The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-03-11
.eUE WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. c., March 5.


Mrs. Myra Clarke Gaines has com.
menced suit against Caleb Gushing
for libel contained in his answer to
her bill in equity by which she en-,
ioined him from taking the title &c
certain lands inherited by her. She
claims damages in the amountof 3d.
100000.
Mr.. W. W. Corcoran has offered
to paw two months salary to the
teachers of white public shools OF
this District upon their furnishing
him the usual vouchers which give
him a claim for the money against
the District. The amount is about
the same as that which he now with
holds from the District on the plea
that the assessment for Improvement
of streets &c, in front of his proper
ty is excessive. The Joint Commit
tee of Investigation have commenced
first to examine the condition of the
school finance question, and it is not
unlikely that the effort to secure aid
from Congress for the school fund
will succeed, if a satisfactory show
ing is made that the success of the
schools depend upon an allowance in
the nature of tax on the Govern
ment property in the District for
school purposes. Only 81 per cent.
of the school attendance are children
of permanent citizens-the balance
being Government employees tempo
rarily here.
The installation Of Chief Justice
Waite at noon yesterday was quite
an impressive ceremony. The court
room. which is small, was well filled
with lawyers and other citizens.
The Chief Justie swears, in addition
to taking the iron-clad oath, that be
will administer justice without re-
spect TO persons, perform his duties,
&c. This old formula is manifestly
intended to meet natural tendency
of the English Courts from which it
was taken as well as our own to fa-
vor the rich and the aristocratic; and
it is a sad reflection upon that purity
with which we have been accustom-
ed to associate the past.
Among the most absurd Things
connected with the investigation Of
Congress, and it is not the only man
ifest absurdity developed by the
present session, is the listening of the
Ways and Means Committee to the
stump orations of b. G. Jayne on
the customs moiety business, under
pretense Of giving testimony. The
country will not value Mr. Jayne's
opinion of the men with whom he
has had acrimonious controversies at
a very high rate, when they know
that be is charged by them with col
luding with their clerks to first perpe-
trate frauds in their name, and then
divide the proceeds of immense sums
thus fraudulently obtained IS inform
er's shares from wealthy importers
The chief point of this witnesses tes-
timony appears to be to attack the
men who have suffered at his hands,
and pronounce over and over again
upon his own innocence.
Certain Democratic newspaper cor
here have telegraphed in
advance that Gen. Garfield has pre-
pared a speech for delivery in the
House, taking strong ground against
the extravaganza of the Treasury
Department in the employment of a
larger clerical force than at any time
since the rebellion. They allege that
Mr.. Garfield will insist upon a reduc-
tion of the force twenty-five per cent,
founding the necessity of a reduction
upon statements regarding the rela-
tive number of clerks employed in
1865 and 1878, which is grossly mis-
stated by these correspondents. 1t
is rather singular that the figures of
Mr.. Garfield should be known in ad- |
vance by the \. Y WorId's and 9TH |
er opposition correspondents, espe-
cially when, if truly stated, they are
erroneous. Thus it is alleged that
any increase Of the clerical force oc-
Cured to the number of 753 between
1865 and 1873, when it is known to !
all the older clerks that this apparent
increase arose chiefly from the fact
that up to 1865 large number of
the clerks, now regularly in the Sec
rreasurer's and Registers
Offices were on separate rolls known
as the per cent loan rolls, and not
included in the Treasury Department
rolls But Mr.. Garfield will be heard
for himself to-day, and any errors
that he may commit will receive as
prompt attention from the press as
those of Mr.. Dawes have lately re-
ceived.
Senator Carpenter made another
powerful speech on Louisiana affairs
yesterday. He argued with great
ogical force upon the report of the
on elections, of which
Senator Morton is chairman, that the
Kellogg Government failed Of elec-
ion on the self-same grounds that
le!eated tbe Grant electors from Lou
siala, as stated in the report of his
signed by Senator Nor
on. 1t was lawyers argument,
lowever, and left out of view broad
distinction between the case of count
ng few votes for Grant and VIII
on which could well be spared and
wherein a bad national precedent
night be set on the one hand, and
N the other the support of a State
government already in existence
which had received at least the vir-
ual sanction of the highest judicial
uthority of the State solely concern ,
d. True craftsmanship consists in
aking the better way and thus avoid
lg the terrors of both Scylla and
i
The Bureau Of Education has in {
'rmation that the majority of the ]
on Education in the Con- /,
titutional Convention Of Ohio, have {
'ported proposition, the effect of