St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-27
GENERAL COMSTOCK,
Isn't Positive That the Lower River
improvement Plans are Sue
cessful.
The House Committee Proposes to Abolish
Some of the Diplomatic and Con-
sular Sinecures.
The Row Among the Washington City
observation-disclosures
Figures.

WASHINGTON, April 26.-The journey of
the postmaster general to Florida is taken
for the benefit of Mrs. Gresham, who has
been i'll for several weeks, and did not re-
cover so rapidly in this climate as her friends
hoped.
Representative Reagan passed restless,
uncomfortable night, butts easier this morn
ing. His physician says he is doing we'll
The secretary of the treasury received from
the attorney general an opinion in regard to
the duty on Sumatra tobacco under the pro-
visions of the new tariff act, relating to
duty on leaf tobacco. The attorney general
holds the custom appraiser may examine
packages containing leaf tobacco, and in
cases where it appears it has been packed
for the purpose of evading the law, they may
separate that plainly fit for filings only,
from that which is fit for wrappers, and
assess on them the duty applicable to each
class of tobacco.
The value of the imports of merchandise
for the twelve months which ended March
31st, 1884, was 1858, 25s, 642, and for the
same period in 1882 SAP, 5OS,S75 Values
of exports of merchandise for the twelve
months which ended March 31st, 1884, S761,
733, 431, and for the same time 1888, $685.,
727, SOP, decrease of $40, 994.3 81.
No information has been received at the
Indian bureau concerning the reported
Navajo outbreak. The report is generally
discredited.
President Bliss, of the Boston 81 Albany
Railroad company, has ordered the train
which now leaves Boston at p. M, to be
put back one hour, so as to start at p. m.
This order, if carried out, will destroy the
fast mail connection between New England
and the west. The Boston 81 Albany mail
now connects at Albany at l Is a. m. with
the western fast mail from New York, which
cannot be held an hour without breaking i'm
portant western connections.
LAST YEARS TARIFF ACT.
Mr.. Nimmo, chief of the bureau of Stats
tics, to-day handed the secretary of the treas
urer his report in regard to the operations Of
the tariff act of March 3, 1888. 1t appears
that the act caused reduction of about six
per cent. on the advaorem rate of duty on
imports. In detail the changes are as fol-
lows: sugar and molasses, reduction nine and
thirty -two-one hundredths per cent. iron and
steel and anufacturesthereof, six and fifteen
one-hundredths; clothing, wool, nine and
lightweight hundredths; combing wool,
eleven and twenty-seven-one-h undredths :;
carpet wool, six and one one-hundredths :;
manufactures of wool, four and fifty-two-one
hundredths; manufactures of cotton in
creased one and ninety-two-one-hun-
dredths; manufactures of silk, reduction
eight and eighty two-one-hundredths; earth
en- and chinaware, increase, thirteen and
eleven-one hundredths; glass and glass
ware, increase, one and nine-one hun
dredths; spirits and wines, increasd, eigh
cen and twenty-eight- -hundredths, and
malt liquors, reduction, five and
ninety -hundredths per cent. The
report, which is a document
of seventy-two pages, embraces
a somewhat elaborate statement in regard to
tariff act of March 3, 1888, and by the full
import prices of commodities; it contains
also considerable amount of statistical and
other information in regard to the produc-
tons of sugar, iron, wool, manufactured
silk spirits and wines in the United States.
The report treats with some particularly of
the production in the United States of the
three great classes of WOOL known to our
tariff laws, namely, clothing wool, combing
wool and carpet wool, and the extent to
which these three kinds of wool are used by
manufacturers of worstcd and wooden goods,
hats, carpets and other articles.
LOWER MISSISSIPPI IMPROVEMENT.
The members of the Mississippi river com
mission were before the house committee on
rivers and harbors to-day, explaining the
progress of the work ON the Mississippi
river.
''Will you give your idea of the success of
the work?" was asked General Comstock, of
the commission,
He said: ''The work at Plum Point and
Lake Providence is not far enough along to
say it is a success. 1 have strong hopes of
the success of the work. There is some
doubt about the work accomplishing all that
is needed, as it is yet an experiment. The
majority of the committee think, however, it
is beyond experiment. If we can get all the
money desired the two reaches can be prac-
tically finished within three years. 1t will
take for each of the reaches about as much as
has already been expended-in each case
50. 600, 00O.'
''As the work is an experiment, do you
not think it better to confne the appropria-
tons to the work under way?" asked Repre-
sentative Murphy
eff the government does not want to run
the risk of losing two or three million dol
lars, / believe it would be the best to con-
fine the appropriation to the work in hand.
Every improvement undertaken is an ex-
experiment. This might prove failure, and
then the appropriation for similar work at
other points will be lost, but as | said, [ am
hopeful for the success of this work. Suter
Miller, Harrod and Ferguson of the COM
mission disagreed with Gen. Comstock in
some respects, saying the work was beyond
the experimental stage, that it was an abso-
lutte success. They recommend that ap-
preparations be made that the new reaches
might be begun.
PACIFIC RAILROADS.
At a meeting of the house committee on
Pacific railroads to-day, Representative
Thompson was instructed to report his bill,
amending the Thurman sinking fund act.
Representative Post was given authority to
submit minority report. His report will be
signed by four or five.of the members of the
committee. The bill which he will submit
with a report is based upon the one introduce
ed in the senate by Senator Edmunds. 1t
includes all the subsidized roads, and makes
it optional with them to settle their indebted
ness with the government in 100 semi
annual payments. In the case of a road de-
faulting, it is to be governed by the Thur
man act eXcent that the per cent net earn