The Portland daily press., 1874-03-23

currency, who, it is understood. will claim in
tne Senate that the principal having been thus
admitted aon as regards portion of the $44 OOO,-
ooO reserve tne wnole OF said reserve should be
accordingly placed in circulation.
A Wool Decision
The Treasury has decided to acquiesce in the
decision of the United States Circuit Court at
New York, which recently decided that the wool
act of March I'd, 1867, was not actually signed
Dy the President and therefore was not a law
until March 4th
The decision of the court was based on the
testimony of ex-Presdent johnson to that
erect, and that the action of tie Secretary of
tne treasury was based on the recOmmenda-
tion OF the Solicitor and Attorney General that
no no appeal should be takensto Supreme Court in
t; tne ease. Ihis will involve refund of the du-
s,es on wool and wooden goods imported on
March I'd and Sd, 1867
An Old Case. I-
The records of the HURT court-martial case.
called for by the House. are in the War De-
partment. An order dsmssing Capt Hurtt
Mas Mas issued June 18th, 1874. The Secretary of
war was directed, few days since. to send
copies OF the entire proceedings to the House.
u VIII take the continuous labor of clerk for
Two months to copy the papers, No documents
OF Valuable papers have been distracted from
the war Department.
The Alabama Senatorship.
The special Senate Committee on Elections
csl
test for seat in the Senate, from Alabama bv
voting to report to the Senate ON next Monday
that Spencer is entitled to his seat.
The Effect of the Woman's War.
The receipts from the internal revenue have
diminished within the past two weeks, espec
tally in the districts in Ohio and Indiana. The
cause is attributed to the woman's crusade
against alcohol, wholesale dealers delavinr
their purchases from the dstillers The re-
ceIptS from internal revenue the present fl zeal
year amount to nearly $71 ,0OO, 900 and the Com
missioner ms expresses the opinion that>hy the
the receipts from the special license tax in Nav
aud June will be in the neighborhoo6of $S,OOO.-
600.
District Investigation.
After the recess, James M. Latta, of the firm
of Killbourne & Latta, was examined and in
answer to questions put by the memorialists
counsel stated that Jay Cooke & Co., in 1871
advanced to his firm for Halett- Klbourne
trustee. $25, 900 and that this amount was ex-
pended for said trustee in the purchase of
property situated in the northwestern part of
Washington CITY,
The question being then asked whether wit
ness had any means of refreshing his memory
as to the exact description of this property
Judge Black as counsel for Latta and Others.
and. as he added, in the name of the Ameri-
can people, protested against all such inquiries
into the private affairs Of citizens.
The Committee overruled the objection on
the ground that the memoralsts counsel had
promised to connect the sought-for evidence
with the specific charges already made The
examination OF witnesses was then continued.
just after Lotta's examination had been
commenced, Mr.. Stewart stated that he wish
ed to ask Some questions personal to himself in
regard to purchases of real estate made by wit
ness for him, (Stewart)
From replies to these interrogations and ad-
ditional statements made by Mr.. Stewart it
yUra aOQt tn INF
of $36l, ,461 was purchased by Lotta, on joint
account of Stewart, G. j. Hillyer and other
parties in 1871, and Stewart disposed of his in
terest in March, 1873, at an advance of $4,000.
Mr.. Stewart made statement of various
personal reasons which induced him to 1build
subsequently,, and said that before building he
did not know what Improvements were to be
on the streets around his property, and he new
er consulted with the board of public works on
the subject. The property Mr. Stewart spoke
of had no connection with the property bought
by Kilbourne and Latta for Kilbourne trustee.
Latta then stated he had purchased consid-
cradle amount of real estate in the north west
ern part OF the city as trustee for various per-
sons, some of whom reside abroad. Prompted
by the list of such purchasers, furnished by
counsel for memorialists Lolita designated
good deal OF property therein contained, as
having been so purchased by him, the deeds
In all cases having been made out in his own
name, as trustee. Witness was unable and uu-
willing to state who were the beneficiaries un-
der these several trusts. In response to inter-
rogations he stated he probably had some of
these deeds at bis Office and was directed to
bring them Monday next, at which time, it is
understood, the counsel for the memorialists
will insist on the revelation of the names of
persons for whom he made purchases. Witness
reiterated the statement that none of these pur-
chases were in any manner, either directly or
remotely connected with any person or persons
belonging to the District government.
The Com nittaa thrOuUh Mr. Thurman
flied Lottu that he could not shield himself
from answering by the plea of violation of con-
fdence professionally reposed in him by his
clients, much more delicate matters baving
been extorted frcm witnesses by the courts all
over the country, the rule of the law being that
he is bound to answer unless by so doing his
testimony would render himself infamous. The
Committee refused the application of the coun-
sci for the memorialists for process to compel
the production of records in the Office of the
Recorder of Deeds, ON the ground that their
production would be an interruption of public
business, said records being in constant use.
To sustain one charge of conspiracy against
prominent contractors the memoralsts placed
on the stand j. S. Zugg, who stated himself,
Lewis Clephon and John o. Evens, constitute
a firm which has been in partnership since Jan.
1872, during which time they have been engag-
ed in the stone crushing business, selling
broken stone to all purchasers applying. The
partnership invested S22, 800 in business for
machinery. They now owe $4,000; could sell
their mill for about 81 900, consequently they
are $11 800 out of pocket.
Lewis Clephone has been summoned as Col
lector of the District of Columbia, to show
record of the amount deposited with that Off
Ger as security by the parties bidding for the
contracts. The counsel for the memoralists
called for all bids for contracts OF Sept. 1872
which were furnished by the District officers
Considerable discussion took place during the
progress of the investigation to-day, as to what
was prrper evidence TO be admitted by the COM
mittee, and Mr.. Wilson, one of the members
said the committee wanted all hearsay evil
dence they could obtain, and not what witness.
es knew alone, but what they had heard This
would indicate an investigation designed to be
directed over wider range of inquiry than
heretofore supposed.
WASHINGTON, March 22.-Presdent Grant in
conversation yesterday with leading Western
Republican Senator, SAID that the statement in
paper published Saturday morning, that any
legislation tending to initiation must run the
gauntlet of his v-tO was wholly W ithout foun-
dation; that he had conversed with no one on
the subject at ALL and that if he were himself
member of Congress he should regard any init
nation of veto in advance of legislation as
an unbecoming threat by the Executive and
should resent it.
Various Matters.
Internal revenue receipts to-day S343, ,17S; for
the month, $685., $40; for the fiscal year, $70,
9S5,S51.
The War Department has a report giving an
account of the capture of gang of horse
thieves and murderers near camp Colorado,
the 9th of February. The gang have long been
the terror of that section.
The Howard Court of Inquiry is not in SEES
sion to-day.
A Washington special says the Ways and
Means Committee will take no further testi-
mony on the subject of moities. 1t is rumored,
however, that Conklng was asked to testify
regarding his alleged connectio with the
Phelps-Dodge affair.
Judge Dent, brother of Mrs. Grant, died this
morning at six o'clock of a tumor in the
stomach, from which he had been suffering for
several months.
Forty Third Congress-First Session.