The Portland daily press., 1877-01-18
WASHINGTON.
The Executive Committee of the Wester
Union Company to be Sum m ned

The Executive Committee of the Western
Union Company to be Summoned.
WASHINGTON, Jan 1.-THE special commit
| tee on the powers and privileges of the House
| 10 regard to Presidential questions to-day
| directed the Sergeant-at-arms to summon all
| the members OF the executive board of the
Western Union Telegraph Company to appear
| before the committee.
The Indian Bill.
The House Committee on Appropriations
have completed and are ready to report The
Indian bill 1t appropriates $4,376,0OO or
| $272,000 less than last year.
w. Il. Chandler's Telegrams.
| W. q. Chandler was before the Committee
| on Privileges to-day. He testified that he had
| sent kilograms South, but none of them prom
ised money or troops. He acknowledge that
while in Tallahassee he became counsel for the
| Governor OF Florida and other Republican can
| didates for Congress and electorship. When
| asked if, while there, he received any messages
from any member of the National Committee,
| mentioning money or troops. he said that he
could not answer without the consent of his
| clients, but should advise them to allow him to
answer. The committee insisted, but he de-
clned, also to say whether he sent kilograms
| from Florida to members Of that committee
about money or TROOPS. He was not sure that
the letters to MIR. Keogh, shown Yesterday
| were ever sent to that gentleman.
NO formal action was taken on his refusal to
answer, ou 1t IS likely that the committee will
him to answer or be punished for contempt
The Printing Bureau.
Secretary Morrill, was before the House Com
mittee to-day, to give information concerning
the work Of the Printing Bureau. He said in
substance that under the act of Congress direct
ing MIN TO nave the engraving and printing of
revenue stamps done by the bureau instead of
by bank note company, in case it could be
done as cheaply he had the question carefully
investigated by experts, who reported that it
could be done more cheaply in New York than
by the department., and he therefore continued
the bank note company contracts for revenue
stamps and brought TO Washington the work
of printing the national currency in order to
avoid dlscharging large number of bureau
employes, this class of work being done here to
equal advantage.
Silver Disbursements.
The following is tho official statement of
silver disoursed since April 18th, 1876: Frac.
tonal currency redeemed, S16,008 812; on cur
Tency checks and obligations $40, $50, $685. total,
S26689, 181.
Ellis III. Spear 10 be Cemm issioner of Pa.
tents.
Congressman Macdonald of New York to.
day formally declined the appointment of Com
missioner OF Patents and the President decided
to nominate Ellis Spear of Maine, formerly
deputy commissioner The nomination will
probably be sent to the Senate tomorrow.
The Joint Committee on Electoral Count
Agree Upo" a Plan-The Report to be
Submitted To-day.
The Senate and House Committees on count.
Ing the electoral vote this evening agreed upon
report, which will be signed tomorrow by all
the members of both committees, except
Senator Morton and possibly one Democrats
member of the House Committee The tri-
bunal for the decieion of the contruyerted
questions will be tripartte, one branch of
which will be composed of five Justic-s of the
United States Supreme Court. How these
judges are to be selected, or how the Senate
and House branches of the tribun al will be
constituted, is not known, but it Can be posi-
lively stated that the element of chance will
not enter IN any way into the formation of the
tribunal. Its members are to take a special |
oath to decide the questions according to the
Constitution of the United States and the laws |
made in pursuance thereof From the ascer- |
tanned fact that the Judiciary branch of the |
tribunal will be composed of five members, It |
is inferred that the two branches of Congress |
will each be represented on it BY five of their |
respective members, but this is only matter /
OF inference.
On inquiry of the members of the two COM |
mlttees tonight, it Is learned that all of them |
pledged themselves not to speak of the details |
of the proposed plan for counting the electoral |
vote, this caution being taken in order that the /
public might not be msled by verbal state.
mems apart from the exact phraseology of the
official report. They say that for the last two
weeks the committees of the two Houses,
aotlng either separately aud IN joint meeting |
have devoted their best energies and judgment,
and nearly all their time to efforts to arrive at
an accommodation; that the proceedings have
uniformly been marked by courtesy and a |
patriotic spirit, all striving to a!lay whatever
partisan feeling existed, and to promote the
public good. They are very hopeful that both
parties and the country at large will be satisfied
with the result of their labor.
The bill embodying the plan agreed upon |
will be accompanied by brief report setting
forth the principles upon which it is based, and
will be presented to both Houses tom brow.
though it will not probably be acted upon
Immediately. the intelligence that report
had been agreed upon calculated to satisfy both
parties occasions very general satisfaction.