The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-03-17
WASHINGTON.
Changes in the New Five-cent Pi

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WASHINGTON, March is. "A new device for
the new 6ve-eent nickel pieces has been adopt
| ed by the Treasury Department The changes
In the coin are confined to the reverse The
legend .'E Pluribus Unum" has been taken
from below the swreath and placed above the
same, and the word cents Is inscribed below
the Roman numeral v. The superintendent
Of the mint at Philadelphia was today instruct
ed to commence the coinage of the new piece
and 70 issue 1t as soon as practicable.
A Courteous Rebuke from China,
Consul Denny at Shanghai has forwarded
$2365 for the Garfield Hospital Three hun
| dred dollars of this amount were contributed
by Chinese friends of Mr. Denny, who in for
warding the subscription said they "would be
most happy to head a Chinese circular and
send it around among our friends. But to ask
our countrymen to subscribe to a hospital to be
built in country which will not permit the
Chinese to enter it for years is more than we
! dare to do"
The Search for Lieutenant Chipp.
Secretary Chandler, yesterday, sent cable
message to Lieutenant Harbor through Minis
ter Hunt, authorizing him to continue the
search lor Lieutenant Chipp and party during
the coming summer II he thought advisable.
No Charges Against Architect Hill
In response to inquiries about the charges
alleged to have been made against Supervising
Architect Hill of the Treasury, Acting Secre-
| tary French says he knows nothing about any
such charges, and that upon enquiry he finds
that no charges whatever are on file against
| Mr. Hill.
Proposals for Steel Cruisers Invited.
Secretary Chandler, today, issued circular
inviting proposals for the construction of three
| steel cruisers and despatch boat from "All
| American shipbuilders whose shpyards are
fully equipped for building or repairing Of iron
i and steel steamships and the construction OF
| marine engines, machinery and boilersr as
| authorized o the 0f
| Retaliatory Legislation Against Gerna-
ny.
/ The action OF the German Government in
excluding American hog products from Ger
many will be very likely to result in retaliato-
| ry legislation when Congress shall convene.
! There were pending in the last Congress two
| propositions for retaliatory legislation, based
| upon the mere rumor that Germany intended
| to do what has been done. These propositions
| were to make a discriminating duty as to Ger
| man wines and Gel man hosiery. The resolu-
| tlons were introduced by Guenther of WiScon-
sin. and were referred to the Ways and Means
| Committee There can be little doubt that if
the decree of the German Government shall be
| in force next December the Western members
will be so indignant at being excluded from
such valuable market that they will demand
such retaliatory legislation as is suggested by
| the resolutions of Guenther.
Another Tariff Problem.
/
| the proper construction of the paragraph in the
| tariff law which is designed to protect the
manufacturers of the Connecticut Valley
! against Sumatra tobacco. The Department is
unable to determine whether the law intended
| that the duty should be computed upon the
| whole invoice or upon each separate package
| in the invoice. The Collectors of Boston and
| New York have been instructed 10 consult the
trade to ascertain what would be the most con-
venient practice.
l D
The tactics of Randall in his campaign for
! the Speakership are being developed. He is
| organizing to secure the support of the New
| York Democracy. III position as to the tariff
is that the country needs rest and thus it is at
| present of little consequence what the impost
duties are, provided the interests of trade are
not to be injured by a renewal of agitation.
/ Carlisle's followers take a directly opposite
| course They demand that the tariff question
be reopened. Morrison, one of the strongest
opponents OF Randall, openly advocates This
| policy. It is to be expected that if Randall
| should be elected he would organize Ways
| and Means Committee which would be hostile
! to renewal of tariff agitation.
Alabama Claims
The Court of Commissioners of Alabama
| Claims have announced the following iudg-
ments:
In case No. 81 a judgment for Arthur Sew
| ALL surviving administrator of Edward Sew
| Sewall, surviving executors of VIM. D. Sew
all $70S2; for Jane H. Curtis, administratrix
! Of Peleg Curtis, $1770; for Arthur Sewall,
S4426, with interest on each judgment from
Dec. 3, 1861. In case No. 800, Frederick S
Bostworth against the United States, judg-
ment for $1770, with interest from Dec. 8,
1861. In case No. 213, George f. Mustard and
others against the United States, Judgment in
favor of George +. Mustard for $685. James
Ill. Dunning, for $2772; Benjamin Thompson,
for $2772; John ii. Humphreys, for $5545; for
Sewall b. Haskell, executor, for $I1 GOO; for
| Charles A. Dyer, executor, for S5545, with in
terest on each judgment from May 10, 1871.
| A Federal Judge Charged With Accept
ing Bribes
| The President has suspended Judge Wilson
s. Hoover, associate justice of the Supreme
| Court IN Arizona, pending an investigation of
charges preferred against him of corrupt prac-
| tices in accepting bribes.
Restoring Historical Paintings.
During the Garfield fair which was held last
November in the rotunda of the capitol two or
three of the large historical paintings there
were damaged. In order to restore and pre-
serve them very delicate operation is neces-
sary. Artists are now at work upon the i'm
mense canvas which depicts the discovery of
the Mississippi river by De Soto. A high
| board fence has been built around the space in
front of the painting to enable the work to be
done without interruption. The canvas has been
taken from its frame and placed upon q table
with the face of the picture down. The work
men will pummice the old canvas, which is
rotten in places, entirely off without marrng
| the paint. A new canvas back will then be
put upon the painting. This work can be per-
formed, the artists say, without injury to the
| picture
The Cotton Crop.
Returns to the Department of Agriculture
| of the cotton sent to market from plantations.
show an aggregate OF 100000 bales gone for
ward to March l. This is about Sc 10 per
cent. of the crop as indicated by the last re-
| turns of the product. The proportion BY
States are, North Carolina and Texas SO per
cent, South Carolina So, Georgia and Tennes-
see Sc, Arkansas 81, Louisiana IS, Mississippi
| 80, Alabama 90, Florida 90.
Guiteau's Assailant to be Tried.
! Among the cases assigned today for trial
| before Justice Bagner in the newly organized
branch of the Criminal Court is that of Will
| liam Jones, indicted for assault with intent to
kill Charles j. Guiteau.
The Pension Claim Agents.
! WASHINGTON. March 16.--After all the pre-
| cautions taken to prevent it, by number of
Congressman and by the loud denunciation of
the press, the cunning and ever active pension
claim ageuts succeeded in securing cluse 10
| further their business in the new Pension bill
| increasing the rates of those who have lost an
arm or foot The original clause, inserted
| for the benefit of these agents, provided there
| had lost a hand or foot, or 10 those who had
suffered an equal disability. The claim agents
work would come in ON collecting evidence to
| prove equal disabilities, and thus wide door
| was opened for fraud. Under the criticisms of
the press this was struck from the bill. Later,
| however, clause was put into the bill provid-
/ ing that all who were "otherWise SO disabled
| as to render their incapacity to perform man.
ual labor equivalent to the loss of hand or a
| foot" shall be entitled to the increase given BY
the bill. 1t is understood that the claim
agents of this city are now flooding the country
with circulars Offering to undertake to prove
up claims under the new act. The Commits
sioner of Pensions ia doing all no can to guard
the pensioners from the rapacty of these
agents. Among other means a circular is be-
| ing addressed to all known to come within the
classes covered by the law, in which he says:
THE intervention of an agent or attorney in
such admitted cases as are affected by this
act being unnecessary, will not be recognized .