Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-19
Especial Telegram to the Globe. !

Especial Telegram to the Globe.
WASHINGTON. D. c., March 16.-The at
torney general gave an opinion yesterday
on the clause in the legislative appropria-
ton bill fixing the hours for government
clerks in the departments. He says it
should 90 into effect at once. This will
| lengthen the hours in the
treasury, war and state de-
partments to o'clock from and $50 as
at present. The hours hereafter will be
uniform in all, from a. N. to p. N. with
| half IN hour for lunch.
THE PRESIDENTS HEALTH.
senator who saw the president to-day
! saws: "The alarming stories as to the con-
! dition of the presidents health were not
borne out by his personal appearance this
| afternoon. He certainly looks we'll, bu t
he needs rest, and good deal of it, and
tell you that if he lives next winter at the
| high rate that he has this, he will not live
| through his administration. No one
can stand such a series of elabor-
ate dinners as he attended
last winter with little exercise and long re-
tain his health.''
THE CREEK INDIANS.
Indian Commissioner Price said this
| forenoon that he knows nothing of the diff
ficulties existing between the rival factions
of the Creek Indians beyond what he has
read in the papers. In relation to Chief
Clerk Vose, he said that he had been in
formed that Vose, who was paymaster in
able for much of the trouble that Vose re-
signed to go into business, and afterwards
the agent wanted Mr.. Price to reappoint
him, but this he declined to do.
THE LAND GRANT ROADS.
The corporations whose Ian grants are
subject to forfeiture are making hay while
the sun shines, during the recess of con-
gress, expecting to make so much
progress before December that it
will not be possible for
congress then to forfeit the grants. The
president for instance, has recently accept
ed very considerable section of the New
Orleans q Pacific road in the state of
Louisiana. This is the road which the at
torney general said last fall was entitled to
its patents, but Secretary Teller Withheld
them in the expectation that congress
would take some action concerning them.
This has not been done, aud the accept
ance of the finished road by the president
carries with it the patents for a considerable
portion of the grants. The commissioner
of the general land Office has been notified
that the governor of Louisiana intends to
proceed against the department to recover
the amount of public lands due the state
as shown by the books of the land Office.
FLOWERS CONSCIENCE FUND.
The return to the treasury by
Representative Flower, of New
York, of some four hundred
dollars,said to be overpayment On account
of his salary is not generally understood.
Mr.. Flower was not overpaid, at least on
the face of the returns. He simply chose
to construe the law as it undoubtedly ought
to be construed, that members absent. ex-
cept on lease, or on the ground of sickness,
are not entitled to pay during their ab-
sence. He estimated he was absent thirty
days during the congress under such con-
ditions and returned the corresponding
amount of salary which he had received.
There are several New York congressman
who would do well to follow Mr.. Flowers
example. BENZ. Wood, for instance, prob
ably was not in Washington thirty days
during the entire Forty seventh congress,
and his name can only be found in the Rec
ord on the roll call and generally among
the absentees. Yet Mr.. Wood has not
returned any portion of his salary. Mr..
Cornell, the millionaire representative
from the Keystone district, has been ab-
sent more than he has been present, but
he returned no pay. Mr.. Crowley, the con-
fidential friend of the administration, is
in the same category. Clerk Mcpherson,
having had his attention called to the law,
said that it does not execute itself and
that he has no right to know whether
members are absent or not unless some
certifcation of the fact is officially made
to him by the house, in which case he
would withhold the pay. He does not,
however, understand that the law requires
him to ascertain whether members are
present or not. Presumably they are
present and receive their pay, unless some
thing is affirmstively shown to the contrary.
THE THREB-oARD MONTE MEN.
For years it has been continuing sur
prise that at the national capitol within
the very grounds even of the capi tol res
ervation, three-card monte men could pur-
sue their avocations with success. One
morning few weeks ago, the Washington
public was startled to learn the real rea-
son. Two men, Murphy and O'Leary,
recognized for years as the leaders of the
monte men, had almost by accident been
convicted, and were in the district Jail.
They had furnished the citizens committee
with written confessions. These have sup
piled the basis of all the later successful
actions of the citizens against detectives.
Murphy and O'Leary were the first to give
any definite information to show that for
wears Washington criminals have been