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

ne was onereu oSo,vvv py Inc nfexican gov
eminent to make compilation of our pos
/ tai laws. lt Is said that Judge Gresham
pronounced him the best informed as to the
postal service OF any man IN the country.
No defnite arrangements have been made
for the celebration or the completion or the
Washington Monument except TO invite
Robert @. Winthrop OF Massa chusetts tObe
the orator. The Grafton will be delivered
In the hall OF the HouseOf 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. 1t Is known, however,
that one of the instructions was to prepare
the wav, il possible, for commercial trea-
ties. The State Department has already
prepared drafts OF treaties with the differ
ent South American republics, which 1t Is
hoped 1t will be possible to negotiate.
The requisitiOn of the commissioner OF
pensions for Sl7, 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
vember are smaller than in any other month
OF the year.
TIE LETTER-CARRIER SYSTEM.
The report of the First Assistant Post
master-General urging the extension OF the
letter-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-carrer service, and notice was
then served by the 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 OK
tended.
THE cIvIL-sERvICE RULES.
The Department of Agriculture is not
mentioned by name in the civil-service
rules. For this reason numerous state
ments have recently been made that the
civil-service 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-Service 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 Commissioners LOring
when the law went into operation, and
when he provided rooms in one of the Agri-
cul ural Department buildings for the com:
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 Clvil-Service Commission.
The list of clerks has been classified under
the law and no selection has been made by
DIR. Ioring except for messengers, laborers,
and those employed for special purposes.
ANOTHER INVESTIGATION PROBABLE.
The report of Fourth Auditor Beardsley
In the matter of the method of making pur-
chases in the Navy Department will, Dem
Oeratic COngressmen who are in town say,
resu in another Investigation into the con-
duct of naval affairs. The statements Of
illusions at which the Naval Court of In
qury, organ zed by Secretary Chandler to
inquire into the frauds which he has de-
tected, has arrived. Tho only difference is
that Beardsley, who Is the auditing officer
public, while for the most part the proceed
ings of this Naval Court OF Inquiry have
been sc ret. Secretary Chandler does not
take Issue with the Fourth Auditor upon
any of his statements or facts. He Ques-
lions simply whether it Is proper for a
subordinate bureau officer. Of the Treasury
to arraign the administration of the Navy
Depar, ment. Mr.. Chandler has not APP
proved OF the resort 10 the eXigency clause
for the making Of purchases, which is the
subject of so much criticism. 1t seems to
be a fact 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 will be started here
in opposition to the ratification of the pro-
posed Spanish treaty will, it is expected, be
also directed towards the abrogati0n of the
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-planters of Jamai-
ca and Louisiana, some Of tho sugar-refin-
ers of the East, and large proportion of
the population of the Pacific Slope. When
the treaty was ratified in 1875 it 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
when first imported is unfit for use, it pass
es into the hands of Claus Spreckels who,
besides being the largest owner Of sugar
growing territory within the Islands, has a
monopoly of the refining business on the
Pacific Slope. California people maintain
that, owing to combinations as to railroad
freights, 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 10 Hawaii, as the plantations are
all worked by Chinese coolies, who live up
tl.t. Ez..