Milford chronicle., 1891-07-03
COMMUNICATlONS.
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON, June 90, 1891.
The President is working diligently in
order to get the executive business in such
shape that he can spend Independence day
with his family at Cape May Point and
unless something now unforeseen shall oc
cur he will leave here on Friday and will
not return for several weeks.
At the last Cabinet meeting the business
of the Government for several months to
come was mapped out The last silver act
leaves il discretionary with the Secretary OF
the Treasury whether any part Of the silver
bullion purchased each month shall be coined
into standard silver dollars, bur as the minis
will be kept busy for several months in coin
I ing the trade dollar bullion and the old and
defaced fractional silver currency now in the
Treasury as provided for by act Of Congress,
it was decided to defer the question Of the
continuation Of the coinage Of silver dollars
until fall Il was also decided that the state
ment Of the cash in the Treasury should
after July /, be made in the form which was
used when Senator Sherman was Secretary
Of the Treasury This is a compliment TO
Senator Sherman, as we'll as a return to the
common sense methods which were in vogue
when he was at the head Of the Treasury
Department, and It is generally commended.
Secretary Rusk has informed Senator
Paddock, who was here in search Of infor-
nation, that he has unofficial information
that the governments of both Germany and
France have decided in view Of the recent
establishment by the Agricultural depart
ment Of microscopic examination Of por.
tions Of every carcass to admit free of all
restrictions American dressed pork, and he
expects that the official DEGREES will be pro
mulgated in both countries before the first
ofnext October
Everything is in readiness for the official
transfer this week of the weather bureau
from the War department to the Agricultural
department. II is expected that General
Greedy, the present head ofthe Signal Ser
vice, and several Of his scientific assistants
will for a time assist in running the bureau
Much interest is felt by the scientific staff
of the Agricultural department in the ex
periments which have been recently made
here to produce rain by exploding artificial
gases in the air, and they believe that it will
prove a success. II is soon to be practically
tested in the arid regions of either Texas or
Kansas, and then we shall see whether
science can control the rainfall.
At the close of business at the Treasury
department Saturday afternoon there was
cash surplus on hand, exclusive Of the twenty
odd million dollars on deposit with the
national banks and about the some quantity
of fractional silver in the Treasury, S.. 5o6,- |
2o3. By adding these sums together there 1
is a surplus of nearly $50, 1000, 900, which |
doesn't look much like that deficit Of which |
imaginative Democrats have been making |
a nightmare for some time past.
For some time the Ordnance department |
of the Army has been trying to find a suit
able carriage upon which to mount the new
twelve-inch bTeech-loading rifed mOrtars
intended for harbor defense. At last it has
and a contract has been made
for eight carriages of the Russian type which
has stood the recent severe tests at Sandy
Hook, with a Providence, r. l. firm, which
control the American rights Of the patentees
sII 500 is to be paid for each Of these car
-iages for the first eight but # seventeen
nOTe Of them are ordered within one year
hey are to be furnished at SIo,7so each.
Ex-senator ingalls, delivered a lecture to-
lay before the Glen Echo Chatauqua now
II session Just above Washington on the
ranks of the Potomac river, and from the
aTge crowd which went out to hear him It
s evident that he has lost none Of the draw {
ng qualities which have so often jammed Z
he Senate galleries in days gone by. I
If the informal conference with Canadian :
hicials on reciprocity which the President {
ct for next October, is not declared of, which Z
thought to be among the probabilities J
he Canadians will aprobablY discover that c
hey have not helped their cause any by 7
iakiug public Informal communications {
etween Secretary Blaine and Sir Julian a
on the subject which those gen. 2
emen had agreed should be considered y
onfdential. The Canadians have also mis- S
presented Mr.. Blaine in order to make it Z
ppear that the proposition for a conference a
rst came from him. c