The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-12-23
WASHINGTON BRIEFS.

The House Committee has agreed upon
pension bill which appropriates $50, ,0O0, 600.
GEN. FRANCIS A. WALKER, Superintendent Of
the Census, is suggested as Secretary OF the
Interior.
THE nomination of John B. Neil, as Governor
of the Territory of Idaho, has been confirmed
by the Senate.
JUDGE WILLIAM B. WooD, of Georgia, has
been nominated for Justice of the Supreme
Court. Wood is native of Ohio.
Mr. sAULEsBERRY, Chairman of the Commit
tee on Privileges and Elections, proposes 10
resurrect the Kellogg case.
In 1879 the gain to the revenue resulting
from the increased classification of sugar WAS
$303, 1867, and in 1880, 81, 239, S72.
SENATOR PENDLEToN has introduced Civil
Service bill in consonance with the recommend
atoms of President Hayes in his last message.
The Committee on Pensions is very decided
. in the belief that some new law to protect the
Government in pension payments must be en-
acted.
THE drift of talk about the House is that
the membership. under the new apportiCn-
ment will be 800 which will make the ratio
1885, 666.
SENATOR WILLIAMS has introduced q bill to
prevent the introduction or dissemination OF
infectious diseases among the domestic anil
mails of the United States.
SECRETARY SCHURz, upon his retirement from
Office will settle permanently In st. Louis, and
divide his time between writing book and ed
iting the Westliche Post
GEN. o. o. HOWARD has been appointed
Commandant at West Point. General Howard
is friendly to the negro, and, naturally, there
is much urfaverable criticism.
DELEGATE CAMERON, of Utah, protests against
that portion of the Presidents message relating
to polygamy. Delegate Cameron himself re-
| joices in the possession of two wives.
SECRETARY THOMPSON has rendered his re-
signation to take effect as soon as his successor
can be appointed. He desires to accept the
Chairmanship of the Panama Canal Company.
! THE Senate has unanimously confirmed the
| nomination of Col. VIM. B. HaZen, Chief Sig
nal Officer, with the rank of Brigadier General
and Col. Wilson A Miles, to be Brigadier G n
| eral.
A TREASURY official has received letter from
| Sitka, Alaska, saying that the mineral wealth
there will produce gold fever. Old miners
pronounce the quartz found the richest they
ever saw.
The President has approved the bill author
izing the Secretary of the Interior to dispose OF
the Fort Dodge Military Reservation to actual
settlers under the provisions of the Homestead
| Laws.
The matter is being considered of lighting
the Capitol Grounds by electricity. 1t is pro.
posed that the grounds shall be lighted from
four points by condensed light of 800, 600 can
! die power.
GEN. WALKER is only waiting for returns
from one of the frontier districts of Texas be
fore reporting the total of the census for eacf
State and Territory. This will probably arrive
within ten days.
| ARMY promotions and army retirements hal
and still is vexing President Hayes more thar
any other minor matter connected with his ad
ministration. He seems to ms ct violent oppa
sition in whatever step he takes in this direc
tion.
BRIGADIER GENERAL r. B MARCY Inspecto
General U. s. A, ordered to Fort Wingate, N
NJ, by the Secretary of War, has made applica
ton to the War Department to be placed on tn
retired list. He will probably be placed on tn
retired list January 2.
The Department of Agriculture says of tn
condition of cotton There is decline in tn
return of December l, compared with that re
ceived November 1. The continuance of rail-
and very cold weather during November lowere
the estimates of the States bordering on tn
Mississippi River
The American Woman Suffrage Associatio
held meeting in Washington last week, a
which twelve States were represented. A tee
gram was received from Governor Hoyt, of Wy
oming, indorsing woman suffrage. Congress
will be asked to enact a law giving women equa
political rights in the Territories.
GENERAL TERRY will perhaps be made CON
mandant at West Point 1t was the purpose Q
the President to make General Howard com
mandant at that point, but he was dissuade
from doing it by General Sherman and Secretar
Evarts. Howard, however, is promised a plac
in the East as soon as he settles up his affair
in Oregon.
A BILL introduced by Senator Hill, G
Colorado, 'for the retirement of small legal
tender notes. provides that in place of lega
tender notes of denominations less than 81
which may be held in the Treasury or here
after presented for redemption, the Secretar
of the Treasury shall each month substitut
notes of the same character, but of higher d.
nominations, to the amount Gas nearly prat
ticable) of standard silver dollars coined durin
that month, and that no money lega-tende
notes of lower denomination than five dollar
shall hereafter be printed.
SAYS a Washington correspondent: ''The bo
tom seems to be out of the Monroe doctrin,
Secretary Thompson's detection is regarded 6
fatal when, with his full knowledge of the re,
condition of our navy, he deliberately take
part in foreign attack on this great doctriI
of one of the fathers, and in the face of IL
Presidents position on the subject, it is a.
cepted as proof that our navy is not equal
the task of stopping the rest of the world. I'll
: feeling of Congress OH ths subject seems to
one of entire apathy"