The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-23

the NAVY fard. thus cutting on the Navy Yard
| except oy drawbrtdgej from its communication
with the main river Entering the city the road
| is to skirt along the south side of It to the
public grounds below the Presidents house.
and by or through those public grounds
to the bank of the Potomac ana thence close
by the National Observatory Ia great outrage,.
following the river shore to Georgetown ana
thence across that clsJ into Maryland. We under
stand that the company design, If they secure this
charter. to establish depot In the Presidents
grounds; to build causeway across the Eastern
Branch, which In the course OF a few years will
compel the government to- abandon the Navy Yard
In consequence OF the fling up OF the stream with
the washing from the hills the causeway acting as
dam. and that from the frequent interruptions by
the locomotive the government VIII also have to
remove the Naval Observatory Or abolish 1t to &C
cOmmOdate this railroad. Worst Of ALL give as
this steam railroad through the city, with the
others now In operation, and there will
be no safety in anything bus these rail-
way trains in getting out Of or into
the city again. The locomotive will menace
the private carriage on every side In passing
out Of or confng into the CITY, The right is
reserved to Congress to repeal modify this
charter at any time, and there is something for
the protection Of the interests OF the city in this
provision; but experience teaches US that where
u
cannot be displaced except by an earthquake.
And here the inquiry is suggested. Can anything
be expected from Congress on the general regua-
ton of the railroads Of the country, when ia this
District, over which, the two houses have tex
elusive jurisdiction in all cases whatsoever " two
or three railroad companies have gained such
foUthOld that they aim now at nothing less tnan
the absolute control or the highways OF Washing
ton and Of the public grounds, so far as they may
be needed for side tracks, rolling stock, workshops
and depOts
Work Of the Present Session Of Congress.
There have been passed during the present
session OF Congress. In the House OF Representa-
tives, lis bills, Of which about thirty have become
laws. over $50 House resolutions have been either
referred to or were directed to the various COM
mittees and over fifty House resolutions have
been sent to the several departments. asking for
information Of various kinds. The above does not
include Saturdays proceedings, when several bills
OF private character were passed The business
OF the Senate In the way of passing bills has been
small, compared to that OF the House of Represen-
tatives.
Important Economic Changes I'm the
Post Office Adm in tstration Proposed
Bulky Matter to be Excluded from the
Mails.
The Senate Committee on Appropriations will
propose several important changes in the Post
Once administration. These were ntimated in
part by senator Morrill,, Of Maine, In the debate
which took place on the 23d OF January, pending
the consideration OF the Post Office route bill In that
debate Mr.. Morrill, alluded to the fact that the
Postmaster General estimates that the earnings OF
the department will be some $40, 900 600 and that
there will be q deficiency OF 81, ZOO, 600 and odd,
making over $40, O00.OU0. Not dollar OF this
amount goes through the Treasury of the United
States or Is subject to its audit or control. This
department therefore was independent OF the
Treasury. II the depar Sment Is to be kept within
its reasonable bounds, so that 1t will not break it.
self down, this kind OF legislation must be arrested
The committee Will propose an amendment to the
laws so as to provide that after the Goth Of June,
1874, conveyance in the mails of samples OF mer.
chandise, packages of clothing, seeds, cuttings,
bulbs, roots, scions, samples OF metals, ores and
meteorological specimens and bound books shall
cease, and all laws authorizing such conveyance
shall be repealed The reason Tor proposing such
repeal is that the mails are numbered with, among
other things, beehives with live bees in them, fed
with honey and sheltered by glass; boots and
Shoes groceries and other homogeneous articles,
which are sent through the mails under the PROV.
sion that everything, except some dangerous
liquids, can be sent through the mails II not weigh.
over foar pounds. These articles, bulky and
ried by our present system like the letters, which
must 60 as rapidly as possible upon the trains to
seek their immediate distribution; and the effect
Is that all the accommodations which the
Postmaster General can get upon the postal car
system are not sufficient for the adequate and
rapid and satisfactory distribution OF the matter
which ought to pass through the mails alone.
The railroad companies are now paid by weight
for the exact amount they carry, and it is. there
fore. contended that If the malls shall be relieved
from the carrying Of merchandise there will be
considerable saving to the government. The er.
fort OF the Appropriation Committee will be to
make the Post ONCE Department medium of
simply transmitting intelligence. In this connec-
ton some. If not majority. OF the committee are
in favor OF aboishing the postal car system and of
repeating the clause providing for the free delivery
OF letters the latter on the ground that large
sums thus spent Tor the beneht of the resi-
dent In a few Cities while the people at large are
taxed to pay for it. 1t Is estimated that such
changes would well nigh cover the amount speci-
fed as deficiencies.
Contracts and Expcnd lures or the In.
dian Service-Connict Between the
Executive Committee and tho Interior
pnrtment-OppOsition to the APP
pointmcnt OF q Territorial Cover
NOR over the Indians.
A recent Message OF the President OF the United
States to the House Of Representatives, encloses
report OF the Secretary OF the Interior relative
to the extent and nature OF the contracts and ex-
pendituTes Of the Indian service made since July
1, 1873. 1t appears from the document that the
Inferior Department and the Executive Commit
tee often come in conflict about allowance for sur.
plus careful examination OF the reasons as
signed by the committee for the disallowance Of
claims shows them to be for the most part tecnni-
cal or based upon information in possession OF
the committee and not known to the Indian Once
In all cases 1t has been the rule OF the Depart.
ment to refer all accounts which have been
disaiiowed by the Executive Committee. to the
Indian ONCE with the reason Of the committee II
any were reported, for Withholding It's approval,
and to request the Commissioner OF Indian Affairs