Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-02-05
THE EVENING STAR.
Washington News and Gossip.
The President Will hold his last evening recep-
tion on Saturday, February I, from to 10.

tion on Saturday, February I, from to 10.
GOVERNMENT RECEIrTs To -DAY.--Internal rev.
enue, $3.50, $3.50; customs. si73, I2I.65.
ANOTHER NOTARY The President has ap-
pointed Frank T. Rawlings notary public for
the District Of Columbia.
WHITE House CALLERs.-Secretary Ramsey,
Senators Plumb Burnside aud Anthony, and
Representatives Hernlon. Burrows, Richardson
Hutchins. Wise, McKinSley, Morton, Lowe, kef
fer and Tyler called upon the President to-day
Bill PAssED.-Tne House this morning passed
Senate bill for the conversion OF national gold
banks.
NAVAL ORDERs.-Assistant Engineer A. B.
Willis to the Powhatan. Medical Inspector
David keirdleberger has reported his return
home having been detached from the Aslatic
station December nth. and has been placed on
waiting orders.
GEN. HARRY BINGHAM returned from the Har-
risburg convention this morning. He speaks in
enthusiastic terms of the entente cOi'di0ye that
manifested itself between the Grant and Blaine
delegates there.
THE CITIZENS OF Hot SPRINGS, ARK, have all
along been dissatisfied with the action of the
commission appointed by the government to
lay out that town and dispose OF tile lots, ground
and property. The citizens, moving together,
have formulated charges against the commits
SioneTS, and the matter will be brought before
Congress for investigation. The allegations are
that the commissioners have used their Offices
to Oppress occupants OF the property, and that
the commissioners have Joined with others in
forming ring TO get control or the pest prop
erty and have in other ways made money. The
charges will go before the Senate committee on
public lands
CAUCUS OF DEMOCRATIC SENAToRS.-A call was
issued this morning for Il caucus of democratic
Senators. to assemble Immediately after the
adjournment of the Senate this afternoon The
caucus was called simply to select the majority
members OF the special committee raised Dy
Senator GOTdonS resolution on the subject OF
mter-oceanic communication. There was no
political significance whatever in the matter,
and no effort was made to give the inter-
oceanic subject any such turn. II is customary
to form committees by caucus action and that
was what the caucus this afternoon met for.
DEPARTMENT Or AGR1cULTuRE.-The House
committee on agriculture, with one dissenting
vote. has accepted the report Of the !sub-com-
mittee in favor OF the bill prepared by Repre-
sentative Aiken, of South Carolina. as substt-
tute to Representative Muldrows bill making
the Department of Agriculture an executive de-
paItment Representative Aiken, chairman Of
the subcommittee. was instructed to report his
bill to the House with favorable Recommended
ton for its passage. The bill provides that the
Department of Agriculture shall be an eXectl-
tive department, under the supervision and
control Of d Secretary of Agriculture who shall
be appointed by the President; an assistant sec
retary, with salary OF 81, 800; a veterinary SUI
geon, with salary of $1,000, and an entomoo-
gist, with a salary OF g, GOO. Representative
Covert Will present a minority report against
the bill.
THE EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE SENATE yes
terday was wholly devoted TO discussion Of the
nomination of John NJ. Morton, a son Of the late
Senator Morton, TO be collector of internal rev.
enue for the San Francisco, California, district.
The arguments in opposition to his confirmation
were TO the effect that Mr.. Morton is not identi-
hed with California, having within the last four
years been appointed to Treasury special
agency at the Alaska fur seal island from Indi-
ana; that While his personal character is uneX-
ceptiOnabe. he Is not fitted by business training
or experience fol the highly important Office for
which he is now nominated. The case went
over without action. Senators Booth and Far
ley made the principal speeches against his con-
filmation anu Senator voorhees, in favor of it.
The DISTRICT DELEGATES TO CHICAGo.-Meet-
fngs are TO be held in all the old legislative dis
tricts Of the District Of Columbia tonight TO
choose delegates to the convention, that meets
tomorrow, at Tallmadge hall, for the election
OF two delegates 10 the republican national con-.
ventiCn, at Chicago. AS the delegates TO Chi
cago have votes on the presidential nomination,
the contest for securing them on behalf OF va
rious candidates is lively one, and the result
will have a national interest. There is good
sharp electioneering practices are banded about
pretty freely among the contesting factions.
II is alleged for one thing that voters are being
imported from Maryland and Virginia, to take
part in the meetings tonight, in the way they
were brought here TO vote when suffrage exist
ed in the District. Many other charges are
made of plots to capture various districts by
packing the meetings with hoodlums, nom
voters and non-reSdents. Whatever amount OF
truth there may be in these allegations it seems
to be certain that the contest for supremacy to-
night in many OF the districts will be '.red hot"
Among the candidates for Chicago are w. b.
Reed Sayles J. Bowen, Col. Bob Ingersoll, AN.
Clapp, S. S. Smoot, Dr.. Charles B. Purvis, Dr..
William Tindall, and John +. Cook.
JERE HARRISON, the colored contestant for a
seat in the House from the fourth district of
Alabama, and member for that state Of the re-
publican national committee, but now holding
n position in the Baltimore custom house, has
written a letter in regard to his case to the
clerk OF the House committee on elections say.
ing: please notify my attorney OF the action Of
the committee. 1t seems strange that the COM
mittee have not notified me that they were
ready to hear my case until they are ready to
dismiss. 1t win be a hard thing for me to show
democrats on that committee why ought to be
seated when IL, 900 majority failed Nevertheless,
il they give me proper hearing will do it, ii
Mr.. Harris, OF Virginia, is not chairman, and
Mr.. E. j. Ellis, OF Louisiana, is not member
You know how they treated me. The devil
will be compelled to look out when the commit
tee on elections Of the forty-SiXth Congress gets
there. q mean hell) or they will declare he Is
not entitled to the seat he holds, or not report
at all. II is said that this committee is worse.
II this be so, then may the good Lord have mercy.
Please state TO the committee that will be on
hand by my attorney, and that they have my
highest respect"
THE EXODUS ISyEsTIG ATIoN--The Senate eY-
odus committee yesterday examined E. b.
Boardman, ..or Goldsboro, n. c., who said the
people of North Carolina do not feel alarmed at
the exodus, that 1t Is already subSiding, and
that the great masses or the colored people In
the state are as well contented as they are in
any other section OF the country The witness
was cross SeXamned by Mr.. Blair, particularly
In regard to the landlord and tenant law. Ny.
Borden stated that the law bore the same on
white and black, and did not necessarily place
laborers at the mercy OF the landlord and the
merchant; that a man might be good laDorer
and still be thriftleSS. and that any man, even
pauper, who produces more than he consumes
Is a benefit to the state. Senator Vance said to
the witness: ''Mr. Blair has tried to make you
say that this landlord and tenant law was
passed on the presumption that all tenants
were dishonest. ] ask you II you think because
they have laws in New Hampshire against
stealing, that all OF Mr.. Blairs constituents are
thieyes?" The witness did not think anything
OF the kind T. c. Groomes lawyer OF Green
castle, Ind, read TO the committee extracts
from the GreencaStle Banner, urging the col
ored people in the south to come north of the
Ohio and helm make n solid north The commit