The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-08-20

announced from Toxic, and that its pro
mitigation by the two governments will
take place Immediately thereafter. Infor
nation has been received that Japan has
accepted the amendments made by the
senate wSen 1t ratified the treaty In June
The treaty Is similar in general terms with
that existing between the United States
and Great Britain.
An officer OF the United States army, sent
by General Mackenzie TO investigate the
army or Mexico, reports standing force
OF forty thousand men, divided between
| four great military districts. Ten new bat.
terles OF field guns have of late years been
imported from France. There is a factory
officers come from the national military
school nc Chapultepec, and the rank and
| fe are the lowest OF the poems. The food
supply Is the simplest in the world.
The internal revenue department is max.
Ing slow progress in preparing to enforce
have been received to the circular letters
sent out to the various collectors of internal
| revenue throughout the country asking
their advice and suggestions, and the re-
| plies received convey but little infOrma-
ton. The only officer who seems to have
grasp OF the subject Is Collector Stone, of
Chicago. and 1t Is probable he will be
ordered on 10 Washington to assist Com
missioner Miller In preparing the necessary
| regulations.
An irregularity in the observance of the
law rs TO the tax on tobacco has been dis
covered In New Orleans and In other south
| ern and western cities. The law requires
that even the smallest package of tobacco
shall be stamped, and the lowest dApomina-
ton OF stamp provided is for a t.sAe-ounce
| packet A number of New Orle:sns manu-
| facturers have been putting up two one
| and-a-half ounce packages and binding
| them together with one 3 cent stamp. The
internal revenue Office has issued OF tiers for
| the seizure OF all packages SO put up.
| A high official here says there Is nothing
! strange in the idea of sending II special en-
voy 10 Mexico. Secretary Bayard has, done
the same thing In the Samoan difficulty.
lie also says that the salaries and duties OF
the consulates at Apia and Ell Paso are SO
small that 1t is impossible to. get tirst-class
diplomates to take the posts. Consequent
| ly, when any unexpected trouble arises, 1t
| is the policy of the state department to send
q special envoy to gather the points in the
| case, so that the matter may be adjusted
directly by the department.
The president has appointed William II.
| Webster chief examiner for the civil-servlce
| commission, to succeed Lyman, recently
| promoted to be a member of the civil-ser-
| vice commission. Webster is, a republican,
and now chief OF a division in the pension
office. He has been president OF the tie
partment examination board of the civil
| service commission since its organization.
| There were dozen candidates for the posi-
| ton. He is chief of the medical board of
| examiners in the pension office, an Old SOL
| der. college graduate, and man who
has been in the department. service long
| time.
The ciyil-seryice commission has decided
| upon new rule which will shortly be put
| in operation providing for the marking of
| all examination papers ut the central Office
| In this city. 1t Is complained that under
the present system of marking by the local
Nt..nv. ls.t Inc fIlNn m
much inequality, favoritism. and injustice
of different sorts. Hereafter, under this
new rule, the local examiners must send
all examination papers 10 the headquarters
| OF the commission in this city. The COM
mission has now under consideration the
project of bringing under eivil-servce rules
| every postoftice from which carrier deliy-
cry Is made.
The chief Of the division OF abandoned
property has prepared rules to govern the
restoration of certain property captured by
the army during the civil war and deposited
consists OF silverware, Jewelry, portraits,
watches, etc. 1t is contained in two boxes,
one being devoted to articles captured by
Gen. Sherman's troops in Camden, 5. o., in
from prisoners OF war who died in hospitals
around Washington, Cape Lookout, and
Eimira, and from union soldiers who died
near those places. An inventory of the
articles has been made and they Will be re-
stored upon the presentation of satisfactory
evidence of ownership.
The board of review in the general land
Office is pushing the work OF revising claims
prior to their being patented. In the first
half of the current month the board ap-
proved and held for further evidence home
stead and presumption claims as follows:
From six land districts in Dakota. 8, 922
claims approved; LAOS held for further
evidence; total, $3.50. Five districts in
Colorado, approved, $50; held for further
evidence, 1876; total, 752 Seven districts,
one each IN Nebraska. Idaho, Minnesota,
Kansas, California, Washington territory,
and Utah, S73 approved 152 held for
further evidence; Total, LIS. Grand total,
| 5,451 approved; 1,Sl6 held tor additional
evidence; total, 1921
| Civil-Serviee Commissioner Oberly's name
is connected with more offices than that OF
| any other man IN public life. Whenever an
Office is likely 10 become vacant, 1t Is im-
| mediately asserted that Oberly is to be
| selected to fill the vacancy. The last two
stories of the kind are to the effect that he
is to succeed Rounds as public printer, and
that Assistant Secretary Of State Porter Is
going to resign and give up his office to the
versatile IllInoisan. 1t is asserted, however,
that the president is not going to appoint q
successor to Mr.. Rounds until he returns
from his vacation, and Mr.. Oberly stoutly
denies that he has emotion OF leaving the
commission. He says that he did have an
idea at one time that he would like to be
public printer, but he is now interested in
the affairs of the civil-servicr commission
and is contented with his position.
1t is again reported that Treasurer Jordan
contemplates sending i'm his resignation.
1t is also said that he does not quite agree
with Secretary FairchId on financial ques-
tons. He was very much opposed to the
$40, 200, 0J0 bond call which was issued re-
Gently His policy, which, it is believed,
Secretary Manning would have carried
out was to call in no more bonds than the
law required for the sinking fund Mr..
Fairchiid is also radical in his ideas OH
this subject. 1t Is thought that as long as
he remains at the head of the department
he will act upon the policy indicated by the
present call. In that case, it is asserted
that Mr.. Jordan will resign as soon rs he
becomes convinced that Mr.. Manning will
not resume his place at the head of the de-
partment.
One of the civil service commissioners is
quoted as saying with regard to the APP
pontment Of Mr.. Webster, u Republican,
| as chief examiner OF the civil service COM
mission: ut was precisely IN the line Of
promotion. and it was only carrying out
the policy OF the president in making the
civil-service machinery as free from the
suspicion of partisanship as possible. The
president is determined that there shall