The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1873-12-25
Washington News and Gossip
WASHINGTON, Dec. ]

w WASHINGTON, Lee. IA, 1910.
It is confidently asserted tonight by the
friends of Mr. Williams that he will be con-
frmed as Chief Justice tomorrow by o strict
party vote 1t is also said that the President
has made the confirmation personal matter
and has caused it to be given out that any Sen,
ator voting against Mr.. Williams will forfeit
dent is displeased at the personal attacks made
the nominee and has followed the example OF
President Jackson in using his influence in
favor of one who has been attacked on person
al grounds But, in spite of the confidence
felt by the friends of Mr.. Williams, it is as
serted with equal positiyeness among Senators
tonight that he will not be confirmed. Though
the Judiciary Committee cannot agree, yet the
members are said to be opposed to the confr-
nation, Conkling and Frelinghuysen excepted.
Edmunds, the chairman, Carpenter and
Wright, and the Democratic members of the
committee, Messrs. Thurman and Stevenson,
criticise the appointment as one that cannot
have their support. The motives of Senator
Conkling are ascribed to be his aspirations to
the Presidential nomination in 1876, and his
desire to keep the good will of the President
Representative Cobb, of North Carolina, will
tomorrow introduce into the House, for refer
ence to the Committee OH War Claims, a bill
extending till March 3, 1875, the privilege of
loyal Southerners to present claims before the
commission here for property used by the
Union armies in the rebel States during the
rebellion. The sudden termination of the
right to file claims by the last Congress left a
good many claimants out in the cold, and there
is demand all over the South for the extern
sion of time the bill proposes to grant. The
bill goes further, however, and proposes to re-
move the strict technical construction put by
the Claims Commissioner on the terms "stores
and supplies" as used in the organic act of
1871, and under which they have declined juris-
diction over any claims for the use of buildings
occupied rs barracks, hospitals or storehouses,
or other military purposes, and provides that
they shall entertain such claims where the
owners were loyal to the United States and the
occupation of the premises embraced period
of thirty consecutive days. This particular
limitation is introduced for the purpose of
avoiding the consideration of cases Of mere
transient occupancy where any claim for rent
would be too insignificant for prosecution, and
the demand, in whatever form it might be put,
would be really one for damages and no. a
matter for compensation under the present
views in Congress and the opinion of the Pres
ident as expressed in two Or three vetoes on re-
bill also attempts to deal with the subject of
how far Congress should now recognize the
difficulties surrounding Union men in the
to be little chance of anything surviving of the
Union but its past history. 1t provides that
submission to the de .fatao authority of any
State while the authority and protection Of the
United States were subvcrted and in allegiance,
or compulsory service in the rebel State militia
in the early days of the rebellion, or in the
Confederate army after due service of notice
under the conscript acts, shall not be held by
the Claims Commission rs conclusive evidence
of disloyalty where claimants rebellion re-
cord is clear in other respects. The bill lastly
attempts to remedy the yearly and entirely pro
,forma disallowance of large numbers of claims
for want Of sufficient proof by requiring that
the Claims Commissioners shall give Il claimant
an opportunity to rebut prcsumptions against
the claim before reporting it to Congress- but
that having done so the report shall be final,
and not be as now, subject to reconsideration.
Mrs. Attorney General Williams was enrap-
tured when, ten days or so since, she received
an elegant boquet from Mrs. President Grant,
with her compliments on the nomination of the
Attorney General as Chief Justice But while
''the President proposes the Senate disposes,"
and it is doubtful whether the power of the
administration in the Senate, nlarshallcd by
Conkling, can secure the nomination. Should
Williams be rejected or withdrawn it remains
to be seen whether the President will fall back
on his original choice, Caleb Cushing. Fish
has been for Caleb from the start, and he may
end his eventful life as Chief Justice of the
United States yet. But poor Williams
WASHINGTON, Dec. Is, 1873.
Attorney General Williams said to-day that
if he was not confirmed as Chief Justice he
would not resume his seat in the Cabinet
The House Committee on Appropriations
this morning voted to offer a resolution in the
House, requesting the President to request the
various executive departments to revise their
estimates for the next fiscal year, if possible,
before January 5. The object is, of course, to
find means to cut down the estimates, which
were all made several months before the recent
financial disturbances began and before it was
known that the government revenues were like
ly to fall behind the national expenditures.
Justice Miller, of the Supreme Court lec-
tured tonight before the law class of George
town College, on "The Constitutional Powers
of Congress-" the power chiefly discussed being
that Of establishing uniform system of bank
ruptcy The lecturer took decided ground
against IuC lOl;ll lePCttl VI VIC OaHhlupI iCI VI
1867, as proposed in Congress, but favored
amendments that would do away with such
evils as the swallowing up of bankrupt estate
in official fees and expenses without benefit to
the creditors, and the oppression of debtors
and the ruin of their business by unscrupuIous
creditors through resort to the involuntary
clauses of the act. Justice Miller held chat in
an active trading community like of the United
States it was matter of high public policy to
leave the way open for those hopclcssly in
voved in their affairs to begin life anew with
such hope, energy and skill as they might pos
sess, on the condition of giving up all they had
of material wealth for equitable division among
their creditors. TO do less than this would be
to saddle the unfortunate trader with burden
that would be likely to paralyze his whole fu
worth as member of the body polite.
The Senate was in executive session several
hours this afternoon on the nomination of
George II. Williams to be Chief Justice, and
n.