The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-11-27
TELEGRAPHIC DISPATCHES,
Of the past week condensed.
WASHINGTON NEWS.

The number of grain distilleries registered
during the year was ll95, of which only
9l8 were operated.
The report of the tobacco industry for the
last fiscal year shows gratifying results.
Not only has there been small increase in
the amount of taxes collected, but there
has been u marke increase of manufactured
products, andan unusually large increase of
the quantity of these products exported to
foreign countries.
The first auditor of the treasury has dis
allowed two months pay of the governor of
Alaska, Oh the ground that his pay did not
commence until he entered upon the actual
discharge of his duties The tw" months
for which pay has been disallowed were
cupied in going to Alaska.
The presidents message has been sub
stantially COM pleted in its most important
parts. One question on which he is likely
to disagree with the democratic majority in
the house is the proposed suspension of sill
yer coinage and equalization of the silver.
with the gold dollar 1t is known that he
adheres to the policy of his letter addressed
to Bland, Warner and Reagan, on the p of
February, 1885, and is prepared to reinforce
the arguments then used by the experience
of the treasury during the last six months.
Total expenses for the service duri' 6 the
past year were about g. Q of the amount col
lected. Six hundred and twenty-fo vio-
1ations of the internal revenue laws have
been reported by revenue agents during the
wear and 2A persons have been arrested on
their infor nation. Property to the amount
ofisl7 |. .0J! has been reportedfer seizure and
So, S69 for assessments flor unpaid taxes
ami peat i,s the commissioner rec nm
Nnends an increase in the number Of revenue
agents.
A gentleman high in the diplomatic ser
vice of a foreign government, in speaking OF
the Chinese difficulties which have occurred
in the western states and territories, said
that when the first attack was made upon
the Chinese word was sent by the Chinese
minister to Col. Bee, who represented the
Chinese six companies at San Francisco, to
thoroughly investigate the circumstances
surrounding the case and submit report
covering the whole ground. Col. Bee dih |
so and sent on his report which was sent
by the Chinese minister at Washington to
Marquis Tseng, who is now in London, but
who will shortly return to China, to assume !;
a position in the imperial council, which
corresponds to our cabinet. 1t is said that |
soon after his return demand will be
made upon the United States by the Chi
nese government for reparation and indemni-
ty for all suffering and injury to which
Chinese have been subjected, as a result of
various outbreaks against them. The ques-
tion to be determined is whether this gov
ernment has been guilty of any violations Of
the provisions of the Burlingarne treaty.
Commissioner Sparks has recently made
an influence upon the coursesof transactions
in public lands. He has decided, in SUBJ
stance, that Communication of homestead is
in effect and law the turning of the entry
into pre-emption, and as such illegal, when
claimant has previously had the benefit of
the pre-emption law. Since the passage of
the homestead law it has become almost
universal practice for settlers to secure
claims under both chat and the pre-emption
law in addition to which they have usually
taken the benefit of the timber culture law,
thus aggregating under the three laws, a
maximum estate of 4S0 to each settler. 1t
has been customary to take up pre-emp.
tion and stree claim" at once, and after the
shortest necessary interval to mortgage the
former for enough to pay the government
price of it, wher, having secured title, the
settler was at liberty to move away and
take the benefit of the homeatead law. The |
ruling of the commissioner is calculated to
do away with this practice. 1t leaves the
settler still a right to either homestead or
pre- -emption In addition to his ''tree-claim
and, as far as the ruling itself goes. it leaves
him a right to secure pre-emption in the
usual way, aud then secure homestead by
living upon the land five years; but the lat
ter right General Sparks does not concede
The ruling prohibiting Communication of
homestead clsims by persons who have pre-
viously been preemptoss, will still, he be-
lieves, have an important result in prevent
ing, to considerable extent, speculations in
claims. The obligation to live five years
upon a claim is test of good faith to which
only actual farmers who desire land for
their own cultivation will care to submit.