The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-02-27
FROM WASHINGTON.


million dollars annually.
The senate has confirmed Thomas W.
Osborn, of Illinois, as Minister resident
of the Argentine republic, and L. b
Seabright, of Pennsylvania, as surveyor
general for Colorado.
Senator Boutwell, has proposed bill
to forbid the national banks paying in
terest on deposits and obliging them to
keep seventy five per cent. of their re-
serves in their own vaults.
The senate has passed a bill giving the
secretary of war full power to improve
navigation at the mouth of the Mlssis-
sippi river, and punish all persons who
put obstacles in the channel or interfere
with the Improvements.
The house is considering the fortif-
cation appropriation bill, which, though
greatly reduced from its original pro-
portions, still proposes to waste con-
siderable sum of good money on what
Gen. Sherman has sensib!y testified are
useless works.
The house committee on appropri-
ations have completed the Legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation
bills, and have cut down the appropria-
tions from the estimates three or four
million dollars, and dispensed with a
number of clerks.
The president has ordered that the
court of inquiry in the case of Gen.
Howard be composed of Generals Sher-
man, Mcdowell, Pope, Meigs, and
Cole, Major A. P. Gardner, Judge Ad-
vocate. The court will meet in Wash
inSton on the Sd of March.
The present civil commission not
giving satisfaction, the house committee
on civil service reform will soon intro
duce bill to regulate appointments IN
the executive departments, proposing
to distribute the appointments among
the members of congress on the exist
ing principle governing the appoint
ments to West Point and the naval
academy. The committee will subse-
uuently prepare a general law on the
subject.
The influence Of the grange move
ment was seen in the strong vote, ITO
to Ga, by which the house formally de-
clared it within the constitute nal power
of congress to regulate commerce umong
the several states so as to protect the
poltion of commerce which is among
the several tates from all unjust or OPP
pressive tolls, taxes, distinctions or
other burdens, whether imposed by
railroad companies or by combinations
thereof, or by other common carriers,
and that the present condition and mag
nitude of commerce among the states
demand the prompt and wise exercise
of those powers and duties.
The house has finished the army ap-
preparation bill, and made it much the
smallest since the war. The number
of soldiers is cut down to $4,000, and
the total sum appropriated to less than
thirty millions, Mr.. Cox, of New
York, offered an additional section, that
no money be paid except for the pur-
poses for which it is specifically appro-
priated, which was rejected, as was also
an amendment by the same gentleman
that the army shall not be used IN aid
of the pretended state government
known as the Kellogg government IN
Louisiana. or so as to interfere in the
elections of that state or any other
state.
Gen. Garfield, Of the appropriation
committee, credits the navy department
with economy in its internal manage
ment, and says it now has but sixty-foul
clerks. or as few as before the war. Sc
of the state department. But the treas
ury, he says, has not only ignored the
fact that business has diminished since
the war, but has annually increased IL
expensiveness, and, to-day, nine years
after the war, is far more cumbersome
and costly than in 1865, when the busl
ness of the department was at its maxi
mum. The same is true, though to les
extent perhaps, of the interior depart
ment, The committee is going through
them all, and means to put the knit
co dly, yea, savagely, to all posslbl
unnecessary expenses
The army reduction bill, as revise
by the house military committee, pro
vldes for the reduction of five regI
!, ments of infantry, two of cavalry ant
one of artillery, the officers who ma,
necessarily be affected by the reductlo
? to receive one years pay on being mus
tered out. Important changes are ais
7 proposed in the number and mode G
l election of officers as commanding ger
: erals of the several military depart
Z ments. The bill provides for the NJ
pointment of assistant surgeons an
$ assistant quartermasters from officer
g who have served in the IN dlcal an
{ uuartermaster's departments during III
D late war, and that the first twenty grac
uates each year from the military acaC
Z envy shall be assigned to regiments an
4 the remainder discharged.
The secretary of the treasury ha
:. written to Gen. Garfield, chairman {
the house committee on the apprOprlf
4 tions, enclosing a letter from manuta'
l turers of Baltimore, endorsing tn
views and statements of supervisor
n architect Mullet on the eight hou
}, question. saying their experience
a that it is not only impossible for ma
: 70 perform as much labor IN elgl
i honrs as he can in ten, but that he al
s solutely performs less work per Lou
: under the eight hour system. The Ie
; ter further SAYS, the demoralizlnS ette'
u on labor which the government hi
;, temporarily employ ed has untitled m.
u chanics for q regular days work. J
s conclusion it is asked whether 1t wou
q not be for the best interests OF II
n country and the labor question to repe
IS all laws governing the hours OF !ao'
{. and leave the question to settle ltse
s by the laws of supply and demand.
n The senate has the past week pc
II fected and finally passed its amendt
/. bankrupt law, by a vote OF 43 to L
II The most important of the amendmen
y are one providing that any arfangemen
for settlement entered into betwet
bankrupt and his creditors, to
valid, must be confirmed by the sign
lures of thirds of the latter, al
e, another making the law apply to
er cases of compulsory bankruptcy col
re menced since December !, 1873,-whl
F. will cover the case of Jay Cooke u @
at though the provision for composltl
le between the debtor and creditors,
b. consent of two thirds of the latter, W
es be legal for all pending cases, no mi
lg ter when the bankruptcy was comm
o. ted. The overwhelming majority
he which the senate passed the amend
NJ bill makes it certain that there Will
in no absolute repeal of the bankrupt
ng law. and if the house does not agree
is the amendments of the upper brant
he the existing law will probably ren'
he unchanged.
ol-
N. Our Ministers Hats.
ng We have Iamented tie birth
I'm Scruggs, our minister to OoIuurofn, Iu rof,,.
an no ambiguous terms: Scruggs reIus II
of To take off his hat when a religious p
ct, cession 90 % was passing in the very capIL
rht rpnnhllC