The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-12-11

cannon, which can be had at a very small cost.
/ in view of the reduced number Of guns re-
| quired. The present types OF foreign armed
| cruising ships carry ~ to inches of armor,
/ and at present we have no guns. except the
| 15-inch. in the monitors, which would seriously
! injure the Hghtest of these armored vessels.
Substitute a or s-inch rife for the 11-inch.
smooth bore, which even our smallest ships
carry, and few Of them would come OF with
| out great damage.
| The report of the commissioners 20
| prepare instructions to postnnaster5 concern
ing the prepayment of newspaper and periodj-
| cal postage after January l. sustains the
recommendations of Third Assistant Postmas-
ter-G General Barber. Instead Of placing stamps
on the separate periodicals or papers, or On
the package containing them, according to
weight, the forms as already printed show the
current account with the publishers, and after
the printed matter is weighed, the requisite
amount of stamps is pasted on the form of
receipt given to the publisher or his agent at
the time Of mailing, the credit and receipts
| having corresponding numbers.
The house appropriation committee
have disposed of the army bill. This bill ap-
proprates the same amount as last year and
makes considerable reduction from the esti-
mates. The secretary of war sent in estimates
for a force of thirty thousand men, notwith-
standing the fact that congress last winter
/ directed the reduction of the force to twenty
five thousand. He evidently considered the
reduction as temporary, while the committee
consider it as permanent, and have fixed the
appropriation for next year on that basis. The.
| present number of the force is twenty-seven
Thousand, but a large number Of enlisted men
| soon to be discharged will bring the number.
| down to twenty-five thousand, as directed last
! session.
The supreme court of the United
| States has Just rendered decision in which
for the first time the question Of the power Of
| the confederate government to make valid
contract has been adjudieated. The plaintiff
had knowingly purchased cotton of an agent
4 Of the Confederate States. The cotton was
subsequently seized by the United States and
their proceeds covered into the treasury.
Plaintiff brought suit in the court OF ciaims- 10
4 recover. This court rejected the claim. The
| supreme court afirms this decision Of the
court of claims en- two grounds: 1. Because
| the purchase of the cotton and the payment
! Of the consideration necessarily tended to give
are void as contrary to public policy. This
| was concurred in by the whole court. 2. Be
cause the so-called government of the Confed-
crate States had no existence except as a con-
spiracy to overthrow lawful authority In
support of this second position of the court
the chief justice and six associate justices
concur. Two-Mr. Justice Clifford and Mr.
Justice Davis-dissent on the ground thas it's
ion of this case.
The postoffioe department has re-
ceived the final proofs Of the newspaper
stamps, to be used under the provision Of the
new law respecting the postage on newspapers
and periodicals. The design prepared by Sd
Assistant acknowledgement Barbour, and
executed by the Continental Bank Note com
pany, of New York, are perfectly satisfactory
and orders were sent to-day to the Continental
company to commence printing. A short
| time ago circulars were sent to all the post
masters likely to require this class of stamps
to make out their acquisitions, limiting their
estimate to one months supply. The orders
are now beginning to come in. The depart
ment is of the opinion, judging from the
! amount of orders so far received, that the
value of stamps required for the month Of
lion dollars. This, it is thought, win, however
exceed the average monthly demand. It is
estimated that the aggregate value of stamps
received for the year viii not exceed 81, OOO,-
| 900. One months actual weight of the news-
paper and periodical mail at the New York
Dostoffice shows a daily average of nearly so
| tons. Taking this in connection with the ap-
Proclamation of business at other Offices, as
iii -
stamps, and the above estimate is reached.
The increased business will yield to the de-
partment revenue of about half million
annually. The statement that the mails will
be used for great distances, and the express
to points near by, to the loss Of the govern
ment and the department, is not considered
well grounded. No loss Of revenue is antici-
| pated from this source.