The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-12-29

Ex-senator Conkling made a three hours
argument for the Southern Pacific Railroad
before q large audience in the Supreme
Court Wednesday.
All the first and secOnd-class Postmasters
have been notified to make no purchases
of Office furniture until authorized to do
so by the First Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral.
The senate committee on railroads has
agreed to make favorable report on the
bill authorizing the Southern Pacific and
other railroads to consolidate into q contin-
uous line from ocean to ocean.
The house pension committee has agreed
to report bill giving IS per month to sol
diers engaged for thirty days in the Next
can, Blackhawk, or Florida wars, OF theli
widows
The heirs of William Blackmore, residing
in Pittsburg, have engaged attorneys to
prosecute their claim to the ground inWash
iington on which stand the capitol, white
house, treasury, and navy buildings, and
hundreds of residences and stores.
The senate finance committee has agreed
to report at once a bill granting an extension
for two years of the bonded period for wills
ky, and Senator Beck hopes to rush the
measure through both houses before the
holiday recess.
Rumors are floating about Washington
that within sixty days Secretary LINCOLN
Hartranft be made secretary of war, and
Attorney General Brewster be given JUS
tice Bradley's seat OH the supreme bench.
zee OF, who made fortune in the laun-
dry business at Allegheny City, has return
ed to China to marry his cousin. The mat
ter has caused a vast amount of talk. Sec.
FOlger was appealed to, and decided that
under the last law the bride can not be
brought here.
The House Appropriations Committee
completed the army bill. Itreduces the APP
preparations about 81, 500, 600 from last year,
and the bill as it will be reported to the
House, appropriates $780, 75 less than the
estimates were. The total appropriation is
$24, O0O,OOO. A provision of the bill retires
they are retired instead of at the time they
are wounded. The proposition providing
for the increase of the standing army was
rejected by the committee.
DAKOTA.
The senate committee on territories have
discussed the bill for the admission of the
southeastern half of Dakota territory as a
state only incidentally. They, considered
at length, however the question of the
much was said last session, and which de-
layed the consideration of the Dakota bill.
The facts presented to the cOmmitteeFriday
showed that the trouble about the bonds
was in fair way of being satisfactorily ad
justed, and the opinion was expressed that
the bonds would soon be out of the way as
an obstacle to the admission of Dakota ter
ritory.
TIE ARMY.
There is report that the appropriation
committee of the house intends to report an
appropriation for an army of forty thousand
men. There is no truth in this. The army
will not be increased one soldier, and the
Bf rl.aA
as some of the clerks will be paid out of the
sundry civil appropriation. There was
some talk, however about q contingent APP
preparation that would enable the president
to increase the army to forty thousand
when necessary, and 1t Is understood that
the president desired this. This is probably
the only foundation for the rumOrs referred
to,
CIVIL-sERVlCE REFORM.
DOrman b. Eaton and Orlando b. Potter,
of the Civil-Service Reform association, are
here in the interest of the Pendleton BILL
They are decidedly In favor of this bill as
against all its competitors. The KassOn bill
strikes them as an ingenious attempt at how
not 20 do 1t. The limitation of the period
for which clerk is to be appointed is at
variance with the principles Of reform. The
effort to introduce the new system all over
the country at once Is undertaking too much
and is liable to fail. The provisions about
removals are unnecessary, because If politi-
cal heRchmen and personal favOrites can
not be appointed there will be no removals
except for what everyone would recognize
as good cause. Nobody is removed except
to let someone else in. The beauty of the
Pendleton bill, according to these gentle.
men, Is that it is perfectly simple. 1t UNI
dertakes to inaugurate the reform to begin
with only in few of the principal offices,
and ii Is not incumbered with provisions
about removals and the cause for which per-
sons may be removed and the way in which
it is to be done. Furthermore, the Kasson
bill proposes to work through little indepen
dent commissions all over the country,
under the general management of one COM
mission. Under all circumstances these
gentlemen think the passage of the KassOn
bill would indefinitely postpone any real re-
form of the service. The fixing of any per
iOd of time at the end of which the appoint
theory of tenure for good behavior, but
while the term of six years i'm Mr.. Kasson's
original bill Is Objectionable, the reduction
of that to four by the committee Is even
more Objectionable.
THE CORN CROP.
The December corn returns to the depart
ment of agriculture make a direct compare
son with the product of last year. In Nov.
ember the yield per acre was reported, and
in October last the report of the condition
of the growing crop. The range of varia-
ton in the results of these three separate
tests is but 8 per cent. With so slight diff
ference the tendency of accurate informa
ton is toward reduction. The present
and final returns aggregate in round num-
bers, 1925, 600, 900 bushels. The permanent
estimates will be punished after an analysis
of all the records of the area condition and
production Of the year, and q conscientious
adjustment of all the possible differences.
The New England states show product of
6, 3S3, 900, 1000, 900 less than last year, and
9, 600, 600 less than 1879. The middle states
II, 000, 900, II, 100000 more than last year,
10, 600 900 less than In 1879. The southern
Atlantic states 1S7, 600, 900, being $4,000. 600
more than last year, and %, 000,O 600 more
than I'm 1870. Five gulf-coast states ILL.,
600, 900, being 70, 00O, 900 more than last year
and IS. 600, 900 more than in the census year.
West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee,
or central belt, 170,0OO,0O0, 70,000,0O0 more
than the previous crop and 21,OOO,OOO more
than In 1879. In seven corn-surplus states,
from Ohio to Nebraska and Kansas, which
produced record of 1,2Ol ,OO0, 900 bushels I'm
the census year, there appears reduction
Of about 2o5, DOC, 900 bushels, more than one
hundred millions Of which Is In Illinois and
nearly one hundred millions in Iowa. Each
state shows an incraae p ovpr In St yaar The