The Portland daily press., 1882-02-13
WASHINGTON.
Claims AGAINST the Government

WASHINGTON.
Claims Against the Government.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 1.-THE Judges of the
| Court of Claims were in conference to-day with
| the House Committee on Civil Service Reform
| in connection with the preparation OF a bill to
| relieve Congress from the consideration OF all
| claims against the government.
The Court of Claims.
| The Court of Claims has adjourned till Mon
| day, the Goth inst, in the hope that the Presl-
dent will have filed the vacancy on the bench
| before that date and by SO doing allow the
| court to take up certain cases, the hearing OF
| which has been postponed by the possibility
| that they might result in a mistrial through an
| equal division of the court as at present con-
stituted.
Admission of Dakota
The subcommittee of the House committee
on Territories has agreed to report to the full
| committee on Tuesday next in favor OF the
ton of Dakota lying south of the forty-sixth
parallel of latitude, the northern portion to
constitute, as now, the Territory of Dakota.
Department of Agriculture
The subcommittee of the House committee
on agriculture had under consideration to-day
several bills proposing to make the department
of agriculture an executive department, and
its head cabinet officer. The general features
of substitute for pending bills were agreed
upon and Representative Anderson was in
structed to frame bill embodying the views
of the subcommittee and report 1t to the full
committee. Representative Anderson expects
to complete the bill and present it for their ac-
ton at the next meeting of the committee 1t
is believed the committee will recommend its
passage by the House.
Subsidies to American Steamships.
A joint conference of subcommittee of the
House committees on commerce and naval af-
fairs and post offices and post roads was held
to-day in the rooms of the latter committee,
upon the subject of ocean mail service, and the
following resolution was adopted:
ResolUed, That it is the sense of this joint
committee that it is advisable to promote the
postal and commercial interests OF the United
States by providing sufficient compensation
for carriage Of ocean mails from the United
States to foreign ports by American ships. =
This resolution will be reported to the re-
spective full committees. 1t is believed that
some measure will shortly be reported to the
House favoring liberal payment to an Amer
lean line of fast mail steamships for carrying
mails between this country and European
ports.
Delegate from Alaska.
Representatives Thompson and Ather-
ton to whom was referred bill to admit Mr..
Ball as delegate from the Territory of Alaska,
submitted a report favoring his admission.
Some discussion ensued when Representative
Richie moved as a substitute for the bill re-
port that he be not admitted. Representative
Anterior then moved that both propositions be
laid over until the committee on territories
who have under consideration the subject of
territorial form eff government for Alaska shall
have taken action. This motion was adopted
and Mr.. Ball was accorded permission to be
heard when the subject sagain comes in COM
mitee
The Navigation Of the Mississippi.
I'LL g. AZ.
blage on the senate side OF the capitol to-day
of members of Congress and others favorable
to legislation for improvement of navigation of
the Mississippi and Missouri was slimly attend
ed owing to conference on the house side at
the same time of members opposed TO the tar
iff commission bill, and to the bill for the ex-
tension of National bank charters. A number
Of Congressman from the Missouri valley met
and discussed the subject of improvement of
the Missouri river, and there was an entire
unanimity of opinion as to the importance OF
obtaining appropriations sufficient to remove
all distractions in the navigation of that river,
and it was agreed that measures regarded as
necessary for that river and the Mississippi can
be secured if members from the states along
those rivers will cooperate.
Therefore another conference will be called
and movement to unite all Congressman from
those states upon certain measures before press
ing this upon Congress will be encouraged.
Election of Presidents and Vice Presi-
dents.
David Dudley Field appeared by invitation
to-day before select committee of the House
ON the law respecting the election of President
and Vice President. and gave the committee at
some length his views as to the legislation
which should be had upon this subject He
fully approved the features of the bill intro
ducing in the House of Representative Hewitt,
and advocated the submission to the United
States courts under quo warranto with the
right of appeal to the supreme court of the
United States, of all questions affecting the
title of Office of the President and Vice Presi-
dent arising under the election for those offices
No action was taken by the committee upon
the pending bill.
Opponents of the Tariff Commission
and National Banks.
In response to an invitation for conference
of members Of the House of Representatives
opposed to the tariff commission bill and to the
extension of national bank charters, about for
ty Congressman of various political parties, but
mostly southern Democrats and Greenback-
ers assembled in the Judiciary committee room
to-day. Judge Regain of Texas presided. At
ter free Interchange of views resolutions
were adopted looking to the preparation and
presentation of bills in opposition to the pend
ing measures which have been reported from
the ways and means and banking and currency
committees On these subjects.
Miscellaneous.
Albert E. Boone one of the parties charged
with conspiracy to defraud the United States
in connection With the alleged straw bonds for
mail contracts, appeared in the police court to-
day with his counsel, waived an examination,
and bail was reduced from $4,000 to $1,000.
Mr.. Walker FL. Smith, lawyer, was accepted
as bondsman for Boone.
MIR. Harris, chairman of the House Naval
Committee, says that the committee hopes to
conclude the hearing of various interests on
the subject of new ships next week. The COM
mittee has gone into the subject very thor
oughly, and may supplement its labor by a Wis
it to the various shipbuilding yards on the
Delaware.
Some French cattle men have made propo-
of the means of inoculating cattle against
pleuro-pneumona and hogs against cholera,
said to have been quite successfully used in
Europe. The agricultural department has
made inquiries, and learned it is a matter of
common knowledge, and that it is not necessa-
~ for those who desire to experiment with it
in this country to pay for it,