The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-05-26
Washington News and Gossip.
THE DISTRICT INVESTIGATION


Saturday session of the District committee
was one of the most important yet had The
ferocious attempt to destroy the testimony of
Cluss, the engineer member of the board, final
ly resulted in establishing all the Irregularities
he had testified to on the first day. and more OF
the same character, and he was only contra
dicted in so far as his signature was found GER
tifying to measurements and vouchers which he
had testified to as made by others. But while
he was shown to be partially responsible him
self, the force of the facts disclosed, as against
the whole management of the board, was not
broken. One of the strangest incidents of the
day was the fact that both Stewart and Hub
bell, of the commit >e, inst cad of attempting
to ascertain anything whatever from this mem
Der of the board as to its transactions, Joined
actively in attempts of Shepherd and his coun-
sci to involve ridicule and break him down.
Later in the day both attempted to prevent
Blickenderfer, the committees own engineer,
from giving the results of additional measure
ments until he had submitted them to those as
sistant engineers of the board who had been
guilty of the very overmeasurements discover
ed. Messrs. Allison, Wilson and Hamilton,
however, insisted upon taking Blickenderfers
testimony, when the reason for the rings de-
string to suppress it became apparent. In two
streets he had examined, the contractors had
been allowed more than twice the amount of
grading done, and in all cases where he had ex-
amined, the reservation at the intersection of
the streets and avenues had been measured
twice and are charged twice to the government
in making up its share of sewerage tax. The
investigation will close the coming week.
VICE PRESIDENT WILSON ON THE SITUATION
The following appears simultaneously in the
Boston Traveller and New York Post: 'Vice
President Wilson, who came on here to attend
the wedding at the White House, does not
speak in as high terms of the administration as
he did a year ago, but says that the mistakes
committed have well-nigh ruined the Republic
can party.
To more than one of his friends he has said
that the party is in danger, and will lose the
elections next autumn unless there is a COM
plete change in the policy now pursued. He
says that several weeks ago he wrote to the
President at length regarding the political stu
alton. admonishing him that the feeling among
Republicans all over the country was one of in
difference as to future political successes, and
that he ought to proceed at once to remodel his
cabinet by placing Judge HOar, or one of three
Department in place of Mr.. Richardson, and
and that there should be chance also in the
Office of Attorney General, Secretary of the In.
terror and Secretary of State
Mr.. Wilson would transfer Mr.. Fish to Lon
don. and place Mr.. e. u. Morgan in the State
Department, and Judge Hoar in the Treasury
Department. With these changes he believes
there would come renewal of confidence in
the administration all over the country which
would be very manifest in the approaching
elections.
This, in substance, is what Mr. Wilson tells
his friends that he WrOta to the President some
weeks ago, and which he has since repeated at
a personal interview. Mr.. Wilson is especially
bitter IN his declarations regarding Secretary
Richardson, and thinks that he ought to be inn
mediately displaced by Mr.. Hoar, who alone
has the confidence Of the whole of New Eng
land"
CORPORATIONS AND STATE COURTS.
Mr.. Clements of Illinois introduced bill de-
signed to apply, among other things, to the ex-
listing conflicts in Illinois between State and
Federal Courts relative to corporations. The
purpose of the bill is to allow States to make
regulations against monopolies, without inter
ference by Federal Courts ontechnical grounds
The intent of the bill is conveyed in the first
section, which provides that from and after the
passage of the act every railroad, insurance or
other corporation doing business within the
limits of any State shall be subject to the juris-
diction of the State courts of such State, and be
held liable to answer in such courts in all cases,
both in law and equity, the same as any citizen
of said State.