The Portland daily press., 1878-11-20
WASHINGTON.
Report of the Secret srv of War.


New York, Nov. ia Washington
special states that the Secretary Of War has
completed his report and read it to the Cabinet
today. The Secretary reviews the operations
OF the army tor the year and quotes portion of
the report of Gems. Sherman and Sheridan 10
regard to the condition of the service, its re-
quirements aud its numerical inadeQuacy to
perform the duty required of it. He describes
the embarrassment of the army at present un-
der the posse coDlitdts clause in the last appro-
preparation Dill, ana asks Congress either to
repeal the clause and allow the President and
Secretary of War to use the army as authorized
by the Constitution or interpret the meaning
of the clause so that it may be clear what ser
vice the army can perform without violating
its provisions. % the Indian question while
he describes what has bsen doae by the mill
tsry in respect to hostile Indians be does not
JOIN the controversy between the office of the
army and the IDdian service about the causes
of outbreaks or alleged inefic,eucy of Indian
management. Nor does he allude in any way
to the proposition for the trsnsfer the Indians
from the care of the Secretary of the Interior
to his own. He asks that Congress legalIzs his
action in furnishing supplies to yellow fever
sufferers and and that the army be reimbursed
for such supplies. He also also asks the pas
sage OF bill giving pension to the widow of
Lieut.. Benaer, who died while ia charge of a
yellow fever relief boat, as she is not entitled
to pension under the law, her husband not
having died in the performance of military
duty.
The Alleged Huron Survivor an Jmposter
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10.
Mr. Hogg telegraphed Go the Secretary of he
Navy this afternoon giving the result of his in
vestigation, saying that young Buder's like
ness in possession Of his father resembles the
claimant at Washington, but Bader was un-
doubtly lost on the Huron and the man pers IN
ating him is an imposter. Commodore Ora
ham says man calling himself Buder clandes.
timely left the steamer Passaic at the yard veg
tesday evening and 40 doubt is fel5 ia the
mind OF the Secretary that the man is an i'm
poster.
The Soushern Claims Commission.
Judge A. o. Adds of the Southern Claims
Commission, says that the prospect ia favora-
Die Tor the adjustment of all claims now pend
ing before the 10Th of March, $780, which is the
date fixed by law for the expiratiou of the
commission. The time for filing new claims
expired in 1873, and the time for receiving tes-
timony will expire on the 10Sh of next March.
leaving one year in which to adjust and dis
pose OF the remaining claims. The ommissiop-
ers are now engaged upon their annual report
but 1t ID not yet far enough advanced to show
the aggregate amount of the claims allowed
and those rejected. Judge Adds expresses the
opinion that the commission has found about
one-eghth of the claims which have bsen PASS
ed upon to be valid. He thinks it not improba-
Bile that movement may be undertaken during
the coming session to extend the time for TAX
ing testimony. Such movement if made at
all Will Come from claimants in the yelloy
fever districts. The travelling agents of the
commission were Guaranteed during q great
portion of the season, and some Of the cases
which they had been instructed to examine
must go to trial with Insufficient testimony. or
be rejected for want of it.