The Portland daily press., 1873-02-05
Washington Matters.
COMPLAINT OF PORTLAND sHIPowNERs.

Congressman Lynch will soon present the
memorial of citizens of Portland, agents and
owners of vessels engaged in trade with Gu
ba, soliciting the interference of Congress to
protect them from the burdens imposed by
the authorities of that Island.
Among the burdens enumerated are the
following: ''That the Spanish laws require
vessel bound for Cuban ports to present
manifests certified by the Spanish Consul at
the port of loading, in which the master of
the vessel must declare positively the con-
tents OF packages, their marks and weights,
and for any discrepancy on delivery in Cuba
the vessel is held to answer; that they are en-
tirely dependent upon the shipper ofthe goods
for description of contents of packages and
weights Of the same, and that the goods, and
not the vessel, if either, should be held; that
the customs authorities at the several ports
in Cuba differ in their construction Of the
laws relative to vessels and manifests, and
fines are imposed in one port for stating that
for which fines are imposed at other ports for
omitting; that the captain is only informed
of any fine imposed on his vessel when he
attempts to clear at the Custom House, where
| by he has either to pay the fines or have his
vessel detained indefinitely while contesting
the same; that while they are willing to COM
ply with the laws, so far as is practicable to do
30 the conflicting constructions placed upon
them render it impossible to avoid the impo-
sition OF fines and the detention of their yes
sells; that although an appeal to the superior
authority at Havana is permitted on pay
ment under protest, yet unless the fine is ex-
cessive the loss occasiOned by the detention of
the vessel would exceed in most cases the
amount of the fine, even if recovered"
Mr.. Lynch will accompany the memorial
with preamble and resolution, reciting that
the customs regulations of Cuba, as executed
by the customs authorities, are annoying and
onerous to merchants and shipowners Of the
United States engaged in trade and COM
merce with that island, subjecting them to
unjust fines and to expensive delays, and re-
questing the President to call the attention of
the Spanish government to the subject in Or
der that such action may be taken as will
speedily provide remedy for the evils COM
planned of.
WINDING UP OF INSURANCE COMPANIES.
The following is the bill passed by the Sen
ate Monday prescribing the manner of wind
ing up insurance and other State corpora
tions:
Be it enacted etc. That whenever a corpora
ton created by the laws of any State whose
business is carried on wholly within the State
creating the same and also any insurance COM
pany so creaIed, whether all its business shall
be carried on within such State or not, has had
proceedings duly commenced against the cor
poration or company before the courts of such
State for the purpose of winding up the affairs
OF such corporation company and dividing
its assets rateably among those entitled thereto,
prior to proceedings having been commenced
against such corporation or company under the
bankrupt laws of the United States, any order
made by such court agreeably to the State law
and exesuted accordingly for the rateable distri-
button or payment of any dividend of assets to
the creditors of such corporation or company
while each State court shall remain in posses
sion or control of the assets of such corporation
or company shall be deemed valid notwith-
standing proceedings in bankruptcy may have
been commenced and be pending. against such
corporation or company.
SENATOR CALDwELL's CASE.
Senator Caldwell will make full statement
of his case tomorrow, in closing the defence
The expectation is general here that the re-
port of the committee will declare that his
seat should be vacant. 1t is said that the
committee will hold, even if they decide that
the evidence does not show Mr.. Caldwell in
person was party in bribing members of the
legislature, that the seat should be declared
vacant because the evidence does show be-
yond question that bribing in the interest of
Mr.. CaldwelPs election did occur, and this in
itself, without the personal knowledge of Mr.,
Caldwell, should invalidate the election.
THE LOUISIANA INVESTIGATION.
United States Inspector Jaques completely
turned the tables ON the Kellogg faction in
the Louisiana investigation to day, by swear
ing to wholesale dealing in fraudulent afida
Wits and fraudulent lists in the interest of the
Kellogg side. Mr.. Sypher of the House of
Representatives, who was present, undertook
to break the witness down, when, to the
amazement of Sypher, he unfolded to the
committee under oath Sypher's purchase of
ballot-boxes with device attached which
would allow of unlimited stuffing, which Sy.
pher used to render his election to Congress
sure and which was stuffed in Sypher's pres
ence. l-
HELP FOR INDECENT AMERICANS ABROAD.
The committee are considering the passing
OF bill to provide some means of relief for
American citizens becoming INDECENT abroad.
At present, such expenses have fallen on
our consuls, who had expected to be reim-
bursed. The State Department has no au-
thority to make any allowances on this ac-
count, and has so informed the consuls. In
reply to this, a consul at an important point
writes that he is unwilling to consume his
own salary, and asks whether the bodies of
those impecunious Americans who are so un-
fortunate as to make their exit from this
world in his locality are to be thrown into the
streets or into the river. The saddest cases
of all would seem to be those of sick and dy-
ing tAmerican seamen who are discharged
from foreign vessels without money and with
out friends, and for whom there is no means
of relief, although many of them have been
paying hospital money for lifetime.
LITTELL's LIVING AGE for the week ending