The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-02-26
FROM WASHINGTON.

Osborn, Of Illinois, az minister resident
Of the Argentine republic, and Il. Il.
Seabright, OF Pennsylvania, ~ surveyor
general for Colorado.
Senator Boutwell, has proposed n bill
to forbid the national banks paying in.
tercst on deposits aud obliging them to
keep sc~yenty.iyc per cent. Of their re-
serves in their wi vaults
The senate has passed bill givingth
secretary Of war full power to improve
navigation Mt the mouth Of the Missis.
sippi river, and punish all persons who
put obstacles in the channel or interfere
with the improvement.
The house is considering the fortii-
cation appropriation bill, which, though
greatly reduced from its original pro-
portions, still proposes to waste n con.
siderable sum Of good money on what
Glen. Sherman has scnsibly testified are
useless works.
The influence Of the grange move
mcut was seen in the strong vote, ITO
TO "a, by which the house formal de
clarcd it within the constitutional power
Of congress to regulate commerce among
the several states so az to protect the
potion Of commerce which is among
the several tatcs from all unjust or OPP
prcssiye tolls, taxes, distractions or
other burdens, whether imposed by
railroad companies or by combinations
thereof, or by other common carriers,
and that the present condition and mag
nitudc Of commerce among the states
demand the prompt and wise exercise
Of thOSc powers and duties.
The house has finished the army ap.
preparation bill, and made il much the
smallest since the war. The number
of soldiers is cut down TO q, 1000, 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 prr-
poses Tor which it is specifically appro-
prihtcd, which was rejected, as was also
IN 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 rs 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
nent, and says it now has but siyty-fOrr
clerks, or as few rs before the war. So
Of the state department. but the treas.
wy, he says, has not only ignored the
fact that business has diminished since
the war, but has annually increased in
oNpcnslycncss, and, to-day, nine years
after the war, is far more cumbersome
and costly than in 1860, when the bust
ness Of the department was NJ its maxi
mum. The same is true, though to aloss
extent perhaps, OF the interior depart.
ment. The committee is going through
Them all, and means to put the knife
GO dIy, yea, sayagcly, to all possible
Unnecessary expenses.
The army reduction bill, rs revised
by the house military committee, pro-
vldcs for the reduction of five rcgi-
mcnts OF infantry, two Of cavalry and
one of artillery, the officers who may
necessarily be affected by the reduction
to receive one years pay ON being mus.
tered out. Important changes are also
proposed in the number and mode of
! election Of officers aS commanding gen
erals Of the several military depart
mcnts. The bill provides for the APP
pOlntmcnt of assistant surgeons and
assistant quurtcrmastcrs from officers
who have served in the IN dical and
QuartCrmastcr's departments during the
late war, and that the first twenty grad
yates each year from the military acad-
envy shall be assigned to regiments and
the remainder discharged.
The senate has the past week per
icctcd and finally passed its amended
bankrupt law, by IL vote Of 10 to II.
The most important of the amendments
are one providing that any arrangements
for II settlement entered into between
u bankrupt aud his creditors, to be
valid, must be confirmed by the sigma.
lures of two.thirds of the latter, and
another making the law apply to all
cases Of compulsory bankruptcy com
mcnced since December |, 1879, which
will cover the case of JAY Cooke n Co.,
though the provision for u composition
between the debtor and creditors, by
consent of twO.thirds of the latter, vii
he legal for all pending cases, no mat
Ter when the bankruptcy was commit
ted. The overwhelming majority by
which the senate passed the amended
bill makes it certain that there will b,
no absolute repeal of the bankruptcy
law, and if the house does not agree tC
the amendments Of the upper branch,
the existing law will probably remain
unchanged.