The Portland daily press., 1883-02-14
WASHINGTON.
The Star Route Trial.

W hite River route.
Reciprocity with Mexico.
by invitation of the senate committee on
11orelgn relations General Grant, Commissioner
Irescot and Secretary Frelinguysen appeared
before that body this forenoon to explain and
advocate the provisions of the Mexican re-
ciprocity treaty. According to present indica-
tlons the committee will recommend its ratif-
cation.
The Shipping Bill.
Tie senate committee on commerce will
probably report the shipping bill in practically
the same form as it passed the House.
Increased Service on Maine Star Routes
The following are among recent changes in
the postal service of Maine
Route ~, Bridgton to Norway, from Febru-
ary ~, 1908, increase OF service between Bridg-
ton to Harrison, five miles, to twelve times a
week.
Route 20S, Surry to Blue Hill, from Februa-
ry ~, 1903, increase of service to six times a
week.
The River and Harbor Bill
The river and harbor bill which was reported
TO the House to-day is confined strictly to
works of national Importance. All the bayous,
creeks and canals have been thrown out. The
usual appropriation for the reservoirs at the
head OF the Mississippi river has been omitted.
There is nothing in the bill for the Potomac
Hats. A few of the works condemned by the
secretary OF war in his answer to the resolu-
ZION 10 OF @ @Cong1sss are includeds nThe bill foots
up w ,937 600 IN round Numbers The largest
item is " 100000 for tho Mississippi below
Cairo. The only appropriations for Maine are
$l5, 900 for Portland and $4,000 for Rockland,
Lubec Channel, $1,000.
Executive Nominations.
The President has sent the following nomi-
nations to the senate: Emory Spear to be Uni
i ted States attorney for the northern district of
Georgia; Joshua b. Hill, to be United States
marshal for the eastern district of North Car.
/ oline; William 81. H. Clayton, to be United
( for fha - A.
kansas; Robert g. Dyrenforth of Illinois, to be
assistant commissioner of patents; James H.
Teller of Ohio, to be secretary of the Territory
/ OF Dakota.
The Utah Commission.
/ Members of the Utah Commission who are
now in the city will all leave for their homes
again within few days. Judge Carleton
4 took train for his home in Indiana this morn
! ing. They will assemble in Salt Lake City
abuot the middle of April and at once proceed
! to prepare for registration, which begins on
l the first Monday in June. Most of the officers
| appointed by the commission for the last regis
tration and election will be reappointed If no
changes were contemplated, it was decided
| that as measure of precaution it is best to
reiterate the right of the officers to serve and
see that no polygamists vote. In conv ersation
Judge Carleton said last night: "We left there
in November, and of course what has trans
pired ssnce then is known to only through
the papers. The last election was very quiet
and orderly, as much so as in New England
village. The law seems to give general salts
faction to the moderate men, both Mormons
and Gentiles. Both it and our action under it
are severely criticised by the extremists of both
parties The strict set of the Mormons con-
denim both as proscriptive and unjust, while
bitter Gentiles are not satisfied. They want
more repressive measures"
What proportion of the Mormons are poyg-
amsts2"
'Not more than one-fourth, SO far we could
ascertain" was the response. OF course we
were not able TO see much of the home-liie of
these. If we were admitted to their houses
nothing out OF the way was discovered and we
could not investigate below the surface with
out gross breach of propriety."
Are acts of violence perpetrated upon trail
tors to the faith or outsiders who interfere with
their practiees?"
mo; the time for this kind of thing is over
A man who violates the rules of the church is
simply excommunicated. If a GENTLE makes
q, point Of talking and acting in opposition to
the church in public, he is made about as un-
comfortable as Republican used to be in
some parts of the South, that is all.'
The French Canadians Reply to Mr.. Fos-
ter.
Senator Blair, Chairman of the Senate com
mittee on Education, has received number
OF letters from representative French Cana
dians now living in New England in which
they emphaticay deny the assertion made
9y Frank X Foster that their moral and intel
1ectuei stspda-d is Jnrrn~ 4tben tha+s-cs satto-
-0~~N
ing at some future time.
The Kasson Rule.
A special says that inquiry among promi-
nent Republican Representatives shows that
most of them are in favor of the adoption of
the Kasson rule, the effect of which, as al
ready explained, would be to bring the ways
and means tariff bill out of the committee of
the whole and under the operation of the pre-
vious question, whenever a majority of the
House might choose The rule, if adopted,
Wnnl6 q ma ntUa tn folr from
the Speakers table the Senate bill and bring
that also under the operation of the previous
question.
The proposition from the Democrats that
the Kasson resolution, If IL is to be adopted
at all, shall take its place as one of the perma-
nent rules of the House, is not objected to by
some OF the most prominent Republicans, in
cluding Speaker Keifer and Chairman His
cock, of the appropriations committee. Chair
man Kelley is in favor of the adoption of the
K asson ruleand he is quoted as saying his only
hope of tariff revision by this Congress rests
upon the Senate bill. Mr.. Reed does not de-
sire to be set down as unalterably opposed to
the adoption of the kasson resolution, and it
may be regarded as PROBABLE that he will vote
to report it favorably from the committee on
rules, of which he is member. Mr.. Ran
dall's vote in that committee is claimed both
by the friends and opponents of the resolution.
Nearly everybody now comedies that if
there is to be any general tar itf legislation at
this session, it must come from conference
or Senate bill as the basis of action. The
adoption of the Kasson rule would render it
possible to make the House bill the basis
Civil Service Reform.
There is disposition in the departments to
enforce the principles of the civil service law
Immediately without waiting for it to go into
effect and even to apply it to offices which do
| not come within the scope of the act. Secre-
| tsry Teller, for instance, has just declined to
remove an officer in one of the Territories
| whose office does not come within the present
| operation of the civil service act. Mr.. Teller,
| in reply to the Senator who urged the remov-
| al. said he well understood the spirit of the
| law to be that officers we're not to be removed
without cause, and, although the law did not
| apply to this person, he should apply the act
| throughout his department from this time, and
not make any removals Tor political reasons
| but only for cause A case similar to that is
| now pending in the Treasury Department, on
| an appeal from. the collector of customs at Chi
| cago, where for political reasons some import
ant local changes have been attempted to be
| made in the custom house. Foger has de.
| clined to make the removals which the poll
| ticians request.
Soldiers Homestead.
| Secretary Teller has decided most import
ant principle in the case of Julia ID. Graham
| VS.. the Hastings and Dakota Railroad Com
pany. He holds that homeste I'd entry, made
by soldier in the service of the United States,
pursuant to the provisions of the act of March
q
| railroad grant, such entry having been extant
both at the date of the grant end when the
company's right hereunder attached and was
subsequently, Cancelled" for construction or
virtual abandonment, is prima facie valid, al
though alleged by the company to be void alb
initio, and excepts such lands from the opera
tion of the railroad grant, and that in the ad-
ministration of the homestead laws, as amend
ed by the act of June 8, 1872, the soldiers SER
vices would be construed as equivalent to all
intents and purposes to residence for the
same period upon the tract entered.
The Presidents Last Reception.
The President gave the final reception for
the season tonight to Senators and Represen-
tatives He was assisted in receiving by his
sister, Mrs. McElry, aud her daughter and
ladies of the Cabinet with the exception of
Mrs. Lincoln.
Pensions.
Commissioner Dudley of the Pension Bureau,
will draw from the Treasury this month two
million three hundred thousand dollars, and
on the first of next month twelve millions.
The months draft will be for the new cases
allowed, and next months for the quarterly
pensions payable March 4th. This will make
nearly forty eight of the eighty-five millions
appropriated for the current fiscal year. Mr..
Dudley says that he will need every dollar of
the remaining thirty-seven millions before
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