The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-03-02
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, D. c.. FEB. 9,, 1876

warm is not conducive to good health.
As there is very little snow in this vicinity
this change of weather will be less felt
than 10 the mountain regions of Virginia.
We learn here that among the mountains
in this latitude and further north there is
great fear of heavy floods, and to that
end the railroad managers are taking
every precaution to prevent disasters.
Tho new revenue bill just passed in the
House provides for twenty instead Of
thirty cents of spirits, making the gross
tax ninety cents per gallon in lieu of
S1,O0 as FIRST proposed. The ten per
cent. tariff on various articles taken off
at the last session is resumed under the
new bill. Foreign sugar is moderately
taxed. 1t further provides that no
stamps on receipts Of savings banks for
deposit merely and having no capital
stock shall be required, when money is
paid to depositors.
This bill appears to be as satisfactory as
any that can be desired, and it will doubt.
less pass the Senate without much waste
of time in discussing or amending it. The
House loaded down the original bill with
riders in the way Of numerous amend.
ments until nobody was was satisfied with
it, when Mr.. Dawes proposed as sub.
stitute the new bill as it promptly passed.
The report Of the Senate Judiciary
committee adverse to the contract with
the Pacific Mail Company may be sound
in abstract law, but as an act of good
faith on the part Of the Government,
whose executive agent accepted the ves-
sells after the time specified in the con.
tract, Congress should confirm the accept
ancc, and cure any legal defect which
may entail great expense and loss upon
the contracting party. The people of
this country detest injury done b y the
Cove rnment TO individuals upon legal
bubbles and narrow construction Of pow.
ers conferred upon the heads Of the de.
par tments, If the power to accept the
vessels Of said company by the postmaster
General was insufficient, lot Congress cure
the defect by liberal construction OF
craftsmanship that belongs outside Of law
Offices. The innocent stakeholder in this
company should not suffer because the
agent for the company before be was own.
er of stock subsidized sew sbysters here
in getting subsidy for the company
from the government,
The minority report OF the Louisiana
investigating committee will doubtless re
ceive the endorsement Of Congress, but
it is quite doubtful if Pinchback gets
seated. If the Democrats were in the
majority, and Pinchback were Demo
crat there would be no question-little
irregularity wouldn't count
The appointment by the President yes.
terday Of Harvey Jewell to be Judge o
the Court Of Alabama Claims Commits
sion, is great surprise to many here, whC
believe that under the civil service sys
them, one of a family, notwithstanding i
be Jepel2, is quito enough to hold ;
high and important position under an ad
minlstration. 1t is said that the Pres
dent will 10, be satisfied with Jewels un
; til he gets cluster Only ono more il
required to gil the bill that's all.
The postal telegraph bills recommended
by the Senate Post Office Committee ant
the House judiciary Committee are iden
teal in spirit. The friends Of the West
ern Union m onopolists are deluding SOM
people into the belief that they arc not
and that the passage Of either OF thes,
bills would cmbarrass the telegraph com
companies, and confscate their proper
, ties that it would resolve the telegraph
!, business into Il governmental bur
eau, &c. The fact is that neither Of thes,
/, bills propose to interfere in the least will
the legitimate business with any telegraph
company in the country. What the bill
does insist on, which is right, is that al
private kilograms shall be transmitted a
uniform rates ; that the price press dis
patches shall be uniform and that no tel
egraph company shall be allowed t.
charge one paper more than another 70
D the same service The necessity of ,hi
: provision in each Of these bills is bette
. appreciated when one knows the. unjus
discrimination practiced by the Western
;, Union, bctw ecu newspapers of the coun
D try. For instance, the Western Uniol
e has charged for one hundred words nc
d tween Washington aud New York on
!. and n quarter cents Il word to a paper be
}, longing 10 the Associated Press, while t
n papers not belonging to this association
o four cents a word for the same service.
= The sewing machine lobby are disheart
It ened. There has not been from the be
!, ginning any prospects for success of thi
+ scheme. The people haye again au
n again spoken in thunder tones agains
i the continuance Of the sewing machin
o monopolcs, and the press Of the ccuutr
d in behalf Of the poor people have re
J. echoed these tones until they now revel
o berate through the whole country, You
l. correspondent remembers well Of bein
s. told by Commissioner OF Patents iou
y or five years since, when he, the Commi
81 sioner had under consideration an argu
N ment favoring the extension Of some in
g portant sewing machine patents, that h
d was solicited to grant the extension wit
T. tho assurance that it would be worth
h hundred thousand dollars to him.
luz oosSpu -. Dtc"dit NnO uau u pr
4 liminary hearing in the police court yo
3 teriay on charge Of getting money
3, Congressman Cobb of Kansas under al,
y pre,enses is lawyer Of soma prcmiuenc
r, and the same Stewart who was locked u
d in room in tho Capitol some two yea
If since, by order of the House Of Repr'
II sentatives, for refusing to testify before
House Committee. From the cyidenC
lie produced yesterday it appears that Nj
O. Stewart simply borrowed sl0I, of NJ
10 Cobb for friend of his and giving
Of return bis individual check dated ahea,
D, stating at the time that he had no mono
al in the bank, but would have some ia sea
IN son to meet the check Being disaI
ID pointed in some business transactions h
,r Was unable to make his check good unit
,e yesterday. His explanation corroborate
IN by his business agent, is entirely satisfa'