The Portland daily press., 1884-01-15
NOTES ERoM WASHINGTON.
American law in Foreign Countries
Will Two Per Cent Bonds BE Takens-
Personal Etems.
rSnecial TO the Press .

1eFsOMAA AteAhAss
Especial to the Press.l
/ WASHINGTON, Jan. IA bill introduced in
the House by Mr.. HIT of Illinois. who was
formerly assistant secretary OF State and has
been much abroad, providing system OF courts
and laws for the government of American
citizens in China, Japan, Egypt, Turkey,
Madagascar, Persia and other countries, con-
tains some interesting provisions. The system
by which tie conduct of American citizens,
residing temporarily or otherwise abroad is
governed, is not generally understood. In
Borneo, Madagascar, Muscat, Egypt, Morocco,
Persia, Samoa, Tunis, and Turkey, the con-
suls are given judicial powers, and authorized
to enforce the laws of the United States upon
her citizens in those countries, so far as they
conform to the provisions of the treaties with
those countries. The act extends the law of
the United States over all others TO the ex-
tent that the terms OF the treaties respectively
justify or require. They are given authority
to arrest offenders and try them, inflcting
punishment in conformity with the laws of
this country, even to the death penalty for
| murder, except that in the latter case the ey.
ecutiou is to be suspended until the case can
be reported to the State Department and the
death warrant signed by the President In
China and Japan, the act provides q more ex-
| tended system. 1t gives certain duties OF a
| Judicial nature in cases OF minor Importance,
to the consular courts as now, but establishes
| for the trial of more important cases, a system
OF district and supreme courts with Judges
holding the positions eight years. 1t creates
| two judges, to be appointed by the President,
for China, and one for Japan, the three
| judges sitting together to constitute supreme
court, to which cases from the lower courts
may be appealed These courts have jurisdic-
tlon in civil and criminal cases, an appeal to
| the Supreme Court of the United States beng
also allowed. The bill provides certain laws
for the punishment of crimes similar in their
general bearing to the laws in force in this
country.
WILL TWO PER CENT BONDS GO?
good deal of curiosity is felt hers as to the
probable result of the issue of two per cent
bond, as proposed by Mr.. Potter and other
fihanciers Whether they would sell at par
for OF course the government would not sell
them at less figure, is question. Those
who watch financial matters closely, however.
think that they would They say that the
class of Wall street operators, who want a
security with which they can readily raise
money for a few hours or few days, would
gladly make large investments in them "They
say they wouldn't" said very prominent
capitalist of this city, one of the shrewdest
financiers Of Washington, who has aecumu-
lated an immense fortune here By careful in
vestments. they say they wouldn't buy them,
bat they would. 1t is of great advantage to
these men to have securities on hand with
which they can raise money at moments
notice. There are men in Wall street who |
will raise you a million or two, OR five million |
in as many minutes if you offer them plenty OF |
government bonds as securities. All these |
men want is to know that their security is |
ample and absolute, and in this case it is 1t |
pays haanciers, who are watching for invest |
ments with quick profits to do this If they
have good and perfectly sure security, when |
they see au opening where good investment |
offers, they rush to their broker, spout, the |
bonds and get the hundreds OF thousands, OF
millions, as the case may be, paying them a |
good round price for the use of it for the few |
days they want it, and make their invest |
ments. The returns are often enormous, SO |
much SO that the small item they have lost in |
having their money in a very low rate interest |
bond is nothing That is you sse, why these
men can afford 90 buy and hold low rate ir-
terest bond. Il gives them security the |
value of which is absolute, and which is in |
stantly negotiable for afixed sum, whose value |
does not fiuctuats. They talk against them
and say they wont bug ttssn, but they viii.
Why knoSzzssnan in this city, millionaire,
i VINO protested against the issue of some of tho
higher rate bonds, saying they wouldn't go.
The moment they were issued he made dash
for the Treasury and in a minute his basket
was full'
JOHN A. KAssoN.
John A. Kasson, who was minister to Aus
tria, Hungary, several years, and who recently
announced that he would not be candidass~l
for reelection to his present Sat n the Honsa
is said to have .dIesire to come back to the
Senate in the sSSiace of Senator Allison. who.
py the way u recognized as one of the very
aDiss' nle2 in that body. Mr.. Kasson's new
anaol1io1 if he has this one, adds interest to
femsk of sturdy western member Of Con-
gf5ss, who has been here a decade, and who is
4oted for extremely good practical sense, if not
for elegance of diction. He was ENJOYING
his after dinner cigar in the reading room of
one of the hotels, chatting about this and that
member of the House as to his ability and
position. 'tKasson," he said, sis good fellow.
but he doesn't seem to be what he was before
he went abroad. l don't know what it means
but it is fact. used to have very high
opinion of Kasson, thought him a very able
man, and supported him in his fight for
speaker, but he certainly isn't the man he was
before he was cent abroad"
Ex-sPEAKER KEIFER,
The same statesman who made the remark
about Kasson also dropped some remarks
about Keifer "The press fellows have abused
Keifer good DEAL" he said, bat the fact is
that Keifer is on the whole one of our very
best men. He is big and not over polished in
his manner, admit, but when he makes up
his mind that certain course Is right he will
stand to it no matter what may come. He
held the reins over that House we'll, and in
the face of abuse and opposition that would
have made most men retreat. I tell Won
Keifer is entitled to much more credit than he
GETS"
Go the Associated Press)
Twenty Tariff B lis Before the House
Committee.
WASHINGTON, Jan. l4.-The ways and means
committee has more than twenty tariff bills
before il. Among them are propositions to re-
peal the duty on barbed fence wire, on Ia N ber
to pat salt and trace chains on the free list,
and to remove or modify materially the duties
on the following articles: Agricultural imple-
ments, sugar, molasses, matches, needles aud
brooms, salt used in curing provisions, liquors
for use in manufacturing tobacco, trace CHAINS
and plows used for farming purposes, chopping
axes, French and German books for use in ed
ucstional institutions, books imported for tho
use of the blind, classical antiquities and
works of art. Mr.. Cox, of New York, has
bills, too, providing for free ships and free
ship material, while Warner of Tennessee de-
sires to have the duty on the Bible abolished,
There have as yet been but two bills introduce
ed which propose higher duties, and both of
them refer to raw wool. The sharpest contest
on the tariff in immediate prospect is that with
regard to raw wool The struggle will be- be-
tween two Democrats, both from Ohio, Con-
verse representing the tariff faction, and Hurd
representing revenue reform. Converse has
been promised recognition by the Speaker to
move his bill to restore wool to the old rate at
the first opportunity allowed under the rules
when members may be recognized for individ-
ual resolutions.
Congress viii Grant Relief 10 Porter.