Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-11-07
Especial Telegram to the Globe. |

Especial Telegram to the Globe.
WARRINGTON, Nov. 6.---At the close of the
session of the supreme court yesterday, the
chief justice announced the appointment
of ]. Bancroft Davis as the reporter of the
court. This position of compiling and ar
ranging the decisions for publication pays
salary of $4,000 year, more than re-
ceived by sny of the associate justices.
The position has been held for some. time
by Judge Otto, of Indiana, the old and con-
fdential friend of Judge Davis. Judge
Otto is quite well off, and is quite old. J.
Bancroft Davis is nephew
of the historian Bancroft. He was
recently On the bench of the court of
claims where his salary was only $4,000
year. He has been very easy in his place
in this court. He has very powerful social
influences back of him, and they have
been pushing him for every possible
place. When Arthur became president
Davis was taken off Of the court of claims
and made first assistant secretary of
state. Davis took this place primarily to
get after Mr.. Blaine, one of his most
hated enemies. In developing the inner
history of the affair Secretary Davis
thought he could get congress to adopt
an English fashion and make
the position Of first assistant secretary, as
the anglo-moniacs of the state department
love to call it, a life post. 1t was argued
that it would be great advantage to have
in the department an expeiienced man to
train the new secretaries. Congress re-
fused to endorse this alluring suggestion,
but the president kept the place upon the
court of claims open for Davis one year
and when he failed to persuade congress
Mr.. Arthur re-appointed Davis to the
court Of claims. There he
remained till to-day, when he was
transferred to the supreme court.
A MILITARY TRANSFER.
The abolition of the department of the
south has left the staff officers OF that de-
partment without assignment. Col. Henry
G. Corbin, major and assistant adjusant
general, has been ordered, On the compile
ton of his present duties at Newport bar
racks, Kentucky, to proceed to Chicago
and report to Gen. Schofeld fer duty as
assistant to Gen. Williams. I'D
jutant general of the division
of the Missouri. It is stated at
army headquarters that the dut1es of the
adjutant general at Chicago are so onerous
that he ought long ego to have had an as
sistant, and advantage is now taken of
Corbin's release to give Williams an assis-
tant Corb1n is well known as one of the
| most intimate friends OF the late Presi-
dent Garfield, and was chief manager of
the fair held here year ago, under the
auspices of the army of the Cumberland,
to raise funds for ths Garfield monument.
DROP LETTERS.
Postofice officials object to the pro-
posed reduction of letter drop postage to
one cent. General Hezen, third assistant
postmaster general, gives his reasons for
such an opposition in the annual report
of the free delivery service The service
was first established in few of the larger
Offices in 1868; at that time the rate for
| drop letters at ell Offices was one cent
for each half ounce. The cost of
the delivery service was greatly in excess
of the local postage. Nine years later the
rate was increased on drop letters to two
cents at all Offices at which the carrier sys-
tenn was in operation, but allowed to
remain at 1c at all other Offices. 1t was
not until 1875 that the local postage COL
lected at these offices showed a surplus
after the cost Of the service. From that
time the surplus steadily increased. There
were during the last year 154 free delivery
office, only fourteen paid the cost Of the
carrier service. Of these fourteen Offices
New York alone shows surplus double
the amount of the cost of delivery, SO that
if the rate is reduced there will be only
one Office in the United States at which
| sufficient revenue will be collected from To-
cal postage to pay the cost Of delivery.
Gen. Hazen, in answer to the suggestion,
said: "The question of distance should
not enter into the calculations ct all, for if
you reduce the rate for local delivery TO
one cent and carry the. letter ten miles
across the city and back
again in collecting and delivering it the
same cry of unfairness can be raised when
you charge two cents for a letter to sub
urban town just outside the limits and
leave it in q postoffice to be called for. In
stead of decreasing the postage it would
be better to increase the frequency OF de-
| 1ivayias in the larger oitiaa -