Connecticut western news., 1879-02-12
WASHINGTON NOTES.

J ment as adopted reduces the general l staff one brigadier-general, two colonels | and three majors, and the artillery ten l first ieutenants and five second lieu tenants. The cavalry is reduced from | ten to eight regiments, two colonels, two ieutenant-colonels, six majors and twen- ty-four captains being dropped, while | the first ieutenants are increased by | ffty-two and the second 1ieutenants re. duced to twenty-four, and the chaplains | duced from twenty-five to eighteen regi- | ments, losing seven colonels, seven lieu lenant-colonels, thirty-four captains, | four second ieutenants, the majors be- ing increased twenty-nine and the chap | lains fifteen. In the Departments a large number of officers were dropped.
 The Mississippi Levee bill, which passed the House by vote of 155 to ", simply provides for the appointment of a commission of five persons, three of whom shall be selected from the Engi- neer Corps of the army and the others be civilians. They are to be appointed by the President, subject to the ap- proval of the Senate. The engineers are to be pad nothing in ai dition to their present salaries and the civilians are to have &, 1000 8 year. They are to direct the surveys of the river now in progress between Alton, Ill.,, and the mouth of the Mississippi and to prepare plans for a general system. The Secretary of War is authorized to detail such number of men as may be needed to assist the com mission.
 There have been filed in the Secre- tary of State's office at Washington the claims of the owners of some twenty vessels of the Gloucester fishing fleet for damages resulting from the Fortune Bay outrage in January, 1878, ranging from $37 to $8,6OO per vessel, accord ing to expenses and anticipated profits of the voyage.
 To remedy frauds in the pension office it is proposed to divide the whole country into pension districts and en- ploy 8 regular staff of competent surgeons, one for each district, to be paid salary by the government, and to be removable and subject to be changed from one district to another at the hands | of the Pension bureau. Surgeons thus employed would have no interest ad- verse to the government. To test the value of examinations by an independent surgeon specially employed by the l government, the Commissioner of Pensions two years ago employed a Wisconsin surgeon of ability to make l special examinations in several counties in New York, Ohio and Indiana, with 1 the result that in 491 cases the govern ment saved in reduced rates and men | dropped from the rolls the large sum of SIG, ,824 for two years.
 l At the United States Treasury near ly all persons applying for interest have taken greenbacks in preference to gold. | The net increase of coin in the Treasury during the month of January is $20O,- 1 742.23 coin obligations paid during the month, $32, ,478, 606. 09, including $1, ,571,- ,- | 725 in United States notes redeemed in coin.
 = Wild Hog, Cheyenne chief who recently escaped from Fort Robinson, Neb., but was captured and brought breast, inhicting dangerous if not fatal l wounds.
 The Secretary of War transmitted to the Senate communication from Commissary-G General McFeely, showing that his department would be crippled should the organization for the depart ment recommended by the Burnside bill be adopted, as it would be unable properly and economically to perform the duties devolying upon it by law. The action of the House upon Gen. Earnings bill for the reorganization of the Army may be taken as an indication that there will be no legislation upon
 that question this session.
 SENATE.
 In the Senate the report of those mem bers of the commission on the proposed transfer of the Indian Bureau to the
 War Department who are opposed to
 such transfer was presented. It was
 laid on the table. Mir. Maxey Oem.
 Texas) called up the Senate bill appro- priating $50,0O0 for the purchase of Fort Clark. It was passed. MT. Wad- leigh (Rep., N. H. ), from the Committee on Military Affairs, reported back the letter of the Secretary of War and reso- lutions of the Society of the Army of the Potomac in regard to 0 history of the Gettysburg battlefield, together with bill appropriating $30, 900 to provide for the compilation and preservation of data showing the various positions and
 movements of troops engaged in the
 battle of Gettysburg, and for g de-
 scriptive account of the same with illus
 trations.
 The Senate listened to MT. Morgan, !, of Alabama, in support of his substitute
 for MT. Edmunds's resolutions. He compared the practices of the Northern and Southern States in the matter of
 slavery, and finally urged the folly of wasting time in the endeavor to get an empty expression of opinion from the Senate on the constitutional amend ments. A minority report from the Committee on Privileges and Elections in favor of Q constitutional amendment
 prohibiting States from disfranchising l persons on account of sex, was submit ) ted by MT. Hoar.
 r The New York Custom House nomin- ations were before the Senate in Execu- } tive session and, notwithstanding the 2 opposition of Senator Conkling, MT. Mer- ritt was confirmed as Collector and MT. Z Burt as Naval Officer. In the regular session of the Senate, MT. McCreery in-
 troduced bill for the transfer of the Indian Bureau from the Interior to the War Department, and MT. Teller pre-. scented the petition of colored men of ! Louisiana who, after complaining that
 they are persecuted for political opinions, 5 pray for relief and protection.
 In the Senate Hannibal Hamlin ex.
 plained that he had forgotten to vote 1 against the confirmation of MT. Burt ? the day before. and asked that his No
 be recorded Maxey of Texas reported 7 John Roach's Brazil steamship subsidy s as an amendment to the Post Office 2 Appropriation bill the Republican 1. majority of the Privileges and Elections s Committee reported that MT. Cobin a Republican, was entitled to tke seal