The Portland daily press., 1874-04-30
Washington News and Gossip.
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.

The District investigating committee held an
important secret session last night A clerk IN
the Treasury department was found at whose
house Kirkland. the man who paid out the
S72. 600 in Degolyer Mcclellan notes, remained
three days last week. AS soon as this was as
certained this witness was taken into room
for private examination. In few minutes
unite number of new witnesses were summon
ed. and officers of the House and Senate went
off in various directions in search OF those
wanted 1t appears that Kirkland came here
ard held repeated conferences with all parties
in interest and even gave a dinner party on
Sunday night The parties he was with have
been ascertained, and there is good reason to
expect that the whole matter of the Degolyer
contract will now be ascertained. Members of
the committee have information that will place
some of the most conspicuous witnesses on the
side of the District in a most embarrassing sit
uation in regard to portions of their testimony.
1t is quite likely that the committee will hold
number Of sessions with closed doors, for the
purpose OF preventing collnsion among the
witnesses. The committee regard the informal
ton it now has as Of great Importance.
AN EFFORT TO REVIVE THE MANUFACTURING
INTERESTS OF THE COUNTRY
A delegation of twenty manufacturers, repre-
senting cotton, WOOL iron and steel, chemicals,
UIdSo lOuuIiuSs puoilohihS, Cec's AAOh Shhoyi
vania, New York, Michigan, New Jersey, Con-
necticut and several other States, was, Tnes-
day, before the Committee on Ways and Means
to represent the depressed condition of the
manufacturing Industries of the country. The
delegation was headed by Gen. Robert Patter-
son of Philadelphia. Addresses were made by
Gen. Patterson, Joseph Wharton and Sam'l j.
Reeves. They represent that about 100000
men, formerly employed in manufac uring,
are out of employ ment, and that this number
will be materially increased in a short time.
They asked for restoration of SO much of the
duty on foreign imported goods as was repealed
by the act of June 6, 1872, namely, ten per
|. cent By this reduction, the United States
Treasury, it is asserted, has lost over Sl3 0o0,-
| 900 of revenue, and the cost OF imported iron,
| steel, etc., has not been reduced one dollar to
American consumers If this ten per cent.
were restored, the labor of this country, it is
stated, would not be subjected to sharp compe-
tition from abroad as it is now.
FOR ECONOMY.
Mr. Garfield in closing the debate on the ex-
ecutive judicial and legislative appropriation
bill said that three important reforms had been
brought about. The first was the reduction of
salaries of the members of the two houses,
which amounted to $4,000 in the Senate and
$40, 600 in the House, and with the cutting
down of salaries of employees and other expen
SEES, the aggregate reductio1fon the legislative
branch was $1,1O7,OOO The second reform
was reduction of the clerical force. Aside
| from the reduction of the force in the War
| Department, there was a reduction of 1876 per-
sons, and in the War Department 100, making
a total reduction of 6S5 persons, and it was be-
| lieved that the service could be promptly per-
| formed by the reduced force and saving of
over 100000 be effected. The next reform
| was in the matter of expenses of the national
loan. All expenses heretofore had been paid
by permanent appropriation, amounting to
| $3,S 900. This did not appear in the regular
| appropriation bills. All this has been swept
| away, and now, for the first time, put in the
| annual appropriation, which showed an ap-
| parent increase of expenditure of $2150000,
but which was in fact a reduction of $6,450,
| 600. Another reform, for which the House
was indebted to Messrs. Williams of Indiana,
| AMI Kellogg of Connecticut was the reform in
| the War Department. by which number of
| the provisions of old statutes were wiped out.
| among them the power given for the employ
| ment of an unlimited number of enlisted men
| for clerical service, over which Congress had
| no control. Since the bill had been reported,
| there had been put on in the House S134, 81
| So mostly on the recommendations of the COM
mlttee 10 correct omissions, ana tnefe nad been
taken off $63, 455; this did not include 81 ,000,
| 900 for judgments of the Court Of Claims,
| which was 100000 more than last year. In
| the War Department, there was a saving of
| $167, 900, and in the minis and assay offices
| there was a saving of 100000 over last year.
and in the Internal Revenue Bureau S46760
The bill appropriated $20,000,0O0 against $24,
100000 for the same objects, last year, not all
of which, however, appeared in the annual APP
priation bill. He pointed out number of
.1v.&4r fhr l,.1kl
| GREETED and asked for separate vote on these
| Among them were those reducing the amount
| for official postage stamps for some of the de-
| partments, in relation to hours of labor in the
departments, and amendments by Mr.. Kellogg
| of Conn.,, striking out $625,000 for printing
| notes and bonds by bank note companies, and
| placing the sum at the disposal of the Bureau
of Engraving for labor by day or piece or by
contract.
The amendment reducing the amount for
official postage stamps for the Treasury De-
partment from 100000 to $4,000, was agreed to
by yea and nay vote of 100 to 80.
REPRESENTATIVE NEsM1TH,
of Oregon. who originated the fight in the
House on Saturday on Attorney General Will
liams, in connection with the appropriation
for maintaining horses and carriages for the
Department of Justice for the next fiscal year,
was formerly Senator from Oregon. While in
the Senate he was appointed visitor to West
Point and drew mileage from his residence in
Oregon to that place and back, amounting to
several thousand dollars although at the time
he was in Washington and actually only tray
elled from here to West Point.
In view of this fact many here do not think
Mr.. Nesmith is exactly the person to lead a
movement looking to reform of the abuses in
several branches of the government.
THE WEST ON THE VETo.-The following ex-
tracts will show the average sentiment of the
West on the veto of the Senate financial bill:
The rich are to grow richer and the poor poor
er.-[Peoria Gill; Transcript
The Chicago Tribune regards the veto as a
declaration of war to the knife upon infla-
ton.
General Grant once more the country's saw
ior! The road to reputation and ruin blocked!
-[Rock Island QlL) Union.
The Presidents veto has killed a scheme
which wOuld eVantualV have yrouort oroot