Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-04-08
DOMESTIC NEWS.
The Chinese GuestiOn-secretary Eyarts
Pr0dded with n Sharp stick.

modification of the Burlingame treaty Sec
rotary Evarts, instead of replying to this let
ter in the usual manner, called upon Mr.
Willis personally, and requested him to with
hold his resolution for a few days, and the
matter would be attended to. Willis accord
ingly waited until yesterday, and then again
wrote to Secretary Evarts, stating that he
would be obliged by his sense of public duty
to offer the resolution without further delay,
unless positively assured that the House in.
curry of February 18th would be answered
very soon. This last communication to-day
elected from Mr.. Evarts an unofficial letter
to Mr.. Willis. saying that an answer is being
prepared and will be sent to the House OF
without delay. Willis being
still dissatisfied with the vagueness of the
expression without delay" t. en- inquired
what limit of time it was intended to indi.
cate. and Evarts finally promised that the
answer (which will be in the form of message
from the President) shall be sent in during
the present week.
The Mining Debris and Public Land
Questions.
Especial to the RECORD UHIeY.l
WASHINGTON, April 9Th. = The House
Committee on Mines and Mining being
called for reports to-day, Berry reported the
joint resolution heretofore agreed upon by the
committee, which provides for the appoint
mept of Commission of two civil engineers
and one officer of the Coast Survey, to inves-
tigate the debris question, and appropriates
$3.50, 600, to be forthwith expended under the
directions of the Secretary of War, for the
protection of the navigable streams of Cali
fornia from furthered injury by the loosened
debris now in the mountain gorges. The
joint resolution was placed on the calendar
for future action. 1t will have to await its
turn, and is not likely to be reached for two
months or more. Berry also submitted, in
with this measure, written ar
report, the points of which have
been already telegraphed.
The House Mining Committee also to-
day reported substitute for that por-
ton of the Public Land Commissioner
bill which relates to mineral lands. The
principal changes made by the committee are
as follows: The new bill allows locators to
hold their claims for one year before discover
ing mineral deposits, and gives them three
years to apply for patents. No person will
be allowed to take up IA second claim until he
shall either have struck minerals in his first
location or else have abandoned it. The OBJ
iect of this proviso is, of course, to prevent
the wholesale absorption of mineral lands.
priority of location, etc, shall be settled
by the Courts, as at present. The House
committee fix the price of mineral lands at
50 80 per acre, instead of s. now charged,
and they ell the blank concerning the area
locatable by any one person or association by
making the maximum square of 800 feet or
its equivalent In any rectangular shape, pro-
vided, that neither dimension shall exceed
|, 800 feet. The committee have not yet
taken final action upon this bill, and their
object in reporting it to-day is to have it
printed, so that copies may be mailed to all
the mining States and Territories ard elicit
detailed comments, suggestions and general
expressions of opinion from all persons inter-
ested. The committee will take no further
action in regard to the subject until they
shall thus have afforded the Western people
full opportunity to examine and discuss the
whole measure.
Mare Island Navy Yard and IFS Injury by
Mining Bebris.
Especial to the RECoRD-UNIoN.J
WASHINGTON, April THE House Com.
mittee on Naval Affairs will next Monday
take up the documents received from Secre-
tary Thompson some time ago exhibiting the
extent to which the Mare Island Navy Yard
approaches have been shoaled, and will there
upon address themselves to determination
of the question as to what should be done
about it. The California representatives i'll
the House are invited to be present at this
meeting, as it will undoubtedly lead to i'm
portant general inquiries concerning the min
ing debris question. They will all attend it.
Pacific Railroad sinking Fund.
WASHINGTON, April 7th.-The bill reported
to the House to-day from the Committee on
Pacific Railroads proposes to alter and amend
the Sinking Fund Act of May, 1878, CON-
monty known as the Thurman Act, and the
Act amendatory thereto, i'll the following
particulars
First-It authorizes the Secretary of the
Treasury to invest the sinking fund of the
Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads
in bonds of the United States other than FIVE
per cent. bonds, or in first mortgage bonds of
the companies, as he may elect.
Second-lt extends the time of settlement
necessary to ascertain the amount of pay
ments to be made by the companies from one
month, as now, to three months.
Third-It makes the settlements and pay
ments semi annual instead of annual.
Fourth-It authorizes the Secretary of the
Treasury to transfer the moneys now in the
Treasury and due said companies to the sink
ing fund.
The fourth section of the bill extends the
provisions of the Act. as well as those of the
Act Of which it is amendatory, to those per-
sons or companies who become possessors Of
the roads by lawful purchase or by consolida-
ticn.
The fifth section of the bill extends to pro-
visions of the Sinking Fund Act to the Kansas
Pacific, Central Branch of the Union Pacific
and Sioux City and Pacific Railroads, since
those three roads were created by the same
Acts as the Central Pacific and Union Pacific
roads, and constitute money subsidy roads.
Consul Mosby and His Operations at
HOngkOng.
CHICAGO, April 9TH. : The Inter. Oceans
special says: A private letter
lust received here from Colonel Mosby con-
tains some additional comments, in his pc
culiar style. on the populations and corrup-
tions of Bailey, his predecessor in the Con-
sulate at Hongkong, and of other American
Consular officials in the East. Colonel
Mosby turned over to the Department., on
account of fees, more than 81, 900 for the
first year of his incumbency, ending in Feb
ruary last, which is several thousand dollars
more than was returned by Bailey during the
same period. He says that on account of
the great expense of living there is not much
to an honest man to accept the
position of United States Consul He seems
to think that his efforts in behalf of an hon.
est administration of United States Consul
ates and of the exposure Of corrupt officials
have not been appreciated, for he says he has
received several rebukes from the Department
of State but not word of encouragement. He
then says: 1.-The reasons why have not re-
turned are these l have been threatened
with dismissal for uncovering the frauds out
here, and want to give the Administration
an opportunity of carrying out their threats.
and thereby signalling their zeal for civil
service reform by Furnishing the only man
whom they have appointed to office who has
tried to reform it. l continue to hold the
fort here because l have not yet completed
my investigation, and if were to resign now
and go home, the ring would claim it as a vic
tory for the thieves, and say l resigned under
I shall show them that will
remain as long as choose" The frankness
with which Mosby has criticised the Presi-
dent, Secretary Evarts and others of his
superior officers has not been at all relished
by them, and has been very destructive to
discipline but there is no doubt that he has
done much good in uncovering frauds which