The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-22
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
The New Comptroller of the Treasury
Friends Of higgins Petition the
President.


newly-sppointed First COMPTROLLER of the Treas
ury, viii take charge OF his Office early next week.
He requested Judge Lawrence to serve until his
arrival, and that gentleman has consented to do
so.
A petition was presented to ths President to-day
which recites that the petitioners are loyal mem
beTs OF the Democratic party. who as such gave
their cordial support TO the election ri Presinent
Cleveland, and give their unqualified indorse.
ment to the appointment OF Eugene Higgins as
appointment clerk of the Treasury, as a man of
lonor and integrity, and IN every way competent
TO dif chsrRe the duties assigned him. We claim
a. Democrats our right TO cay 10 the Democratic
PIeSice ent and his advisers that no partisan or
fsctional abuse should have any weight whatever
affecting tie tenure of Office OF a competent and
OefelYlDg member OF tho party. Dir. Higgins has
held responsible judiciary places at the hands OF
duties each with credit to himself ana to the
entire satisfaction OF the people OF the city OF
EallmoIe; ane petiaon IS sened by nqmo Der OF
Deputy REGISTER, Comptroller, Deputy Comp
iroller and Librarian, ana by Robert Baldwin and
many firms and citizens of Baltimore
The Solicitor OF the Treasury has approved the
report OF the United States District Attorney of
Chicago, recommending the acceptance OF Mad
sme Arlines offer TO pay SIS 900 in compromise OF
the Governments claim against her.
Attorney General Garland 10 day issued an
der reducing the force of examiners in the Fepart
ment OF Justice from seven to foui.
some months ago the Secretary OF the Interior
made a de session IN the case of the Rancho Moroga
Aiemda Company, of California, holding that the
Rancho was defined by the Highely surveys, aud
that The right OF the Central Pacific and Western
Pacific Railroads of California was attached to
the land excluded from the Rancho by that sur.
vey. The settlers upon the land have appealed to
view ,Sat decision, alleging that the
Hghely surveys improperly bound that tract.
A motion Tor a review has been granted by secre-
Postmaster General Villas to-day called for the
designations OF number OF Postoffice Inspectors
n. Taylor has been appointed Postmaster at
There are fifteen applicants for sonth Caro-.
lima postof ofite. the salary OF which Is only Sll
Senator Fair called upon the President to-day.
He is quietly looking alter the interests OF Nevada
OF the California Democracy.
The publication OF the secret proceedings OF the
Senste. has. in the opinion of Senators, grown -
re intoleIabe. II is not alleged that any mischief
ever resulted from such publication. nor is 10 de-
MED that much good has al times wn out of the
public comments upon the matters which were
under discussion and of the expressions OF the
country's judgment In regard thereto: but the
dignity of the Senate is involved in the matter
To show the extent TO which the publication has
grown IL may be said that IN an executive session
few weeks ago. when the subject was
incidentally referred 10, Senator sherman said he
did not see any necessity for attempting TO con-
ceal the proceedings in exdcutive session since
they were always published. He had read that
morning an scceunt OF the proceedings before
And how straight they got it'' remarked SEN
afOr cameron. OF WfkcOnSin.
"Yes," rejoined Sherman: 'they publish our
secret meetings better than they do our public
ones"
The proceedings OF the Senatorial caucuses, too
while not guarded by the penalties supposed TO
attach TO the publication OF these executive ses
sious are given to the public when they.are im
poriant enough to warrant publication, greatly
10 they annoyance of Senators. In
recent caucus much time was con
The trsDsoms and windows of the rooms were ex-
smined 10 see II listeners might not be hanging
about. and the SUGGESTION was made to withdraw
10 the room OF the Committee Commerce.
which. being in an upper story and baving only n
single entrance. was more easily guarded. 1t wss
then remembered that the only bu.iness OF the
caucus was 10 decide upon the membership of GER
tain committees. which aid not seem to require
more than an ordinary degree OF secresy. and
JIG within a few days Therefore the prop position
Tor removal was abandoned.
The act which hss most deeply distirbed SEN
storal dignity recently was the puoii-
cation p,oi, OF Secretary, gsysrd's letter
bad been distributed 10 the Senators. and mos. OF
them left their copies on their desks at the ad-
jeuInment. The Doorkeepers and others rushed
about from desk 10 desk gathering up the copies
hastily, but In some way the matter got out aud
was found in the papers next day. The executive
session following the publication is said TO have
been unusually interesting and the Committee on
Privileges snd Elections was directed TO take the
matter into consideration and devise ways and
Il 1ecutive secrets proposition was made TO er-
rest and punish correspondents who should be
Btilty Oi pupileuluk executive secrets, out
Mr.. voorhees, called tention 10 the experience OF
the Stnate on a former occasion when the sug-
gestfd course had been resorted to and resulfed
in failure. There was no law under which IL
could be done. he said. Then the suggestion was
made and discussed to pass a law making 10 a
penal ohense to publish the secret oceedings of
the Senate.
The proposition was abandoned upon n sugges-
tion that the House of Representatives.. which en-
tertained some old-fashiobed notions regarding
the freedom OF the press. and which mad its own
opinion OF the dignity of the Senate would prob
Several other propositions were then made aud
discussed. One was TO deny access TO the repOr.
tsr's gallery 10 the representatives, of any paper
which should publish the proceedings of execu-
tive sessions. Another was TO employ detectives
to find out how the proceedings reached the ears
gestion was made that the contingent fund be IN
creased py g. 5.CC0.
Senator Mcpherson did not wholly concur in
oil that was proposed TO be DONE and satd in sub
stance that he did not see that any harm had TO-
suited from the publication OF Secretary Bayard's
writer wss willing IL should be given out and the
seDaie Itself would have given tho document TO
the press few hours later had such not been
rendered unnecessary. TcereuDon the wnole mat
ter was referred 10 the Co1r,ittee Privileges
and Elections, with instructions substantially to
meDts became pu blic property. and the commit
tee held Its meeting next morning
The COMMITTEE on Rules had the same subject
under consideration to-day. but nothing OF their
proceedings has become known beyood the fact
that IL took steps TO provide the Senate with an
have now devised plan by which Senatorial Sc
cres will be so carefully guarded it VIII be imposs-
ible Tor newspaper men 10 learn anything ABOUT
them.