Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-20
WASHINGTON.
Grants Touching Sympathy for
the South.
Report of the Engineers on the
Improvement Of the
Mississippi.
A Foreign War the Only Hope
of Radicalism.
yFhiteIar Reid GIres BOND.

WhiteIaW Reid Gives Bond.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19.-Whitelaw
Reid appeared in the police court this fore
noon, in company with W. w. CorcOTan,
S. II. Kaufman and other gentlemen, and
his counsel, A. g. Riddle. MeSsrs. Corco-
ran and Kaufman gave bail for his appear
ance to answer the charge of criminal
li0el on ex-GOv. Shepherd, and the party
! then left The courtroom.
Grant Tells Of HIS Sympathy for the
! south.
A delegation headed by Senator Alcorn,
and composed of two members of Congress
each from Arkansas, Mississippi and Lou
/ isiana, called on the President to-day with
regard to the reclamation of the alluVial
soil Of the Mississippi and the support of
| the leYee system. The President said in
1 response to statements made to him, that
! be had not yet received the report of the
/ LeFee Commissioners, but would give it
| careful consideration when il reached him.
! BE was kindly disposed towards assisting
/ in rebuilding the material prosperity Of the
| SGlth; regretted that the people of Shreve-
! port should be disposed to lawlessness so
soon after they had been relieved by the
/ bounty of the Government during yellow
| fever, and thought the committee would
receive less sympathy from Congress.
Appropriations Agreed To.
The House Committee on Appropriations
to-day voted to include the following items
/ in the sundry civil appropriation bill: For
refunding to the States their expenses in
raising volunteers, S29T, 200; for the con-
struction and maintenance Of military tel
/ egraph lines, especially in Texas, New
| Mexico and Arizona, S55, 900; for the pub
| lication Of the official records of the war of
the rebellion, $50, 900; for the collection Of
county prize money and other claims of
colored soldiers, being the continuation of
the work of the late Freedman's Bureau,
$4,000; for the freedmen's hospital, 49,
900. s4
Mississippi River improvements.
The Secretary Of War sent to the House
to-day the report Of the Board of Engineers,
appointed to prepare plans and estimates
for the deepening Of one or more Of the
natural outlets of the Mississippi river,
and also for a canal from the river 10 the
Gulf. After a thorough examination Of the
entire subject, they say: There is no
doubt a designated point at South
Pass would be best, as it would
give an unobstructed waterway to
commerce in place Of the present narrow
and obsiructed one. If the question Of cost |
and maintenance be considered, there is |
for the St. Phillip Canal the estimated sum |
of SIZE, ,154. 200, against ST9,42l, ,II0 for the |
Pass While the Board are Of opinion |
that the canal can be built az the esti- |
mated cost, they recommend that |
the South Pass Of the Mississippi |
be improved by the plaI /
which they submit. They further recon-
mend that if Congress decide to open one |
Of the passes Of the river, the entire sum |
necessary to accomplish the work will be |
appropriated at once, or in some way be /
made available. If the mouth Of the river |
is to be improved by jetties, the work,
when begun, should be pushed as rapidly /
as possible to its entire completion.
Exciting RumOrs About Cuba.
Special 70 the Cincinnati Commercial.
Arumor was quietly circulated here to-
day that the President had concluded 10 /
recommend to Congress the recognition of /
the belligerent rights of Cuba. Inquiry Of |
a very intimate friend of the President re-
suited in the information that it is believed /
that such action viii be taken at an early |
day. Influences of a formidable nature |
have been at work quietly, but effectively, |
it would seem, during all the present ses-
sion, and especially since the recess, to in
ducs Congress aud the President TO take
some decided action with regard to Cuba. /
Among other arguments brought forward,
is one submitted by LOuisianians, to the /
effect that war with Spain would take out
Of New Orleans the twenty or thirty thou
sand adventures who infest that city, and
by their turbulence and revolutionary ten
dencIes, make it almost impossible to hope
for peace. These men, it Is argued, would
sll gladly embrace the opportunity that
war with Spain would offer them, and once
out Of the way, the cooler counsels Of bet
ter people would prevail. 1t is known that
this view of the case has been urged upon
the President, and that it has great weight
with the people cOnveTsaut with Louisiana
affairs, who are not disposed from any other
consideration to advocate an Endorsement
Of the Cuban resolution.
FOTestaIIing Democratic Legislation.
The Republican Senators have agreed to
put amendments on the appropriation bills
to provide for the army and the Depart
ment Of Justice for two years instead OF
one. This action was proposed some time
AGO in the Southern Republican caucus,
but It was not known until to-day that the
Republican Senators had agreed TO It. That
they have so agreed is stated upon the
authority Of a Southern Republican Sena-
tor. They assert that if the House does not
agree TO the amendments the appropriation
bills will tail of passage in the Senate.
This is a bold step, but it only illustrates
the determination Of the Republicans
to carry their point at all hazards.
sherfdan's shreFePOrt Dispatch not
Credited
The dispatch Of Gen.. Sheridan to Secre-
tary Belknap today, embOdying the sub
stance of q recent report by Major Merrill
aS TO affairs at Shreveport, is not credited
here. Shreveport is situated in one Of the
parishes in which it was charged that IN
timidation was used at the late election.
There has been no well authenticated teStl-
mOny, however, to sustain the charge, and
Gen. Sheridan's dispatch conveys the first
intimatiOn that has been heard by any
BODY, that the whites have begun to per-
secute the blacks. Prominent Republicans
from Louisiana, who are here, declare that
they have never heard of it before. The
state of things described by Merrill
could not have been brought about
in a day or two, and the story
carries its imprObability on its face. If this
persecution had been going on for the
length of time that Merrill would have the
public infer, somebody would have heard
o it long ago. The Congressional Investi-
CATION Committee was in session in New
Orleans two months after the election, and
while they were there, not a whisper OF
any such proceedings came TO their ears.
They were told that such threats had been
made at the time Of the election, but they
failed to find that, although two months
had elapsed, any movement had been made
to carry them out.
Taxing Bank Deposits.
Mr.. Merriam's bill, limiting the tax on
bank deposits, etc, provides that drafts,
checks, certificates Of deposit and other evi-
dences of Indebtedness, when received by
banks for collection, only to accommodate
other banks, shall not be taxed as deposits,
but the bank originally forwarding them
for collection shall be taxed upon the /