Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-02-06

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-The house commit
tee on naval affairs to-day visited the nav
yard and witnessed some experiments to ties
the relative strength OF iron and STEEL The
then returned to the committee room an
heard Gibbons, president of Putty 81 ones ship
building Co., Wilmington, Del, on the question
| of naval construction. He advised the us
of steel as material in preference to iron. II
had at present six steel vessels in his yard un
der construction, and considerered that mater
ial much superior to iron. 1t could be oh
tanned in good quality and abundant quantlt
| in this country. 1t was, he said, sometime
cheaper to import steel than to use home
made, but our steel is the best. His views OF
| this question accord with those of other build
ers who appeared before the committee.
WAR CLAIMS.
Three commissioners representing Penn
sylvania appeared before the house committee
on claims to day in behalf of citizens of tina
state and made an argument for losses sus
tanned from Union troops, and for horses ant
stores supplied them at the time of the battle
of Antietam. The amount claimed is about :
quarter of million of dollars, and it will re-
quire more than that amount to obtain thu
necessary witnesses to sustain it.
/
The house committee on rules this morning
agreed upon an amendment to the rules chang
ing the name of the committee on levees or
the Mississippi river to the committee on i'm
provement of that river and to add two more
members to the committee. It Is generally
| understood the new members will be appoint
ed from states north of the Ohio river. The
members of congress from Mississippi are
very much dissatisfied with the action of the
committee on rules. They wanted commit
tee to be empowered to report all appropria-
tions for the Mississippi. The report will be
submitted to-day by Blackburn, of the com.
mittee on rules, if he can get an opportunity
to Western members. The members of the
Mississippi river committee say they are de.
termined to continue the fight for power over
appropriations for the Mississippi river.
SENTENCE CONFIRMED.
The president to-day confirmed the sentence
of death imposed by court martial in the case
of the three Indian scouts convicted of mutiny,
and ordered their execution March Sd next.
COMMUNICATION FROM DR.. BLISS.
The select committee O: the house charged
with auditing expenses attending the illness
and death of the late President Garfield to-day
received brief communication from DR.. Bliss.
1t contains no itemized account of charges For
does it suggest what compensation should be
allowed, but leaves that matter to be deter
mined by the committee. In view of the crit
icism as to eXorbitant charges which would
probably be presented by attending surgeons,
the members of the committee regard thu
communication from the surgeon in charge
as very appropriate, and considerable one
1t is understood DR.. Bliss was authorized by
Drs. Agnew and Hamilton to prepare a CON-
munication to the committee and to forward
copies of it to each of them for endorsement
NEW DEPARTMENT.
The house committee on reform in the civil
service to-day had under consideration the
question of establishing another department
of government, embracing agriculture, COM
MERGE and manufacturing. The sentiment Of
the committee was decidedly in favor of the
proposition.
YELLOWSTONE PARK.
The president has appointed P. Fl. Cong er
of Michigan, to succeed Morris as superintend-
ent of the Yellowstone national park.
THE AGE OF PosToFFIcE SEEDS.
forward to Butterworth, chairman of the com
mittee on civil service reform, a long commu
nication explanatory of the position of the
postoffice department on the question raised by
Senator VOORHEES, as to the limitation of age
imposed on postal employees.
The postmaster general says the approval
bestowed by Postmaster General Key upon the
action of the postmaster at Cincinnati in
1iv,if ofi W
scitically revoked in subsequent order,
leaving it entirely within the discretion of
local postmasters. There is, however, a
postal regulation which provides that mail
carriers shall be within the ages of 81 and IS
years.
The postmaster general says he regards
this regulation wrong in principle and gives
his reasons therefor, and in accordance with
this belief he will issue an order which shall
only stlpulate that mail carriers shall be
above the age of 81. As they are bonded en-
ployes, he says this Limitation must be made
to insure their legal responsibility.
ELEcTINa PRESIDENTS.
Mr.. Hoar to-day reported a bill from the
senate committee on privileges and elections
to fix day for the meeting of presidential
electors and regulate the counting of votes.
The bill provides that electors in each state
shall meet and give their votes on the
second Monday In January next following
their appointment at such places as legisla-
lures of the states may direct or express be-
fore the time set for the meeting of the cleo.
toral college. All controversies concerning
appointment of its own electors shall be de.
termlned by the electoral college. Governors
lists of electors shall be made in accordance
with such determination. No electoral vole
from any state from which one re-
turn has been received shall be
rejected except by the affirmative vote OF both
houses of congress; and that in case two or
more returns are received from any one state,
these votes, and those only, shall be counted
which both houses of congress, acting separ-
ately, shall concurrentIy decide are supported
by the state tribunal. The bill also provides
that if the counting of the votes shall moi
have been completed before the fifth calendar
day next after the first meeting of the two
houses, no recess shall afterwards be taken by
either house until after the counting shall
| have been finished.
Emotional International Billiards.
PARIS, Feb. 4.-The Paris journals this
morning have full comments on the result OF
the international billiard match. Generous