Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-10-04
WASHINGTON NEWS.
OUR MEXICAN BORDER.

Dispatches OF Oct. 1St from Washing
ton state that according to information
from Brownsville, Texas, there is a
Mexican force coming to the Rio
Grande to compel the authorities to ex-
ecute the eXtradition treaty. Local
opinion IN Mexico Is against surrender
ing the jail raiders. Gen. Diaz has be-
come very unpopular among the Mexi-
cans along the borders on account of
his friendly attitude toward the United
States. Some Mexicans even declare
that he has denationalized himself.
The local authorities of Tamaulipas will
refuse to surrender another Mexican to
the Americans.
THE ARMY
! In his annual report to congress at
the regular session Secretary McCrary
will recommend that authority be vest
ed in the president to increase the
army at his discretion to a maximum
strength of 10000 men, leaving the
regimental organization as it exists at
present. The advantage of this au-
thority would be to enable the president
to strengthen the military force of the
government when additional strength is
needed without being compelled to
await legislative action by congress. 1t
Is the plan, however, to leave the army
at its present numerical strength until
such time as an increase is required by
an emergency.
THE HARBOR IMPROVEMENT FRAUDS.
For some weeks the Inspector general
of the war department has been examin-
ing into the alleged frauds in the dis
bursement of money in improving Buf-
falo, Erie, and Cleveland harbors by
Colonel Blount, of the engineer corps
His report was received at the war de-
partment yesterday, and is Of such a
character that Colonel Blount will be
relieved from duty and placed under ar
rest to await court-martial.
THE REDEMPTION AGENCY.
Following is the statement of the ma
tional bank redemption agency for the
month of September, compared with
the corresponding period of last year:
National bank notes fit for circulation,
assorted and returned to banks of issue,
81 ,925, 400; notes unfit for circulation,
assorted and delived to comptroller of
the currency for destruction and re-
placement with new notes, $2,950,e00;
notes of failed, Hquidating, and reduc-
ing banks deposited in the treasury,
$811 800; total for September, 1877,
S15,6S7 ZOO; total for September, 1876,
$1S,455, 800; decrease, $2,767 800.
IN EGYPT.
1t has been aScertained at the Fifth
Auditors office that n D. Couranos, a
Greek, who has long been United States
vice-consul at Cairo, has geen guilty of
raising the figures in receipts taken by
him for expenses, and he has in conse-
quence been summarily dismissed.
This is the same officer who opened a
lottery at the Consulate and used va
rious means to restrain deputy consuls
in various parts of Egypt to purchase
tickets. For time he managed to de-
fer punishment for this, and pending a
further consideration of his case, he
was discovered in the matter of raising
figures on his vouchers, and removed.
THE MESSAGE.
Dispatches from Washington of Sept.
29th state that the cabinet discussed the
subjects to be embraced in the pres
idents message and that only those mat
ters that require immediate action on
the part OF congress will be included in
the message to Represented in October.
The deficiencies In the appropriations
made to the executive departments will
form the main part of the message
The president will also call attention to
the fact that no appropriation was made
at the last session TO pay the awards
made by the Southern claims commits
sion, and will recommend that the neces-
sary amount be appropriated at as early
a day as practical
COX AND THE SPEAKERSHIP.
The Hon. S. S. Cox is expected here
next Monday or Tuesday, and will open
the speakership campaign at OF ce. He
Will probably take a suite OF rooms at
the Riggs House, where he will carry
on the canvass.
THE PATENT TROUBLES.
The question as to how far the patent
Office can permit the reproduction of
destroyed models was decided to-day by
Gen. Spear, so far as the mode is des-
troyed in pending application cases,
about 10 per cent Of the models destroy
ed being of this class. A circular was
issued asking the inventors to send du-
plicates of the models destroyed This
was simple request, however, and not
a demand, and patentees can use their
own discretion.
OUTSTANDING LEGAL TENDERS.
National bank notes issued for the
present month, 81 1926, $40: so per cent
thereof in greenbacks will be destroyed,
leaving the outstanding legal tenders
1896, ,914 ,937.
THE LAND OFFICE.
The commissioner of the land office
says that if there is no rain before the
temporary roof of the patent-office is
completed, it will not be necessary for
him to move out his establishment 4
good, sharp shower, however, within a
day or two would make it necessary II
would cost $4,000 to move the land
office, and delay work at least two
weeks.
Public Debt Statement.
/ WASHINGTON, Oct. 1.-The public
debt was decreased during September
IL