The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-02-19
FROM WASHINGTON.

tlons have had before them the chief O
the loan branch, Vanderbilt, and clerl
Of the treasury department on the sub
ject of reducing the clerical force ant
making other economical reforms.
The secretary of the interior has sub
mitted to the house of representative
| the proposed amendments to the Indial
>. intercourse act of 1895, designed to SC
cure the Indians in any locality agains
the liquor traffic. 1t provides heav,
penalties against any person, includin,
Indians, who shall sell, exchange, give
barter or dispose of any spirituous liquo
or wine to Indians under the charge o
the Indian superintendent or an Indial
agent or any Indian not citizen o
the United States within such jlrisdic
ton.
The war department has prepared
statement in response to resolution o
the house of representatives, showing
that from April l2, 1861, to August 20
1866, during the late war, the disburse
ments by army paymasters were ont
Thousand and ninety-four aud hal
million dollars. The whole numbe
of paymasters was 5n. The numbe
whose accounts are closed is 1856, an(
open 1G5, with cash balances unpai(
amounting to SITS, 20G. Many of thes'
balances are in suit. Others are con
sidercd worthless, and few are to b'
collected by note. Maj. Isaac N. Cool
is set down as owing $l5l, lat, which h'
lost gambling during the war.
Thoarmy bill now pendinsin the house
of representatives provides in its fourtl
section that all claims of citizens who
were loyal to the United States govern
ment during the war for stores and sup
plies taken or furnished to the United
States army, including those now pend
ing in the army department. of the gov
ernment, shall be transferred to the
southern claims commission. This sec
tion of the bill is regarded as virtually
repudiating this large class of claims
and vigorous effort will be made by
southern representation ohave it strirk
en- ont. The committee will endeavol
to retain the section, but may be com
PEELED to give mp the provision in order
to save their bill. These claims as now
adjusted in the quartermaster's Office.
Gen. Harvey, whose name was such Q
terror to hostile Indians years ago, was
before the house committee on military
affairs recently, and was asked to give
his views in reference to Indian matters.
He gave it as his opinion that if the In.
dians were treated fairly there would
never be any difficulties with them. He
had known bnt two instances III which
they had ever violated the treaty stip
ulations, and in these two instances the
Indians were to be excused as the trea
ties had grown old before they were
sought to be enforced Ivy tho oouarn.
ment, and the chiefs and head men who
had made them We're all dead. The
troubles with Indians were principally
caused by fraudulent agents and by
whisky dealers. He had never known
an agent who had not grown rich i'll of
flee except one. On being asked how
whisky dealers could be suppressed he
answered without hesitation, that they
should be hanged or shot by the near
est military officer. He would have tho
officer take that responsibility. He was
decidedly of opinion that the manage
ment of the Indians would be mucl
more efficiently and honestly conducted
by army officers than by civilians, un
less army officers had changed very
much since he knew them.
The bill to facilitate the execution o
and to protect certain public works a
the mouth of the Mississippi river ha'
passed the senate. The bill directs th,
secretary of war to assume full cOntro
of the particular channel Mt the moutl
of the Mississippi river, in course OF eX
cavation or improvement by the gov
ernment of the United States, so far as /
may be necessary to the carrying on ant
protection of such excavations or I'M
provements, and until the same be com
pleted and he may establish such reg
ulations as he shall deem needful t
fully protect the channel and to facili
tate the excavation, improvement an
use thereof. Such regulations shall b
promulgated by the publication thereo
for ten days consecutively in two dali
papers published in New Orleans, La.
and in the same ,nanner be change
from time to time, aud any person intei
fering with and obStructing or attempt
ing to obstruct the said improvement
and any person who shall willfully c
nogligently strand or sink any boat j
the channel, or shall willfully or negl
gently obstruct said channel OF caus
any impairment, injury, filing up
shoaling therein, shall be guilty of mi
demeanor, and on conviction theret
shall be punished by fine not exceed
irg five hundred dollars or imprisoi
ment for not more than six months {
both, in tse discretion of the court.