San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-08-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
CFrom our Regular Correspondent


WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug. ,, 1889.
ailv LIGHT.
Neither the state nor the treasury
department. have received any official
etails up to the present in regard to
ne trouble growing out Of the seizure
the British vessels, Black Diamond
nd Triumph, by the revenue cutter
lush in Behring sea. accounts of
hich have heretofore been publish
Id. The treasury department, how
yer, is expecting letter every day
Iom the commander of the Thetis
living all the facts in the case at
ength. The seizure of British YES
els by American cutters for violating
he seal-tishing regulations of the
nited States is not an altogether I'M
Common occurrence. Two or three
ears ago, under Cleveiand's admin
stration, two or three vessels were
aught and turned over to the courts.
10 far as is known, however no suits
we're ever brought by the owners of
hese vessels for indemnity, and no
laims were made by the British
government that the vessels were
lue authority.
The state Department will have
nothing to do with the matter unless
t is made question of diplomacy by
treat Britain. The Canadian gov
,rnment, being only colony and de-
pendent upon the mother country,
;ould do nothing without the sanction
IF Great Britain. The question of jur-
sdiction of the United States over the
3ehring Sea has long been a disputed
me by Great Britain, and the present
difficulty may be the means of the ap-
bointment of a commission for the
inaI settlement of the matter. The
United States claims that Behring
Sea is an interior body of water, over
which it has full jurisdiction in view
pf its purchase of the adjacent country
bf Alaska from Russia, while England
maintains that outside of the marine
eague, under international law the sea
open to all maritime powers.
The commission appointed by Sc
|cretary Noble to investigate the cases
bf rerated pensions by the pension
bffice have decided, it is understood,
TO make a preliminary report to the
Secretary next week. These investi-
cations have been confined to the
bases of reissues during the months
|Of December, 1888, and May, 1889.
They have found that in the month
|Df December there had been 1900
reissues, of which about in Is were
reratings. In May there were about
i 800 reissues, with slight increase
n the number of reratings. The OBJ
ect of this comparison was to ascer-
tain what had been the policy during
the respective administrations Of Gen.
Black and Corporal Tanner, and to
ascertain what, if any, changes had
been made In that policy and il posi-
BILE what were the motives and in
fuence inducing such changes.
Without going into the investiga-
ton very extensively, the commission
have about reached the conclusion
that there has been no radical change
i'm the policy governing rerated cases.
They find that number of small
monthly payments have been increas-
ed 81 per month or so, which, howev-
or, brought up the back pension, since
the cases were first adjudicated, to
considerable sum. The commission
may have something to say about the
reratiDg of pensions of pension office
officials, and if the secretary desires
they will continue their work and
make a more complete investigation
than they have been able to do in the
short time they have been at work.
Reports from Norfolk, respecting
the construction of the Texas, at the
navy yard there, have occasiOned
some loss of equanimity among Off
Gals about the navy department., but
in the absence of Secretary Tracy
definite can be learned. The
reports state that instructions have
been received at the yard to investi-
gate the condition of the Texas and
the progress of the work, with the
result that a court of inquiry will be
and probably court-martial
for several of the officers connected
with the work. Colonel Remey,
Jude advocate General, SAID when
Intercepted, that he knew nothing
upon the subject; it was his under
standing that the work was progress
ing satisfa ctorlly. Commodore Will
repair, declined to be interviewed
upon the subject further than to say
that nothing in the correspondence
between his office and Norfolk navy
yard officials could have given rise to
such reports. He has evidently been
considering the matter, but stated
that what he had to say would be
Flaid to the secretary of the navy.
1t is no secret that much friction
exists between various officials of the
war department. The cause of this is