The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-02-27

S. Hancock, major general CONS
manding tho Division of the Allan
tic. He merely invites tho atten~
tion of Gen. Townsend to tho pre-
vious endorsements, and then Gen.
Towsend endorses tho papers to
the secretary of wal. Am ong tho
papors is mass of orders and re-
ports, some by Paymastor Roches-
ter, somo bG Deputy Quartcrmaster
General Elin, and somo from other
officers, showing how and by whom
the issue was made. A year ago
the secretary of war sent q copy Of
all these documents and endorse.
mcnts to the Hou SO of Representa-
tive and respectfully requested "the
sanction Of Congress for the issue
of said clothing" The documents
were referred to tho military com>
mittee, and Gen. McCook malc n
very elaborate report which is full Of
grave humor. He commends the wis
dom of the captain, who concluded
thatthe honor..and dignity of the Uni
ted States would be put in jeopardy
by Hines appearing on duty ina pair
of trousers, "damaged to their full
value. The report says: "rhe
question of n gratuitous issue of
clothing is now settled, and while
Hines may be indifferent to tho
trouble he has given captains, colo~
nels, major generals, q secretary of
war and Il Congressional committee,
ho can contont himself with the re-
Election that he has neither worn
nor lost his trousers in vain" Tho
report closes us follows "They
cannot, however, dismiss the subject
without calling tho attention to the
almost perfect system of checks and
guards thrown around the issuing of
government property. The thought"
less may call it red tape o. circun-
locution, but without it Hines to-
day would be in undisputed possess
of pair of trousers and Il blanket to
which he would have no legal title
AS it is, the system has been vindi
Gated, the right of the United States
to Hines trousers fully established,
and his personal and pecuniary
responsibility determined"
A bill indemnifying Hines to the
extent of his loss ($S.G5) was passed
by the House and is now before the
Senate. Tho military committee of
the Senate debated the grave quos~
ton and wrote another report in
favor Of tho House bill. No doubt
in due time tho bill will pass the
Senate, be signed by the President
AMI become law. Before the relief
reaches Private Hines, of Company
+, if it ever does reach him in this
life, as much more red tape and
circumlocution will have been gono
through, and pray how much will all
this cost the government? The
printing alone must have cost more
than hundred dollars. Was there
eyer such rascally humbug in this
world as government rcd tape ?
A CALIFORNIA THREAT OF SECESSION.
Tho San Francisco Daily Stoch
Report, the oldest financial newspa-
per on the Pacific coast, in urging
that monster mass~meeting be
held in San Francisco to demand Of
President Hayes that he sign the
Chinese bill, says "Already such a
dread possibility as secession from
the Union, in tho event of our fall
ure to obtain the relief we demand
from tho Chinese evil, is broadly
talked Of in high circles. The East
has utterly failed to understand our
position, and to extend the aid and
sympathy We have the right to
expect from the sisterhood Of States,
Leading mon say that we have
pleaded, have exhausted arguments,
have cried aloud for relief, but our
most earnest appeals have been
treated with indignity, and our
sufferings been made mock. AS u
last resort we will take advantage of
the geographical lines that surround
us, the vast extent of soil within our
boundaries, the exhaustless re-
sources of wealth that are ours, and
will set up an Occidental Republic
which, if it cannot rival the old
Rpublic in it's glory of the past, will
at least be magnificent Empire of
white freemen, whose heritage shall
be preserved to their children and
their children's children forever"
The HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION Judge
Aldrich rendered q very important
decision last week on the question