Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-12-30
EVENING STAR.
Washington News and Gossip.

-
Washington News and Gossip.
New Year Calls.
THE STAR of Friday next will contain a
list OF those receiving on New Year day VINO
may request or authorize the publication OF
their names in such list. Matter Intended
for these announcements, for which no charge
is made, may De sent in a: any time before
Friday noon.
The Presidents New Year Reeepsion
The usual New Year reception viii be hel l
at The Executive Mansion, according to the
following pTosrammc:-At IL O'Clock a. m.
the President will receive the Cabinet and
fore gn Ministers. At 1880 q. m. the judges
of the Supreme Court OF the United States
senators and Representatives in Congress,
the Judges of the Court OF Claims, the Com
misSioneTS of the District Of Columbia, and
the Judges OF the Supreme Court OF the Dis
tTict of Columbia will be received. At II m.
the officers of the army and navy will be
received. At 1880 the Assistant Secretaries
of Departments, the Assistant POstmasters
General, Solicitor General and Assistant
Attorneys General, and the heads OF the sew
eral bureaus will be received. At l2:i5 p. m.
the AssOci ted Soldiers of the War OF 1872
the Associated Veterans of 1876. and mem
bcrs of the Oldest Inhabitants Association
The reception OF citizens will commence az
i o'clock p. M, at which time the gates Of
the inclosure will be opened, and will termi
nate al p. 10. Carriages will approach the
Mansion by the eastern gate, and leave by
the western gate.
CABINET RECEPTIoSs.-The members OF
the Cabinet will receive on New Years dsy
as follows:
Secretary of State, at 1900 I street, to 3
O'Clock p. IN.
Secretary OF the Treasury, at IIl3 K rect,
Secretary OF War, at 2922 G street, to 3.
Secretary of Navy. 1887 X street, TO 4.
Postmaster General, at % Lafay et tie Place,
to p. m.
Attorney General, al 1893 Vermont avenue,
to 3p. m.
Secretary of the Interior, at iI0s II street,
TO p. IN.
GOVERNMENT RECEIPTS To-DAY.-Iuter-
nal revenue, $50. .93I.35; customs. s220 ,Gl91G.
THE AMOUNT of national bank note cur
rency received at the Treasury to-day for re-
demption aggregated s642. $50.
THE L. S. STEAMER SwATARA, from I, a.
I'll; has arrived at Port Royal, S. c. All well
on board.
SPEAKER KERR, who Left Philadelphia
last week TO visit a brother lying seriously
ill in Pittsburg, has returned to that city,
and is himself quite unwclI.
AMONG THOSE who mad interviews with
President Grant to-day were Secretary Bril-
w, Attorney Genera PierrepOnt, Treasurer
New, Senators Ferry and Patterson, and
Commissioner o Internal Revenue Pratt.
NAVAL ORDERS Commander Alder
Kautz ordered as light house inspector of the
1Ith district. Ensigns E. 3. Underwood and
VIM. p. Halsey to special duty in charge OF
draft of men, and for service afiOat. Lieut.
Charles III. Rockwell detached from light
house duty, and placed on waiting orders.
THE RETIREMENT OF DR.. Brodhead as Sec
ond Controller of the Treasury Department,
creates vacancy in the Board of Audit of
the District of Columbia. The act designat-
Ing the firs and second controllers of the
Treasury to constitute this board did not
name them in person, but merely desi gnated
the officers hoiding these positions for the
service. Hence. DR.. BrCdhead's successor
Will be the member of the Board of Audit.
REFUND OF RAILROAD TAx.-Attornev
General PierrepOnt has decided the question
as TO the refund of S11G,257 tax illegally COL
lected on dividends OF the stock of the nli-
nois Central railroad company, held by nom
resident alien stockholders, In favor of the
company, the issue being whether the refund
should be made to the company from which
il was collected or to the non resident alien
stockholders interested. The Attorney Gem
eral holds that the government should pay
company, and the stockholders can recover
from the company.
To ILLUSTRATE how the government is
swindled in the payment of pensions, one in-
stance is furnished by Judge Burnham, the
Assistant Secretary OF the Treasury. 1t ap-
pears that In 1872 merchant doing busi-
ness in Richmond, KY, had occasion TO dig
a cellar for the purpose OF enlarging his bust
neSs premises. One night resident of
neighboring village fell into it. He alleged
that he broke his arm and was paralyZed in
the right side, as result of the fall. Suit
was entered for $4,000, and judgment was
given the sufferer in the sum of 81 500. Sub
sequently the merchant ascertained that
the lrjuIed man was pensioner upon the
government. Inquiry at the Pension office
developed The fact that he was and had been
since lsGG. The strangest part of the story
is, that he was pensiOned for the Identical
injuries in 1866, which he claims were sus-
tanned by him in 1870 by the fall into the
cellar. IL is clear that either the court was
bamboozled or the government was.
IN VIEW of the labor and hazard incurred
by the Treasurer of the United States and
other independet treasury officers, by the re-
ceipt and collection Of drafts and checks re-
ceiVed by them from national banks, public
officers and other parties having payments
10 make into the Treasury, the Secretary has
advised these officers that he thinks il better
they should receive in all Official tran sac
tons only the lawful and proper moneys of
the United States, as provided by law and
regulations hereunder. This will prevent
national banks from paying their semi-an-
nual duties, banks and other parties from
paying for fractional currency, and collec-
tors OF internal revenue from making depos-
its in the offices mentioned by means OF
crafts and checks, thus doing away with a
practice which seems to have crept into gov.
eminent transactions without any special
authority OF law or regulations, and which
had become burden TO the officers who vol
UNFAIRLY undertook to collect for parties the
cEecks and drafts transmitted for the pur-
pose OF making the payments mentioned.
The Sugg Fort and WitOwski Fran dis.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF INvEsTI.
GATIoN-SEYERAL RESIG NATIONS THE
RESULT.
The committee consisting of Hon. ID. d.
Pratt, Commissioner of Internal Revenue;
ID. w. Mahon, + irst Auditor, j. Fl. Robinson,
Assistant Solicitor of the Treasury; and John
w. Porter, Acting Chief Clerk OF the Treas
ury department, submitted their report to
the Secretary of the Treasury YESTERDAY IN
the matter OF the WitOwski and Sugg Fort
claims.
The committee ind both clc.,nis fictitious
and fraudulent, and that toav ,-a.o .>ossoS