Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-13
RAILWAYS AND CANALS,


Ing to-day further discussed the form of its
report upon the investigations made last sum.
mer. Mr.. Hewitt's draft is under discussion
for amendment. The report may be presented
TO the House next week.
THE RESIGNATION OF MR.. CURTIN,
Of Pennsylvania, from the craftsmanship of tho
committee on banking and currency devolves
the duties Of that position upon Mr.. Miller, of
Texas, unless the committee elects some other
of Its members to preside over its deliberations,
House.
THE NAVAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
met to-day and appointed the following sub
committees: On Organization of the Navy
Hewitt, McAdoo, Herbert, Harmer and Golf.
cruiting-Wise Ballentine, Sayers, Thomas,
Boutelle. Construction and Repairs and Steam
Engineering-Herbert, Lore. Hewitt, Golf and
Ballentine, Norwood and Buck. Ordnance and
Navy Yards-McAdoo, Sayers, Lore, Harmer
and Bontelle. Navigation and supplies-Nor-
Capitol Topics.
APPOINTMENTS ON THE HOUSE SIDE.
The following appointments have been made
In the House: A. G. Long, messenger; VIM.
Waldo, page; II. M. Beadle clerk to committee
on public buildings and grounds; C. A. Lawson,
Gee, assistant clerk to invalid pensions; G. 81.
Singleton. clerk to committee on library; J. H.
Hickcox, clerk to civil service reform commit
laborer; A. F. Atkinson, laborer.
THE DAKOTA ADMISSION QUESTION.
The House committee on territories met this
morning, and the Dakota matter and Mr..
Townshend's bill for the establishment of the
state of Oklahoma out of the Indian Territory
were referred to subcommittee. There was no
general discussion and nothing to indicate the
attitude of the committee on the question of
committee wants to get ali the facts in the case
before coming to any conclusion and the mat
ter will be very thoroughly examined. Mr..
having charge of the Dakota matter. The
only bill in connection with the territory be-
fore 1 them ea is an enabling act under which It
| admission. The proposition for admission
| at once is In no way before them and probably
The impression in the House is that the terri
tory will have to be admitted, but that 1t will
the longest legitimate way Of getting at it.
PUNISHMENT OF INDIANS FOR CRIME.
The President yesterday transmitted to the
Senate letters from the Secretary of the Interior
and commissioner of Indian affairs, enclosing
draft of bill intended to amend the act of
March Sd, 1885, relating to the trial and pun.
| ishment of Indians for murder. arson, rape, lar
| ceny and other crimes. The commissioner
| says Indians should be punished for crime the
same as white men, but thinks that the ex-
penses attending the arrest conviction and
punishment of the Indians, who bear no pOr-
ton of the public burdens, should be betrayed
| pie OF the territories. He says Indians are not
| at present tried for otfenses committed against
each other, because the territories refuse to
bear the expense.
The President yesterday transmitted to the
Senate the reply of the Secretary of State to the
resolution of the Senate calling on the President
for any report or map OF railway or canal sur
the Department. The secretary say on that
careful examination of the archives of the De-
partment of State fails to discover "any report
| of an actual instrumental survey of line for a
| ship railroad across the Isthmus OF Tchaunte-
! pee, or any map Of the same, or of any canal Or
| canals designed to connect such ship railway
with the Gulf OF Mexico or the Pacific ocean,"
| CONTRIBUTIONS BY THE SENATE.
The Senate in executive session yesterday
confirmed the following nominations: George
| A. jerks, Assistant Secretary of the Interior;
| Henry l.. Muldrow, First Assistant Secretary
| of the Interior; William E. Mclean, first deputy
commissioner of PENSIONS; Joseph j. Bartlett,
second deputy commissioner ofpensions; Rob
ert b. Vance, assistant commissioner of pat
sns OF SeT wam
Smith, OF New York, Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury; Conrad n. Jordan, of New Jersey,
collector Internal revenue Tor the second dis
trict of Kentucky; George H. Dawson, collector
C. A. Dougherty, Of Pennsylvania, to be secre.
| tary OF legation at Rome. Also several army
| promotions and a large number of postmasters.
as last as they could be read, the Senate
| reached that OF a Delaware postmaster, whose
predecessor had been removed TO make q
vacancy. An inquiry as to the cause of the
predecessors removal developed the TACT that
| the committee on post offices and post roads
| had no information on the subject. This gave
rise TO an hours discussion of the abstract right
| of the Senate to Information of this character
Some republicans denied that the former post
merely on partisan grounds. Although no
| specific charges were alleged against the dis
mic 1f,tf Inn,
jority in favor of bis successor and this was re-
garded as another Endorsement of the Presi-
dent.
A CALL AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
The members of the House committee on
! foreign affairs called in body at the State de-
partment this morning, and formally paid their
respects to Secretary Bayard.
THE FOURTH OF JULY CLAIMS"
Representative McMillan's bill for the pay
| ment of certain claims for quartermasters
| stores, known as "The Fourth OF July Claims, !"
was reported favorably by the committee on
claims yesterday. 1t carries several hundred
thousand dollars, distributed among claimants
| In several OF the states.
THE PROPOSED POLAR ECLIPSE EXPEDITION.
The bill introduced in the House Monday
by MIR. Morrison, authorizing the Secretary of
| the Navy to fit out an expedition to observe
the total eclipse of the sun, on the 29th of
August, 1886, and to detail q vessel of the
navy n d to transport the expedition to and from
the port Of Benguela, west coast of Africa ,apprO
pirates $4,000 for the purpose.
NOTES.
senator Sherman will leave here for Columbus,
by the Baltimore and Ohio road, at 10 minutes
past 10 O'Clock this evening, and expects to
arrive at Columbus at LAO p. m. tomorrow.
Mr.. VIM. +. Fort, young newspaper man of
Utica, N. Y. has been appointed clerk of the
House committee on accounts, of which Mr.
Spriggs Is chairman.
Inc committee on claims met yesterday and
adopted q number of rules for its government
The first rule authorizes the chairman to ap-
point i've subcommittee OF three members
each, which shall be known as the first, second
third, fourth and fifth subcommittee, and re-
main as constituted during the present Congress
->O<-
The Inns and The Outs.
VARIOUS VIEWS OF CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
The civil service reform committee will prob
ably meet the latter part Of this week. No test
OF the sentiment of the committee has been
made, but it is certain that they will study the
question very carefully before recommending
any action. The chairman, Mr.. Cox, IN. c., is
trying to test the sentiment of the House as far
as possible by talking ON the subject with men,
Ders OF both parties. There Is quite q strong
sentiment among certain democrats to reach
the clerks, who got into the civil service before
the present law went into effect, by requiring
places.
There are many republicans in the House
VINO would like to see all the republican Office
00lOofS. int ho clo 8o6