The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-12-03
WASHINGTON.

The Treasury Department purchased S.
90 ounces of silver for the New Orleans and
Philadelphia MINIS.
Some one has taken pains to ascertain
rom the army register that during Pres.
dent CIevelandss term there will be retired
Generals Hancock, Pope, Augur, Saekett,
HoIablTd, and Murray.
Sergeant Brainard, of the Greedy party,
was strongly Endorsed for one Of the vacant
second leutenancies. but viii be disap'
by others, one being the stepson Of AttoT-
ney-General Brewster.
Senator Edmnnds Is said to be preparing
legislation relative to the Pacific railroads.
The Senate judiciary Committee has the
Funding act under consideration, and
strong influences are at work TO secure 1av-
0ra5ie action on the House bill.
Attorney General Brewster, In his annual
report, states thar the indifference Of resi-
dents OF the District Of Columbia to the
plundering OF the treasury prevents the con-
vicuon OF thieves at the hands OF local 9ur-
les. and he recommends that the jurisdlc-
ton of the federal courts of Maryland be
extended over the District.
Il. d. Money, congressman from Mis-
| sissippi, is named by southern and Califor-
MA leaders for the postmaster generalship.
He was offered S25, 200 by the Mexican gov
ernment to make compilation of our pos
| tai laws. 1t IS said that Judge Gresham
| pronounced him the best informed as to the
( pOcet4t S6TftGE Oh any tld&l EHE EDuHtIEs
/ No definite arrangements have been made
| for the celebration of the completion of the
/ Washington Monument except to invite
i Robert c. Winthrop of Massachusetts, to be
| the orator. The Grafton Will be delivered
/ In the hall of the Housed Representatives.
| There are nine stones yet to be put in
| place, when the work will be finished. This
/ will be done some time next week.
| The Commissioners to South America did
not make public their instructions before
| leaving, and the State Department declines
| TO furnish them. Ii Is known, however,
| that one of the instructions was to prepare
| the way, If possible, for commercial trea-
ties. The State Department has already
| prepared drafts OF treaties with the differ
ent South American republics which it Is
hoped it will be possible to negotiate.
The requisition of the commissioner of
pensions for 81, 900, 900 this month can not
be met without making an apparent in
crease in the public debt for this month.
The treasury officials are not willing to have
this happen and the commissioner will
have to wait till next month for part of his
money. The government receipts in No
yember are smaller than in any other month
OF the year.
THE LETTER-CARRIER SYSTEM.
The report of the First Assistant Post
master-General urging the extension of the
ietter-carrier system will meet with strong
opposition from the Representatives of the
rural districts. 1t was with great difficulty
at the last session that an appropriation
could be secured for further small increase
IN the letter-carrier service, and notice was
then served by tie Representatives, partic-
ularly from the Southern districts, that any
further effort to extend the carrier system
to cities and towns would be resisted unless
the star-route system should also be eX-
tended.
TIE cTvIL-sERvICE RULES.
The Department of Agriculture is not |
M timed ny in niyil-Gnryinn /
rules. For this reason numerous state |
mentS have recently been made that the |
clyil-sefVice system has not been applied |
there, but it is ascertained that the Depart |
ment of Agriculture has not been consider |
ed by the Commissioner as exempt from |
the operation of the Civil-Serviee law, as |
has been stated. The department was |
placed under the law at the same time with |
the other departments of the Government |
This was done by Commissioner Loring /
when the law went into operation, and |
when he provided rooms in one of the Agri- /
cultural Department buildings for the con-
mission. Since then no appointments of |
clerks have been made by the Commission
er and he has notified all applicants that |
none could be made except such as were |
selected by the Civil-Serviee Commission. |
The list Of clerks has been classified under
the law and no selection has been made by |
DR.. L0ring except for messengers, lab0rerS,
and those employed for special purposes.
ANOTHER INVESTIGATION PROBABLE.
The report of Fourth Auditor BeardsIey
In the matter of the method of making pur-
chases in the Navy Department WILL DEM
ocratie congressman who are i'll town say, /
result in another investigation into the con- /
duct of naval affairs. The statements of /
Auditor Beardsley are substantially the con-
illusions at which the Naval Court of In
quTy, organized by Secretary Chandler to
inquire into the frauds Which he has de-
tected, has arrived. The only difference is
that Beardsley, who IS the auditing officer
of naval accounts, has made the matter |
public, while for the most part the proceed
ings of tins Naval Court of Inquiry have
been secret, Secretary Chandler does not |
take issue with the Fourth Auditor upon
any OF his statements or facts. He aues-
tons simply whether it Il prone" or /
subordinate s dl blreaq Office o. the Treasury aSr
70 arralgn the administration of the Nsvyy
- aFsment. Mr.. Chandler has not ap- |
proved OF The resort to the exigency clause
for tho making of purchases which is the I
sunIect or SO much criticism. 1t seems to
De TACT that the naval bureau officers have
construed everything as an exigency, and
have thus ignored the very specific statutes
as to advertisements and bids.
THE SPANISH TREATY.
The movement which viii be started here
In opposition to the ratification of the pro-
posed Spanish treaty viii, it is expected be
also directed towards the abrogation of the 1
Hawaiian treaty. The parties who desire
that the Hawaiian treaty shall end and that
the Spanish treaty shall not begin are the
same, The opponents of the Hawaiian
treaty include the sugar-p lanterS of Jamai-
ca and Louisiana, some of the sugar-refin-
ers OF the East, and large proportion OF
the population of the Pacific Slope When |
the treaty was ratified in 1875 1t was argued
that the result would be an annual subsidy
of several hundred thousand dollars to the
planters of the Sandwich Islands, without
reducing the cost of sugar to the consumer
OF California. As the Hawaiian product L
when first imported is unfit for use, it pass
es into the hands OF Claus SpTeekels4 who,
besides being the largest owner of sugar
growing territory within the islands, has
monopoly Of the refining business on the
Pacific Slope. California people maintain
that. owing to combinations as to railroad
treights, they do not obtain the sugar any
cheaper than they did before the treaty;
that, in fact, some of the inferior grades of
sugar have cost more in California than in
the Eastern States. They also say that very
few of the products OF the Pacific States are
exported TO Hawaii, as the plantations are
all worked by Chinese coolies, who live up
on Chinese rice and have no use for Ameri-
can products
NAVAL syPPIIEs.
The annual report of the Fourth Auditor
of the Treasury says that the growing evil
IN the expenditure of money by the Navy
Department has been increased by the dis
regard of some of the bureaus OF the law
requiring advertisements and contracts for
purchases made. The recently discovered
fraudulent practices IN the Naval bureau
of Medicine and Surgery were greatly Ia
Cilitated by the persistent determination OF
the late SurgeOn-General to nominally
make all purchases himself, while it was
practically impossible for him to personally
supervise the transactions taking place
scores or hundreds of miles from the seat /
of Government. During the fiscal year 1855
supplies were purchased amounting to 50.
upon advertisements and contracts. Three
bureaus wholly neglected the law requiring
advertising, and another-the one making
the largest purchase of all-only advertised /
and contracted for per cent of the goods L
and materials bought. About 100000 L
worth OF open and exempt purchases were /
made of six individuals Or firms, one dealer /
going over $500, 900. Under the act re. ating /
fOmaterials for boilers hundreds OF thoaS-
ands of dollars worth have been bought I
practically with no competition at all. Over
S1e, 900 was paid during. the year as com,
missions to SeligInan Bros, London, and I
nearly 81 900 in Interest, the former. in the
opinion OF the auditor, being twice a. much /
as it ought to be, and the latter wholly I'M |
necessary. The report says:
1.-THE 6ntly-discoverRd frauds IN the |
BnreaH OF Medicine and Surgery were most /
IY committed upon the continuous hospital
fund. whose large unexpended balance has /
furnished temptation not existing in the |
case OF annual appropriations made BY Con- |
gress.
THE LABOR BUREAU.
The commission of John Fahrenbatch Of |
Cincinnati as Commissioners Of the now La /
bgr bureau was forwarded him to that city |