The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-01-10
WASHINGTON.
The Mormon Hill.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-Mr. Sargent's bill for
the protection of society in Utah, provides that
any woman now holding the relation of spouse
or consort and not of lawful wife to any man
who cohabits with another wonansas his wife,
spouse, or consOrt, may file a petition in the q.
s. district court to be discharged from such re-
lation and shall be adjudged discharged there
on and then given the custody of her minor
children and such portion of the property as is
equitable. The bill declares that no alien
practising polygamy shall be entitled to citizen
ship, vote or hold Office. 1t further provides
for uniform ballots and prohibits any figure
or device thereon; it also prohibits any persons
except citizens from voting, but leaves woman
suffrage in Utah untouched, only protecting it
by making the ballot secret
MI Sargents bill to aid in the execution of
law in Utah resembles Mr.. Logan's bill except
it does not extend to the common law as it ex-
listed at the declaration of independence over
Utah. The authorsholds that the rights of wo-
men in regard to property and doing business,
the custody of children and their defence
against cruelty of husbands, has been better
protected and enforced by statute law since that
time and that it would be cruel and wanton to
subject the women of any part of the country
to mere common law conditions.
Treasury Balauces.
The following are the Treasury balances to-
day:cCurrency, 50, 354 ,344; special deposit of
legal tenders for redemption Of certificates of
deposit 500 .000 coin, SS5 325, 546, including
tenders, 1882, 231 600
Caleb Gu shing Nominated for Chief Jus.
ticc.
The President to day sent to the Senate the
nomination of Caleb Cushing to be Chief JUS
tice of the United States.
The Chief Justiceship.
The nomination of Caleb Cushing as Chief
Justice occasoned much surprise in all quar-
tiers to-day. and was matter of astonshment
to himself as he had made arrangements to
leave this country on the 24th inst. for Mad
rid and had no intimation of the additional
honor to be conferred upon him.
When the Presidents Secretary appeared at
the main door of the Senate this afternoon, an
nouncing message in writing, every eye was
turned upon him as it was generally believed
the packet contained the nomination of a Chief
Justice. Senator Conkling who sits NEAR the
middle aisle intercepted the message on his
way to the desk and taking the list of nomina-
tions from him hurriedly glanced over them,
exclaiming loud enough to be heard in the gal
leries Chief Justice At this large num-
Der of the Senators jumped from their seats
and gathered about him and in moment the
name of "Caleb Cushing was audibeg whis-
pered ON the floor Mr.. Thurman remained in
animated conversation with Mr.. Conkling for
some time Messrs. Sumner and Boutwell, had
their heads together and an unusual hum OF
conversation on the floor indicated that the
nomination caused quite a sensation. The
news soon reached the Associate Justices of
the Supreme Court through one of its officers
while no time was lost in telgraphing it abroad.
The members of the House were not visbly af-
fected by the intelligence. although it produced
considerable excitement in other quarters.
The nomination of Mr.. Gushing recalls the
fact that after the death of Chief Justice Chase
the Presidents first choice as his successor was
Senator Conkling, who declined the appoint
ment, when he made up his mind to nominate
Gen. Gushing, it being thought by him that to-
wards the close of his administration Gen.
Gushing would retire from the bench by reason
of his age, when the place thus vacated could
be filed by Attorney General Williams, whom
the President desired should meantime remain
in the cabinet. Gen. Cushing nomination not
being at the time acceptable to q majority of
the cabinet, inclined the President to hasten
his purpose with regard to Mr.. Williams and
now after the withdrawal of the nomination of
Mr.. Williams at mis- own request, the President
mas returned to his original position, and after
the cabinet conference nominated Caleb Cush-
ing This nomination having been read in the
executive session, was referred to the Commit
tee on judiciary. No effort was made to have
it passed without such reference. In view of
the reports heretofore prevalent as to the NOM
ination of Morton for the Chief Justiceship, he
was neither consulted nor rendered the ap-
pointmeut. Gen. Cushiug's name first occurs
on the rolls of the Supreme Court in December
1879, when he appeared as Attorney General
under Pierce's administration
The match Tax.
The Committee on Ways and Means to-day
instructed its chairman to report adversely on
the bill to remove the taxes on friction
matches
Hopeful View of the Finances.
The receips from customs are as variable as
TO afford no date at present on which to base
hopeful calculations concerning the future. 1t
is hover supposed at the Treasury Department
Inat IN ten days the receipts will be uniform.
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is much
encouraged by che receipts of his bureau SO far
this month. They are So, 000, 900, and the pros
pect is that they will soon be restored to what
they were before the late panic, thus fulfilling
his calculations Of 100,000,000.
The Estimates.
Several members of the Appropriation Com
mittee think that the estimate will be greatly
penditures of the government within the re-
therefore some measure of Treasury re lief will
be necessary. AS to what this shall be there IS
at present no indications, Congress will not act
hastily on the subject
The Army.
Secretary Belknap says that although he as
sented to the reduction of the estimates, the
army at it's present state cannot be maintained
for the amount of reduced appropriations, and
that in order to keep with n the amount recon-
meuded, recruiting will have to be stopped,
either entirely or partially.
A remarkable fact in connection with the
army is that the annual reduction, based on
the experience of the last three years, through
deaths. desertiOps and expiration OF service, is