The Portland daily press., 1874-05-20
Washington News and Gossip.

RESULTS OF THE SENATORIAL CAUCUS
The Senate caucus on Monday considered the
civil rights bill, the Arkansas matter, and the
time of adjournment. The dlnerenees IN re-
gard to the civil rights bill is upon the sectons
annlving to schools and asylums. The caucus
was unable to agree on these. An attempt was
made to commit the caucus to proposition for
investigating the condition of affairs in Arkan-
sas. There was, however, very little strength
developed for this project. The general feeling
was that it was best now to let the matter quiet
down there with as little interference from
Washington as possible. resolution for adj
iournment on the Odd of June was agreed to,
and will be passed and sent to the House to-
morrow. 1t was decided to rush the appropri-
alton bills rapidly, and to soon take up the
question of transportation.
SERIOUS ASPECT OF Ex-MINIsTER wEBB's CASE,
In regard to the card published in the inter-
est of ex-Minister Webb, claiming that some
of the dispatches in regard to the settlement of
the matter in question were lost, the answer of
the State Department is, that all of Mr.. Webb's
dispatches were numbered, and the whole Sc
ries is now complete. There has been no ex-
PLANTATION of the fact that 1926, 900 of the fund
in dispute was deposited by Mr. Webb to his
| own private account in London. Judge Hoar
| read the entire correspondence OF Mr.. Webb IN
| regard to the matter before he made his state
| ment of the case on the floor of the House
The Department is anxious to have Mr.. Webb
return to this country, and it is said in the card
| that he will.
BUTLER CIRCUMvENTED.
| On the 23d Of March last on motion of Mr..
Pierce of Boston, the Housed Representatives
passed resolution directing the architect of
the Capitol to cause the telegraph instruments
located in the corridors of the south wing Of
the Capitol to be so isolated that it shall be i'm
possible to for any unauthorized person to heal
and obtain messages" Sc. Mr.. Edward Clark
in letter to Speaker Blaine, relates the diff
culties in the way of accomplishing this object
and recommends that the instrume nts be muf
fed in the manner recommended by Superin
tendent Smith of the Franklin Company. The
recommendation of MI. Smith is as follows
"My own idea of the best way to accomplish
what seems to be required wonld be to enclose
the Office with suitable surroundings, cores
ponding nearly to that of the present office o.
the Western Union Company, then to place ir
the office silent instrument, comparatively
that is an instrument requiring an ear trum
pet leading from the instrument to the opera
tor's ear, similar to a description of instrument
used at one tine by competing companies whel
the Western Union controlled the Morse pa
tents Mr.. Knapp Is familiar with them, ant
can describe them fully to you. Also to plac
around the hand of the operator a screen, s,
that the motion of his hand when transmitting
cannot be observed by persons looking into tn
office. This would seem to me preferable T.
any attempt to place the operator in a secluded
room, as he might in such case allow people in
side his Office unobserved; whereas, situated il
the corridor, the Office is So public that an ope
rator will not dare 20 do such thing as it wou
be too readily Observed Mr.. Leonard Whit
ney, the manager of the Western Union office
writes to Mr.. Clark, proposing another plan TO
accomplishing the object. He says: 81 not
your suggestion that the sound of the instru
nient be muffed, but do not think it woul
accomplish the object. A more satisfactory al
rangernent, think, is to dispense entirely wit
the sounder. which has been done in our pull
lie office, leaving the operator only his relay t
read from, which reduces the sound to the mir
imum necessary for his own ear. l think 20
will agree with me that this will effectually sc
cure the object"