The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-11-28
WASHINGTON.

kansas, intend to urge his selection to rep
resent the South in the new administration
as attorney general
Under the civil-service rules, Otis PIG.
Clarke has been promoted TO the commits
sionership of pensions and Calvin Ii. Waller
advanced to first deputy.
Miss Nancy Gould, of Portland, Maine,
who recently died, willed 10 the govern
ment house and lot worth $4,000, to be
used in paying the national debt The So
licitor of the treasury will sell the property.
On the assembling of the court-martial to
try Judge Advocate General Swain, he
claimed want of jurisdiction, on the ground
that the charges were not preferred by his
commander, the lieutenant general. The
plea was not sustained.
Secretary McCulloch declines to permit
the court OF claims to act on the case OF
General Adam Badeau, who is charged with
Illegally retaining Sl2, 900 in consular fees,
and the solicitor of the treasury has orders
to bring suit for the amount.
Sir Alexander Campbell, representing the
Dominion Of Canada, has been conterrlng
with the premier of Ontario IN regard TO
for the proposed international park, and 1t
Is understood that the plans will soon be
carried out.
Undismayed by past failures, the friends
OF the Hennepip Canal project will make
vigorous effort in the Forty.ninth Congress
to secure the necessary aid for this import
ant work. AS preliminary to this end, the
commission was reorganized Tuesday and
new officers elected for the ensuing year.
An army officer stationed at Washington
predicts that either George b. Mcclellan OF
General William b. Franklin will be the
next secretary of war. A correspondent
who appreciates the anxiety of federal Of
Mari has remained in the postof1ice depart
ment since 1881, and William Hunter has
survived all changes in the state depart
ment since 1920.
The November returns to the Department
OF Agriculture of the rate of yield of corn
Indicate product somewhat in excess OF
1,SOo, OOO, 900 bushels, on an average rate
small fraction above twenty-siX bushels per
acre. The best yields are, as in 1885, in
what has been designated the great Ameri-
can desert. The ''arid regions in the VI
entity Of the Tooth meridian have produced
heavy crops Of maize of high quality. That
line Of longitude has ceased to be an abso:
Lutte barrier to corn production or general
farming. The quality of corn Is better than
in 1888 nearly everywhere, and in the North
ern belt it is worth % to 20 per cent more.
The potato crop is nearly an average yield,
or 80 bushels per acre, and eXcee DIS 100, 0O0,-
600 bushels.
NATIONAL BANKS.
The annual report of the Controller of
the Currency has not yet been completed,
and MIR. Cannon says that at the request OF
the Secretary Of the Treasury he shall with
hold it from the press until n day or two
before Congress meets. Mr.. Cannon says
that during the year 19l new National banks
have been chartered, and that the net ag-
gregate added to the National banking cap
ital during that period is about $4,000 COO,
During the year eleven National banks have
failed. Since the passage OF the National
Bank act in 1863 just 100 National banks
have failed to date. Considering the num-
Der of banks that have been organized in
that time, and the financial panics which
have occurred, Mr.. Cannon thinks that this
Is an excellent showing for the system.
THE PATENT OFFICE.
The commissioner of patents, BENJAMIN
ButterwOrth, submits the following annual
report: Number OF applications for patents
received, 35,2O4; applications for design
patents received, 1,329; applications for re-
issue patents received, Ai; applications for
registration trademarks, 1,0I7; applications
Caveats filed, 2,672: patents granted, in
Guiding reissues and designs, 20, S22; trade
marks registered, 903; labels registered, 1873;
total, "a, SIS. Patents withheld for non-pay-
ment OF final fees, "A ,613; patents expired,
lO230; receipts from all sources, SI,145, 433,
year; expenditures, excluding printing,
1901, 413; surplus, S2I4, 0l9. There was All
increase during 1854 over the number of ap-
plications for patents, designs, ETC., receiv-
ed during the preceding year of 3,0SS. The
number OF applications awaiting action by
the Office June 30, 1854, was 8, 1856, an in
crease OF 5,0S7 over the accumulated appli-
cations at the end Of the preceding year.
THE RAII.wAY-MAIL SERVICE.
Superintendent Thompson of the railway.
mail service. in his annual report. says Of
the Western fast-nail trains ut seems
probable that the Postmaster-General Will
soon be able TO have the fast mail arrive at
Omaha much earlier than &c now does, and
have special carlier delivery in that city
and at Council Bluffs Immediately on ar
riva| and before the close If the business
day. IL Is also held that the mails can DO
expedited so as 10 arrive at san Francisco
about q. H., which will be equal to saving
one day, between New York and San Fran
cisco. In all of the fast service there was
no increase in cost TO the department. The
Northern Pacitic's through mail train now
leaves St Paul OH the arrival OF the fast
mail, so that Portland, Ore, gets the East
ern mail one day earlier by reason of this
fast service. intermediate points are SINH
larly benefited. The Postmaster-General
also made arrangements with the Illinois
Central Railroad Company whereby their
through train connects both north and south
at Mendoza. This serves Illinois from six
to eight hours earlier than formerly"
I.AGoAED coNGREssMEY.va
Congress meets in two weeks. Very few
Congressman have arrived. Few are ex-
pected before Thanksgiving No member
OF the Appropriations Committee, which
usually meets two weeks before the session,
has appeared. Several special committees
appointed at the last session were to have
met here last week. They have not met.
The excitement about the election has par
alyZed every effort to transact any business
in advance OF the meeting OF Congress.
This Is the short session, yet it is known
that Congress will be asked to adjourn
from Dec. IL TO Jan. to permit members
TO visit the New Orleans Exposition, which
opens Dec. 10. The calendars of the two
Houses are full of measures, some of them
important, scarcely any of which were act
ed upon at the last session. Probably most
of them will fall with this session. The
most important business before the two
Houses Is the determination of some plan
for the counting of the Electoral vote.
There are no joint rules. The rule under
which the count proceeded four years ago
has not been revived.
LIGHTHOUSE SERVICE.
In the annual report of the lighthouse
board, 1925, 900 Is asked for lighting andth
buoyage of rivers; $3.50, 600 Is necessary to
continue work on the lighthouse Mt the
northwest seal rock, off Point st. George,
Cal. 1t Is recommended that the light
house district which embraces all the upper
lakes be divided, the portion embracing