Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-02-24
WASHINGTON.


~AAS " u
The Bell Telephone salt
WAsHrxersS. FEB. 2.-Soiici.sr Geu-
efai cood= said today tha: nothing has
Set been s-stisd With regard TO the tine
snd place Of fling sGit against ib= Bell
Telephone Company. /; 10 expected,
ho~sVer, that proceedings will Be- iusti-
saied before the close % the present
week.
Eatry Of Public Lands
bull 20 confirm entries Of i4ads OF
tue United states vas reported 10 Law by
Senator Van yyck from the s4na.e
Committee on Public Lands. I. pro
vid-s that any entry heretofore made IL
conformity with the rules, reRulstiOus
aud decisions of the General Land
Oihe- at the time, shsli be adjadged IN
tss same fnanCer as II said rules, reGu
tstions and decisions had rot b4en re-
Versed or modified; provided that such
entry mast have been made in good
iaItn and no CT ages OF fraud been made
aeainS TIE sane tie purpose of tie
OH u TO quiet the sppr-hensions o.
settlers Sho fear that sou- of the rul
ings OF Commissioner General Sparks
may have the Effect OF canceIling sisIms
NVAc N1hCl kDpQ E1fLu
the laws IS nterpfeted by former Com
mlssioners. He proposes, therefore, to
CRYSTALLINE certain well recognized prin-
cipies OF practice into statute.
siiIs Intrsda ced.
Among the bills introduced in the
Senate today are the following:
BY Senator Stanford, to establish q
Quarantine station at the port of san
frsnci-co. to be upder the supervision
OF the Marine Hospital service. Il ap-
propriates 100000 for the purchase Of
grounds and the erection of suitable
bindings for the purpose. and provides
that the use thereof may be from time
to time granted the Authorities OF the
health departments of the city and
county OF San Francisco and of the
State Of California upon the condition
that thsy shall assume the expense of
maintaining the station.
By Senatar Call. providing that in all
cases OF homestead entry where the
| homesteader or his widow or his chll
dreu resided upon and cultivated tine
land for i've years. the patents therefor
shall be granted. although inal proof
Vas not made within tie time required
by law. and such proof may be made at
any time and patent be ob.ainsd for the
| same.
By Van Wyck. authorizing that the
proceeds of the hiking funds created
oy the Thurman act be used IN the con.
s,ruction of branch railroads and tele-
graph lines 1t creates a Board, to CON
sist Of the Secretary of tue Treasury,
the Secretary of the Interior, and the
Presidents Of the Union Pacific and
paa,Ea la aka
convert into money the securities now
| on deposit In the Treasury as a sinking
fund to pay at maturity the Indebtedness
| OF those companies, aud to use the same
to construct branch railroads and teie-
graph lines to connect with the linss of
said companies. II provides in detail
for the manner of construction, the
rates to be charged. and for other nat
tiers connected with the construction
and operation of such roads and lines.
The CabIset Meeting.
The Cabinet meeting today WAS main
ly devoted to consideration of tue
general question of promotion in the
army ana navy, particularly as to the
wisdom of giving the preference in snch
matters to officers soon to be retired and
who in fact are unfit at the time of pro
nOtion for active service. ihe general
sentiment was adverse to sooh prone
ton, except in especially meritorious
Gases.
Report on the Morrison Biii.
Hewitt, representing the minority OF
the Committee on ways and Means, to
day submitted report on the Morrison
bill directing payment of the Surplus
in the Treasury exceeding xl000O0,000
IN liquidation of the national debt.
The effect Of the resolution" says the
report, "if enacted into organic Law
would be to reduce the balance ia the
Treasury available for the payment of
its current Indebtedness, and for the re
demption of legal tender notes to 500.
100000. IL makes no provision for re-
plenishiDg tbs Treasury when the avail
able balance shall fall below $l00, 900,
700. The question thus presented is
whether, 10 view Of the obligations and
functions of the Treasury a. now de-
lined by Law, the proposed Limitation on
the balance now held for meeting iiaoil
tiles payable on demand is prudent and
safe. In view of the pledge of the Uni
ted States to redeem all It's ind sbtedness
in coin or its equivalent, the unaersipn-
ed believe that sucs Limitation would be
unwise. dangerous and at variance with
the experience Il solvent nations or
sound financial institutions.
The ordinary disbuis ments of the
Treasury may be roughly stated to
amount to $l00, 10000. To meet this
disbursement II IS necessary that q rea
sonable working balance shonid be kept
on hand, because at times current ex.
peuditures largely exceed daily re
eeipts. Careful business firms USUALLY
carry balance eQaal to one months
disbursements. Measured by this
standard-and lower one could no,
.fely be adopted because the Secretary
of the Treasury has no power to make
temporary loans-the working balance
Ia the Treasury should be about $780,.
000, 600. Taat this amount is no too
large will be apparent from the fact
that In the Pension Bureau alone drafts
for $40 100000 will be made on the 10,
Of March, and the that amount Of prob
able payments under the Arrears 40,
cannot be fixed for any specified date.
| But beside the current expenditures
provided for by Law, the United States
mas q totally distinct eolieation-to pro
vide for the debt payable en- demand in
the shape Of $St6, 6sl ole OF legal tender
notes. These notes form about one.
half Of the paper currency. They con
stitute the Anal means Of payment he
tween individuals and Of settlement in
all transactions of business. Ii IL ab-
solstely necessary, therefore, that ability
60 redeem these notes in coin should
be at all times assured beyond perad
venture The only question is as to the
amount Of coin which will constitute a
reasonable and adequate reserve To
determine this point We have no other
guides tnan usage and experiences. In
the case OF gold and silver certificates,
the Treasury keeps dollar fer dollar.
bat Ia the case OF legal tender notes, 1t
has not been usual 30 have at any time
| In the Treasury q reserve in coin ex
cesdine one half Of the whole issue Of
such notes- When specie PAYMENTS
we're resumed she bonds Of the United
states we're sold 50 a. 30 provide a fund
amounting TO fg5, 500. 900 In gold for the
purpose OF assuring the redemption Of
nstes. which. as the Lag then provided,
we're 10 be reduced by cancellation to
$50 90, 900. IL Was certainly not con
sidered safe To begin resumption With
less than one third, and As q matter OF
fact the available balance in the Treas