The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-01-22
4 WASHINGTON NOTES.
Memorial ana Proceedings Of the Ma
tiOnal R-y Convention Presented.
An Interesting Letter from u Cheeky
Oaiceseeker In Texas.
Strange Claim of the Heirs of Senator
Sebastian, of Arkansas.

mortal Committee OF thirteen, appoint
ed by the recent st. Louis National
Railroad Convention, waited to-day
upon the President OF the Senate and
Speaker of the House, and presented
their memorial and proceedings of the
Convention in favor of Government
aid to secure the prompt construction
of the Texas and Pacific railroad as
competing Pacific line. Hon. Stan
ley Matthews, OF Ohio, the President
of the Convention, Colonel William
Johnston, of North Carolina, Hon. r.
Y w. Thompson, of Indiana Hon. J. III.
Kennard, of Louisiana, DR.. Felsen-
held, of California, G. X. Marshall, OF
Mississippi, and A. G. Clopton, of Tex
as, were present. The documents will
Officially reach both Houses of Con-
gress, where they will receive the con-
sideraton of proper committees. The
Committee have received letter from
the President inviting them to call on
y him tomorrow at O'Clock.
one of the strangest claims pending
before Congress is that presented in
n the petition filed in the Senate by the
children of the late Senator William
Tx. Sebastian, who was reelected to
his seat from the State of Arkansas for
the term beginning March 4, 1860, but
was prevented from holding it by
resolution of expulsion passed ut the
special session OF Congress which was
I called in July, Immediately after the
breaking out of the war. A resolution
was passed July 18th, which recited
that whereas certain Senators, among
I. whom Sebastian was named, had fail
ed to appear in their seats, and 1t be-
ing apparent they were engaged in the
conspiracy to destroy the Union, they
were declared expelled. The petition
4 ers aver that Sebastian was then
\. Union man, and remained such until
4 his death in May, 1865, and they ask
(, the revocation of the resolution Of eX-
pulsion, and the declaration that his
legal rights, that is the salary for the
term to which he was elected, inure to
his heirs. With the petition are num-
Der of aflidavits from parties test flying
ITO the loyalty of Mr. Sebastian.
The following very interesting letter,
which has been lately received by the
Postmaster General, sufficiently ex-
plains itself:
LoNGvIEw, Texas, January 10, 1866:
To the Postmaster General:
DEAR SlR-What would be the
chance to get the situation as Postmas-
ter at Marshall, Jefferson, Dallas, Sher-
man, Denison, Waco, Austin, and, in
( short, any that will pay over one thou
sand dollars? / will give you twenty
five per cent on all over one thousand
dollars, and fifty per cent on all over
two thousand. Would there be any
chance to get the situation on the
Texas Pacific railroad. l have good
credentials and can give good bonds.
etc. Mr.. Harris, who has charge OF
the postotfice at Gilmer, Upshur
county, and who took charge of the
office at this place few days since re-
auested me to write to you. Let me
hear from you at your earliest conve..
nience, Your fraternally,
S. A. REID.
To this missive the following reply
was sent on last Saturday:
P.O. DEPARTMENT, /
WASHINGTON ID. O., Jan. 10.
y. A. Reid Longview, Gregg county, Texas
SIR-Your letter of the 10th instant
to the Postmaster General has been re-
ferred to this office. In reply he in
structs me to say that you are in error
in supposing that appointments can be
obtained in postoffices by the payment
of fees. Such proposition as you make
will preclude you from obtaining or
holding any place in the postal service.
Very respectfully,
JAMES II. MARI,
Acting First Assistant Postmaster Genl.
An investigation of the printing
Office has already been ordered, ana IL
is charged that careful examination
will show that the public printing has
cost more whilst done by department
of the government than it did for
merly, when let out to private parties.
Those who are pushing the investiga-
ton assert that they will prove gross
mismanagement and extravaganza mis-
use of the public funds.
The joint resolution introduced ny
Mr.. Springer proposes an amenument
to the constitution Of the United States
so as to embody some sort of prohibit
bition in the national constitution as
ther is in the Illinois and Missouri
constitutions against special legisia-
tion. 1t forbids any special law where
u general law can accomplish the pur-
pose.
Senator Christiancy says Morton's
resolution, if adopted, would give
power to undo the late election alto
gether, and break up the Legislature
which he says is going too iar. ne
thinks, though, the right sort oil inves-
tigation will do much good by expos
ing many exaggerations about Missls-
sippi affairs.