him to produce the
deposit ticket for it, the stiffness became OBJ
pressive; and when the ticket was produced
and found to be in Mr.. Colax's handwriting
and the first item entered on it was "bank
notes $780," no one spoke or moved or
seemed to breathe for a time, which appeared
to be a full minute, and for several minutes
afterwards all movements and tones and i'm
presSions in the room were such as are seldom
seen or heard or felt, except in the presence
of death. In justice to Mr.. Colfax it should
be stated that in the face of all this circum-
stantial evidence he still insists that he new.
er had that check from Mr. Ames, and never
received its proceeds. He says he now re-
| members that about that time he received a
sum approxmating thousand dollars from a
friend, and he has telegraphed tonight for
the Details
The day did not pass without sensation
of special interest to the democrats. Mr..
Ham, Secretary of the Credit Mobilier, ap-
peared aud produced written order, hereto
fore missing, signed by many of the principal
stockholders, authorizing the issue of fifty ad-
ditional shares. of stock to James Brooks,
that it was issued to his son in law, Nelson,
| was untrue
The Boston HeralPs special says that "a
large amount of time was consumed by Mr..
Poland's committee in having Representative
Stevenson of Ohio explain his evidence and
motives for his resolutions calling for an in
vestigation of the Dubuque and Sioux city
road, in which he attempted to involve Speak
er Blaine, but signally failed. Mr.. Blaine ap-
peared and made statement of his connec-
ton with the road which only began as
stakeholder last January, so that Stevenson
was utterly foiled and retired in disorder
Mr.. Blaihe's management of the affair did him
great credit and evolved a good deal of fun
at the expense of Stevenson,