Arizona weekly citizen., 1889-06-01
THE NATIONAL CAPITOL. The Samoan Commission--Alaska
 Affairs--The Judgeship-An Im-- portant tDecision.-OtherI Items.
CFrom Cur Regular Correspondent


 Secretary Blaine's department has been
 the center of interest this week to those
 interested in the foreign policy of the Government and that means about ev-
 erybody, First came cablegram stating that the Samoan commission
 sitting at Berlin had refused to agree
 to the demands of the United States,
 the English and German respresenta-
 tives voting together; then another cablegram stating that all demands of the United States had been agreed to. Secretary Blaine was appealed to by the newspaper men to decide which, if either of these reports were true, but he declln- ed, on the ground that it would be a violation of international courtesy to discuss the matter until the commiss- ion had finished its work and its mem- bers reported to their respective govern ments.
 Secretary Tracy, who, by the way, is rapidly making record Tn the Navy Department, also got his share of at tention from the newspaper men this week, owing to a report that the English government had determined to send a man-of-war to Alaska to protect the British vessels engaged in the illicit talk ing of seals in Alaskan waters and to prevent their seizure by the United States authorities under the Presidents proclamation issued some weeks ago. The report said that the United States steamer Thetis had been ordered to pro- ceed to Alaska at once and see that the Presidents proclamation was strickly carried out at all hazards. Secretary Tracy said that he had no official infor- nation as to the sending or intention to send a British war-vessels to Alaskan waters for any purpose and that the Thetis had been ordered to cruise around Point Barrow for the purpose in aiding in the establishment of a refuge station at that place. He added significantly: No American Naval officer would need a special order to cause him to insist on the provisions of any proclamation on which the President might see fit to is uee being carried out.
 It is said that the friends of Judge Wood of the Federal Court of Indiana have intimated to the President that if the seat on the bench of the United States Supreme Courtmade vacant by the death of Justice Matthews, is to be | given to Indiana-and they think it | should be-that Judge Woods, and not | Attorney General Miller, is the man to | whom it should be given. These gen tlemen argue that it would not be good | politics for the President to make this personal, when it causes him to ignore the just political claims of man in every way qualified to fill the position with credit to all concerned.
 Public printer Palmer has made few changes this week, the most of them re- of men discharged by Ben sdict on account of their politics. He is anxious to make them faster but he has had such stream of visitors that he las not had time.
 ~ At the last session of the United States Supreme Court decision was handed Town that has created sensation in the General Land office, because it may eff ect thousands of land titles that have passed and are now passing through that ,ffice. Oaths taken before the clerk of any court of record or notary public lave from time immemorial been allow d by the Land Office officials. Now he Supreme Court has decided that ,aths taken by United States officials in and cases before State notaries are not binding. The Land Commissioner has equested the Assistant Attorney Gen ral for the Interior department to fur lish him with an official opinion defin- ng the scope and actual meaning of the decision referred to.
 Commissioner Tanner denies the pub ished report that the appropriation for tensions for the current fiscal year is lready exhausted. The way the report 'ot out was that Commissioner Tanner rev from the Treasury the remainder f the appropriation in order to meet the emands made on the various agencies turing this, the last quarter of the fiscal ear. He says that all demands will be 1et, 80 that no pensioner need worry bout having to wait for his money.
 Again it has bean found necessary to educe the time that the president is ac- essible to the office seekers. That is Il very we'll as far as it goes. It shuts ut the little fellows, but there can be o shortening of the hours that the "big uns" may call in. They call when they lease and they generally see the Presi- ent too. That's what makes the little elbows mad.
 Secretary Blaine will give diplomatic xcursion to Mount Vernon, on Monday ext, in honor of Sir Julian Pauncefote, he new British minister.