The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1885-11-18
WASHINGTON.
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Manton Marble Ia Europe III relation to the /
question OF gold and silver coinage, the |
PRESIDENT delegated George Walker, the |
present Consul sseslersl ri Paris, and well |
known as an ardent binetaiisst and writer |
upon monetary questions, 10 attend the ses- |
SONS OF the congress Of the states conpriS- |
ing the Latin Union and make a report OF |
Their proceedings. Although not formally |
admitted 10 their deliberations, Mr.. Walker |
held discussions With members of the CON |
| greSS. and addressed TO them certain obSer-
vations indicative of the profound interest
of the United States in the important cues |
| ton OF blmetallism- Mr.. Walker dispatches |
/ 10 the department that he will transmit |
copies of his observations which in En-
giish and French were hid before the dele
| gates.
The final action of the congress ON this |
| question was announced by Minister Nc |
| Lane in a dispatch to the State Department |
/ Tuesday. and is as follows:
France. Greece, Italy and Switzerland
nave renewed monetary convention for hye
years. Silver coin redeemable in gold. No
additional silver coinage permitted Con-
ventlon open TO Belgium.
THE PORK PROBLEM.
Several Western members of Congress
| having expressed a determination to advo-
cate retalIatory legislation of some sort
| against countries discriminating against or
prohibiting. the Importation of American
| pork, inquiry was made at the State De-
partment to learn whether ii is negotiating
| TO remove such objectional restrictions
Assistant Secretary of State Porter said the
| from its prohibitory decree and permitted
the importation of American pork under
| certain restrictions. and he was glad to be
| able TO state his belief that the remaining
| restrictions would be ahrogated i'm a very
| short time. Minister McI.ane is urging the
pending negotiations as strongly as possible
Nonegotiatiens looking TO the abTogaton or
the modification of the German pruhihitoFy
| decree against our pork are now pending
| Lit seems, although Mr. Porter did not say
SO, that this Government has thought it UNI
| wise to endeayor to renew negotiations with
| Germany on the question, knowing that no
concessions can be obtained at present. 1t
Is we'll known that the German Government
which based its decree against our pork on
| alleged dangers from trlchiue, has not been
able to prove that in Germany single
| death has ever resulted from trichina in
| American pork, and uses this alleged dam
ger only as pretext.
THE MoNEY-oBDER BUREAU.
In his annual report to the postmaster
general, Supt. G. F. Mcdonald, of the
money-order bureau, points TO the growth of
the business from its inception in 1866 when
| there We're 166 money order offices that
| issued 81, 000, eco in orders down to the last
| hseal year, when the 1875 offices issued or
ders amounting to about $40. 100000. The
fees now aggregate about 81 100000 per an
mum. During the fiscal year 767 money
order offices were established and 10 discon-
tinued. Since the close of the fiscal year 303
offices have been added and have been dis
continued. eThe total amounts of payments
996,2O5. and the excess of payments over
issues S137, 2S3. The gross amount of fees
received by postmasters from the public for
the issue of domestic money-orders was
| S523, $50. These figures exhibit a decrease
| in the amounts of orders issued and paid
and of fees received. This slight falling off,
says the superintendent, may be attributed
in part TO the gensral stagnation of business
during the past year, and perhaps in small
| measures to the increased use of postal
| notes. The total amount of payments and
| repayments of postal-notes was .057
and the excess of issues over payments S4S,-
| go. The aggregate amount of fees received
| from the public was SIS, l52, 0lS. The in
crease i'll the amount of poStal-note business
was AZ per cent. The total number of erro-
/ nous payments of money-orders alleged to
have been made during the year was 81, or
| i'll ratio of 1 to every IA ,52s money-orders
| paid. Perhaps one of the best indications
of the stringency and general business de-
| preSSIOnS OF the times. says Supt. McDon-
| aid, is the decrease in the amount of money
transmitted by money-orders during the
past fiscal year. The decrease in the amount
OF International money-orders issued points
| to the conclusion that the foreign-born
workman, who habitually RENTS a portion
| of his surplus earnings to needy relatives in
| his native country, has found it more diff
cult OF late to accumulate small savings.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
1t has been customary for the general
| land office to allow man who has taken a
| quarter-section of land under the pre-emp-
| ton act to ia e another quarter-section UNI
| der the homestead act and thus get 800
| acres of the public domain for 500, plus the
| fees for the two entries. A case has recent
| ly come before Commissioner Sparks where
| a man in the Devils Lake dis riot, Dakota
| took 100 acres under the presumption law
and then took 120 acres under the homestead
| law, and at the expiration of the statutory
six months after making the latter entry he
| c0mmuted it for cash. \ committed home
| stead is precisely the same thing as pre-
l pmntini1 and the commissioners has daaidQd
| that this mans homestead entry, in cOnse-
ouence of his attempt TO commute it, is in
valid. The decision does not go so far as to
| say that a man can not enjoy the benefits OF
| both the homestead and presumption laws II
| he perfects his homestead title by five years
residence instead of cash communication, but
| 1t Is understood that the commissioner re-
| CARDS the homestead act as having been
passed as a substitute, or at least an alter
| native for the presumption act, and that
man can not enjoy the benefits of both acts
| under any circumstances. and a decision TO
that effect will probably be promulgated be-
fore long For some time past the land
office has been run on the most liberal and
broadcast gauge principles or ACCOMMODATING
| everybody who wanted to get ahead OF the
government and the nation, but the inter
eStS of the public as against those OF lndt
viduals are receiving some attention now.
THE PACIFIC RAILROADS.
The report of the commissioner of rail-
IOdto Ids bctf CODipItiCd anu liflliuOo W tIiS
secretary of the treasury. 1t will be await
ed with more than ordinary interest. as the
first declaration of the administration upon
the subject of the regulation of railroads
Those who expect to find i'll 1t anything
very aggressive against the land grant rail
way system will be disappointed. 1t fol-
: lows the course of the reports which proceed
ed 1t, and makes no new departure IN the
| character or arrangement of the statistical
statements presented The most important
|, | part is that which relates to the bonded
period. Commissioner Johnson bodily adopts
the recommendations contained Ill the Dill OF
4, | Senator Hoar as reported by the senate
, finance committee i'll the last congress, the
text of the bill being Incorporated in the re-
port and recommended to the secretary OF
the interior. The bill provides for the ex-
,, tension of the bonded period sixty days and
/ for the division of payments into the sink
ing fund into 40 semi-annual instruments
carrying interest at per cent. The pay
ments are graded from nearly S2,ooo,ouU,
, and differ from the Thurman act payments
in not being wholly due within thirty years,
as now required.
THE BURNING OF ASPINwALL.
!, Referring to Secretary Whitney's orders
to the Tennessee and Galena TO proceed 10
, the Isthmus OF Panama to prevent an out
break similar to that which occurred last
!, spring, a naval officer said: I'VE haven't
/ yet received the bill for the burning OF Asp
. inwall, but it will be along this winter.
i Damages to the extent of good many mil
i'll lions of dollars were caused by the burning
E of AspinwaII, and it looks very much as if
: the government would be compelled to foot
7 the bill"
= In explaining his views upon the subject
: | which led him to make this assertion the
!. officer said: I'VE guaranteed to keep the
n transit open. Colombia couldn't do it and
V in the event of its failure, the responsibility
; rested on our shoulders. We opened the
5, transit but before that was done, Aspinwall
/ was burned and millions of dollars worth
L of property was destroyed. The people who
$ suffered will expect remuneration, and as
: | said will send the bill TO us.
> An exploring schooner reports the dis
j covery of a field of coal on the Russian
H shore of Behring straits.
Z, Dr. John G.. Lee, of Philadelphia, per
Z sonal friend of Minister Cox, has been APP
i pointed secretary of legation at Constants
Il nople.
81 The Indian government has formally de
S, clared war against Burmak, with the sane
NJ ton of Queen Victoria, and sent forward
x an invading army of 5000 men.
There are indications that on the opening
NJ of congress the committee on approprla
e lions will be shorn of much of its power by
e. the adoption of a new set of rules
Samuel J. Tilden, Jr., has been appointed
7; internal revenue collector for the Fifteenth