The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-01-05
WASHINGTON.
Pension Appronrintions,


ley was before the House appropriations COM
mittee yesterday. Mr.. Holman questioned
him sharply as to how much money he would
need next year. Col. Dudley said that he
wanted $40000,000 and the unexpended ball
ance of this year. He had $125, ,875, 900 on the
first of last July. So far $30,000,000 have
been paid out, and probably the years expen-
ditures will reach $40 00000 900, an increase over
last year of $1o,0o0,oOo. This would leave
$5o 600 ,ooo to carry ooy oyer, Mr.. Holman
sion office coudld get along "That's matter
for Congress 10 decide, Responded the commits
sion. 81 shall do the best can with what
you appropriate" Mr.. Holman said he
committee again on Monday. II want to give
you all the money that is needed" he said,
"but no not want balance of from $20,0 ,000,-
600 to $50,000.000 running along" Col. Dud-
ley Gays if Congress will let him alone and not
keep bis clerks answering inquiries, he hopes
to clear up thousands of pending cases before
July. "Any way" he added, "I hardly
think Congress will want to cut an appropria-
tion short" Mr.. Holman thinks that $70,-
100000 is enough to appropriate, or another
$2O,O00,O0o in additional to that already voted
Gov. Butler and Capt. FarreIls Dismissal.
Some weeks ago Gov. Butler revoked an
order issued by Gov. Andrew in 1862, which
directed the dismissal of Capt Farrell Of the
ffty-third Massachusetts regiment. Farrell
was one of the officers who refused to obey the
governors order dir Getting the ffty-third join
ed to the forty-eighth, which was commanded
by Congressman e. f. Stone. Gov Butler
has sent copy of his order to the War De-
partment with the request that the record of
Capt. Farrell be changed. The Judge-Ad-
Vocate's off1ce is considering the subject. 1t
will probably refuse to fall in with Gov. But
ler. Army officers say he has no right to
revise the acts OF predecessor, and that for
his administration Gov. Andrews acts must
stand. At the War Department it is expected
that the war governors acts will not be
erased at the bidding of Gov. Butler. The
matter will shortly be decided.
The Frigate Hussar.
The contractors who have been endeavoring
for 10 years to reach the hull OF the British
vessel Hussar, which sank in East river iu
1850 with million of British sovereigns in her
hold, report to Solicitor Raynor that they have
reached the vessel and are ready to raise her
to the surface, but want q consultation with
him first. Under the contract, the govern
ment is to have 10 per cent of the treasure, If
there is any, and all his relics. For years
speculators have been working at this vessel,
and now seem in way to ascertain whether
the money is still in her cabin.
The Tobacco Question.
The Connecticut river tobacco manufac-
turers have been defeated in the matter of the
paragraph in the tariff law which i'm posed a
very high duty upon Sumatra tobacco The
enables the importers to eyade the law SO that
the thin leaf Sumatra tobacco, three and "a
half pounds of which will furnish wrappers for
a thousand cigars, may now come in active
composition with tobacco of a similar class
grown in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Penn
sylvania and Wisconsin. The clause in the
tariff act by which it was expected that this
tobacco would be practically excluded is the
following:
Leaf tobacco, of which eighty.fiye ner cent.
is OF the rPO0iSifa ci1o Iof+ A.
nneness OF texture to be suitable for wrappers.
and OF which than one hunlIred fsf,rss
are required to weigh a pound, seventy-five
cents, per pound; If stemined one dollar per
pound"
The importers have brought in the leaf
tobacco mixed with an inferior tobacco, claim
ing that all should be passed at 35 cents per
pound. Judge French, Acting Secretary of
the Treasury, has ruled that "The law does
not specify how tobacco should be packed nor
is there any limitation on the manner of it's
packing. None of the bales in question as inn
ported contained, it is understood, 85 per cent.
OF leaf tobacco of the requisite size and of the
necessary fineness of texture to be suitable for
wrappers, and if SO none of it is dutiable under
the provision OF the law referred TO-"
The Railway Postal Service.
The report of tue Railway Postal Commits
sion on the postal car service is attracting
much attention from Congressman. There is
one important fact omitted from the report;
that is the cost of the proposed system of. pay
ment by lineal space as compared with the
present system of payment by weight. The
members of the commission are of opinion
that their plan will actually cost less than the
present system. They believe that under the
lineal space system the expense of carrying the
mails for the next year can be reduced by
from 100000 to $1,000,000. The new plan
does not require any appropriations for special
mail facilities or railway postal car service.
A Sensation at Hawaii.
The National Republican has a letter from
the Sandwich Islands stating that there is
much excitement in the island on account of
an attempt of Carl Spreckles to seize some
Grown lands under mortgage, and that
there are some fears of disturbance.
New Commercial A greemenr wish Spain
statement with regard to the new COM
mercial agreement with Spain has been
furnished the press by the State Department..
La pursuance of an instruction given TO him
Dy Secretary Frelinghysen before his depar-
tore for his post. Mr.. Foster, United States
Minister TO Spain, has lately conducted sue
cessful negotiations with the Spanish govern
tween the Spanish colonies aud the United |
States, and the Official Gazette of Madrid will
publish tomorrow the text of an agreement
signed on the I'd inst. by the President.
Reagan's Railroad Bill.
Representative Reagan, chairman of the
House committee on commerce, will call a
meeting of this committee early next week.
and will eadeayor to proceed Immediately to
the consideration of the interstate commerce
bill. His committee is supposed to be more
harmonious on this question than it was when
he was last chairman of it, He, himself,
maintains that Congress has entire jurisdic-
ton over the subject of Interstate commerce.
He would deprive railroads of the power to
between places or to charge more
Tor shorter than for longer haul. He has
proposed to make the carload unit. He in
slsts that there can be no difficulty in deter
mining what Interstate commerce is, as that
Is clearly shown by the shippers labels. A
package shipped within a State to point be-
yoGd State is, he thinks, clearly Interstate
commerce, and should come within the iuris-
dlcIlon OF federal law.
The Gresly Relief Board.
Dr. Emil Bessels, CHIEF of the scientific
corps of the Polaris expedition, gave the Gree
y Relief Board to-day his opinion respecting
the proper course to be taken for the relief of
Lieut.. Greedy. He favored an expedition in a
vessel to Payer Harbor, Cape Sabine, and from
that point, in case the water should not be
open, SO as to permit farther advance North
ward by the ship. several boats should be
sent up along the West coast of the sound.
These boats should be accompanied by "remi-
acks," light wooden frames, covered with
leather. In going up the vessel should make
q careful search for the Greedy party along the
coast of Greenland.
DR., Bessels described the cairns made at Po-
laris Bay by the Poiaris, but was unable to
state the amount of their present contents. not
knowing how much the English expedition
had taken from them. He thought Greely
would not be able to cross the sound to make
use of these supplies in any event. The Po-
laris people made several attempts to cross
from Polaris Bay Harbor to Lady franklin
Bay, but were unsuccessful.
SPAIN AND THE UNITED
STATES.
New Commercial Agreement Between the