American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-02-21
CURRENT TOPICS.

CURRENT TOPICS.
AN important bill, to provide for the
punishment of crimes upon the Indian
reservations, has been agreed upon by
the House Committee on Indian Affairs.
1t provides that the laws of the States
and Territories in which are located the
reservations, relating to the crimes of
murder, nanslaughtsr, arson, rape,
burglary and robbery shall be
deemed and taken to be law, and in
force within such reservation, and
United States District and Territorial
Courts within and for the respective
districts and Territories in which the
reservations may be located shall have
original jurisdiction over all such
offenses which may be committed within
such reservations. In respect to all
that portion of the Indian Territory not
set apart and occupied by Cherokee,
Greek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Semi
mole tribes, the provisions of the laws
of the State of Kansas relating to the
crimes mentioned shall be deemed and
taken to be law and in force therein,
and the United States District Court for
the Western District of Kansas, at Fort
Scott, shall have exclusive original
jurisdiction over all such offenses arts
ing in said portion of the Indian Terri
tory.
THE New York Times announces,
upon the authority of " a near person
al and political friend of Gen. Grant,
that the latter g is not now, nor has he
ever been, a candidate for the Presiden-
tial nomination; but should the Repub-
Gcan National Convention nominate
him in the same manner as any other
candidate would be nominated, he would
deem it his duty to the country and par
ty to accept"
Mr.. FORT of Illinois has introduced IN
the House bill to place on the free list
all soda-ash and impure carbonate of
soda imported to be used in the manu-
facture of paper, or of glass, or of cloths
or fabrics composed wholly or in part of
WOOL" and toTreduce the import duty
on printing paper used for books,
pamphlets, magazines and newspapers.
THE House Committee on Commerce
have agreed not to report the Reagan
Inter State Commerce bill.
The House Committee on Appro-
rriations has decided to frame general
deficiency bill to cover several deficien-
cies in various departments of the
Indian Service which appear most ur-
gently to demand attention.
THE House Committee on Public
Lands have agreed to make favorable
reports to the House upon Mr.. Ryan's
bill, authorizing the Secretary of the
Interior to certify school lands to the
State of Kansas; and upon Mr.. Davis's
bill, to declare forfeited to the United
States lands granted to the State of Mis-
souri, in aid of the construction and ex-
tension of the Iron Mountain Railroad
from Pilot Knob, by act of Congress,
approved July 4, 1866.
The deficiencies in the annual appro-
priations for the various departments of
the Government for which deficiency
appropriation bills are asked aggregate
S5, 779, 536, and include the following as
principal items: For the Star Service of
the Post-office Department, $4,000, 900;
for payment of claims certified to
by the Treasury Department, $780,
Sol; deficiency In estimates in
cluded in the regular annual letter
of the Secretary of the Treasury, ST.
1OS, 237.73; deficiency in public print
ing, $3.50, 900; deficiency in the appro-
priation for the expenses of the United
States Courts, $685., 600; estimates from
the Secretary of the Treasury for
amounts refunded in customs cases,
100000; deficiency in the Postal
Service, 1907 ,24s; Indian Service, $780,
600; Railway Mail Service, $4,000.
~
The Senate, by q strict party vote,
has rejected all nominations of Census
Supervisors for the eight census districts
of Ohio. Senator Pendleton, Chairman
of the Census Committee, who reported
the Ohio nominations adversely, ex-
planned that the adverse report had no
reference to the personal character of
the nominees, but was based solely up
on the ground that the President, in
nominating eight Republicans, and not
a single Democrat, has violated the spir-
it of the Census law and ignored the dis
tinct understanding of both parties of
Congress when the bill was passed, that
the Supervisors as well as Enumerators
should be appointed irrespective of par
ty affiliations.
The st. Louis Merchants Exchange
are raising fund to purchase ship
LOAD of food and other supplies for the
destitute in Ireland.
REPRESENTATIVE BUCKNER of Mis-
souri, has introduced bill for the re
duction of duty on paper, which is lit
tie more cOmprehensiye than that M