Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-07-31
NATIONAL TOPICS.
THE VACANT FOREIGN MISSIONS,
Mississippi COmmissiOn-COmmittee on
Rules Combining Pleasure with Busi-
ness-The McGarahan Claim
The War Portfolio.
The Mississippi Commission.

The Mississippi Commission.
WASHINGTON, July SO.-The meeting
for the organization of the Mississippi
River Commission has been delayed in
consequence of General Harrison not
having signifed his acceptance of the
appointment as a member of the COM
mission. General Gilmore had called a
meeting of the Commission on Thurs
day cf this week, but at the request of
the other members that call has been re-
cinded. Mr.. Eads will be here to-mOr-
row night, and General Harrison is ex-
pected on Friday, and the Commission
will meet eorly next week, probably in
this city or New York.
The Committee on Rules,
who we've directed at the last session to
codifv the rules of the House oil Repre-
sentatives, propose to combine pleasure
with business, and will perform the
duties assigned them at Long Brunch.
After getting their brains heated in
their efforts to reconcile the incOnsis-
tencies OF the rules, they can plunge
into the waves to cool off. The commit
tee consists OF Speaker Randall, and
Messrs. Stephens, Blackburn, Garfield
and Frye.
The Ministerial Vacancies.
Secretary Evarts said to-day that the
Department regretted Minister Welsh's
resignation, and would endeavor to have
him withdraw it and continue in Office
until the end of the Administration. If
he would not do so, however, he
thought that his successor, as well as
the appointment to the Russian Mis-
sion, would be made without unneces-
sarv DELAY. The friends OF General
Hartranft and NJ. S. Quay are already at
work for their iavorites. The Came
rons, who formerly backed Hartranft,
are now favorably disposed to Quay, and
viii favor him unless rumOr that
WAYNE MacVeagh wants theplace should
prove true. MacVeagh is in the
family, and the CamerOns are not in the
habit of going back on each other. New
Jersey Republicans who wanted to send
Cortland Parker 10 Russia, are now put
ting i'm a claim for the English mission.
New Jersey has not had an important di-
plomatic position since Mr.. Dayton was
representative at the Court of France.
George III. Boxer is also named Tor the
vacancy at 1t. Petersburg. kilograms
and letters have already been received
here in favor of all those named above,
but the contest has not yet become very
hot. Ii is suggested in some circles
that il is not ut all unlikely that Mr..
Evarts himself would like to go to st.
James, and that he may put an end to
the scramble by taking the place
himself.
Montgomery Blair,
of the counsel for McGarrahan, denies
that the recent action of the Interior De-
partment, on the PinOche Grande claim,
finally dispOses of his clients claim.
The subject is again to be brought be-
fore Congress. Mr. Blair denies the
right of the Secretary of the Interior to
arbitrarily dispose OF case in the way
he attempted by his decision. lie con-
tends that it must be decided in the
Courts, with Il final appeal to the Su-
preme Court of the United States. But
even il the decision should stand Blair
contends that it does not dispOsses
McGarrahau of the whole tract,
but only that portion on which
the quicksilver mine is To-
Gated, and that he has an equitable claim
upon the rest OF the tract, which is also
valuable, for upon portions OF it extern
sive deposits OF chrome, yielding SO per
cent, have been discovered. This case,
therefore, bids fair to be before the pub
lie for years yet, for McGarrahan's
friends say that he will push for what
he claims to be his rights until he OBJ
tains them.
President Hayes
has declined to interfere in the case OF
ID. VI. Bennett, the New York stationer
who was convicted of sending obscene
publications through the mails. Ben
nett was convicted on the testimony of
Anthony Comstock, who by decOy
letter induced him to mail him what
was claimed TO be an obscene
pamphlet, and he was sentenced
to thirteen months Imprisonment. The
pamphlet referred to was one written
by f.. III. Haywood, OF Boston, who was
sentenced TO two years for writing and
publishing it, but who was pardoned al
ltI StINlllE NlN lllOllNiios AN
was not regarded by all persons as OBJ
scene, and there are on file in the De
partment Of Justice petitions, signed by
over 10000 persons, asking Bennet's
pardon. These petitions were from peo-
ple residing in all parts OF the United
States and Canada. The President hav-
ing declined to interfere, Bennett, who
has been in Ludlow street Jail, pending
the application for pardon, will now be
transferred to the Albany penitentiary.
An Eye on the Main Chance.
An arrangement has been made where
bv Secretary McCrary can hold on to
the War Department portfolio in case he
should fail in confirmation as Judge OF
the Eighth Circuit. The arrangement
is that after September lst, when Judge
Dillon's resignation takes effect, that
Justice Miller, of the United States SUI
preme Court, shall preside over that
Circuit for several weeks to tide over
the time until December, when Nc
Crary's nomination will be again sent
in. Ii he shall be confirmed, well and
good; If not, he will still have the War
Department in his possession.