The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-01-05
ALETTER FROM Mr.. BLAINE.
1t win BE Read at the Boston Merchants
Banquet.


WASHINGTON, January A special
car over the Pennsylvania railroad will
leave here at g. Is Monday afternoon for
Boston, containing party of gentlemen
who will attend the annual dinner of the
| Boston Merchants Association, Thurs
day evening. The party will consist Of
Mr.. Romero, Mexican minister; Senior
Mendonca, Brazilian minister; General
Bolot Peraza, Venezuelan minister; Mr..
Montt, minister from Chill; Representa-
tive j. G. Burroughs, ofMichigan and
VIM. e. Curtis of the Bureau of Ameri-
can Republics. Mr.. Burroughs goes at
the request of Mr.. Blaine to make a
speech on reciprosity. The secretary
originally agreed to go, conditionally,
but the health of Mrs. Blaine will pre-
vent him. He has written a letter which
will be read at the banquet
Missouri Gets the Taxes.
WASHINGTON, January 4.-The United
States Supreme Court today affirmed the
decision of the lower court in the suit
brought by the Pacific Express Company
against the auditor and attorney general
| of Missouri. By this suit the Express
| Company sought to restrain and enioin
the collection of a tax of 81 on each 500
of receipts levied by act of the state leg
islature againss the express companies
doing business within the state. The
company's bill represented that if the tax
was levied on all the company's business
in the state, including that done partly
in Missouri and partly in other states the
tax would amount to $4,000; if levied
only on the business done entirely with
~ |, 4o4<> l.,
| stitutiOnality of the act as an interfer-
ence with interstate commerce, and also
as violation of the 14th amendment Civ
ing equal protection to all, and as CON
trary to the provision of the Missouri
| state constitution requiring all laws to
be uniform. The court in its opinion by
Justice Lamar says the contention that
| the tax is levied upon interstate COM
merce is unsound. 1t says the tax does
not relate to interstate business, but en-
tirely to intrastate busin ess, and is ex-
pressly limited to receipts for business
done entirely within the state, and that
it was not the intention of the legislature
to interfere with or taxi Interstate COM
merce in any way Whatever, The other
points raised, it also holds, were not
well taken for the reason that the tax APP
plies equally to all companies doing ex-
press business.
Mr.. Blaine's Dog Kept His Bone.
From the GalreSton Daily NeaOs.
WASHINGTON, December ga big
English mastiff found a bone this after
noon in front Of Riggs's bank. On his
massive brass collar was, the inscription
"Jose-James G. Blaine, Augusta, Me-"
| Suddenly another do gcame from the di-
rection of the White House, across Penn
sylvania avenue, to capture that bone.
The demand was a savage growl, the
refusal a vicious snarL In two seconds
the pride of the Secretary of State, was
biting and swapping at the other huge
animal, to the intense excitement Of
William, his keeper, and the great delight
of large holiday crowdquickly gathered
to seessthe battle.
The fight lasted fully ten minutes.
| Then the other dog gave up, and Mr..
! Blaine's back yard was bone the richer.
"Dar amt no dog in this var country
dat wants to fool wild Jose,'' chuckled
William, as he trotted behind the VIC
torious canine, who carried his prize in
his mouth. The other animal, Daniel,
very valuable ST. Bernard. is owned by
Mr.. A. l.. Barbour. His injuries were
painful if not serious.
The druggist who attended his wounds
said he had been badly bitten about the
jowls and was suffering from excitement
There were pools of blood in front of the
bank and drug store. Mr. Blaines dog
is much older than Daniel. Each is
worth several thousand dollars, and
several sports who witnessed the en-
counter said it was the highest-toned
Christmas dog fight they had ever at
tended.
"And you notice. remarked one,
''that Mr.. Blaine s.dog got nary scratch
and carried off the bone.;' These dogs
are rivals in the esteem of local dog
fancierS.
Was Boyd Citizen.
WASHINGTON, January 4.-The Boyd
Thayer case involving the question of
the citizenship of Boyd and, as q conse-
quence, his eligibility to the Office of gov
ernor of Nebraska, to which he was
elected, was not decided by the United
States Supreme Court today. Inquiry
into the matter develops the fact that
only eight justices sat in the hearing Of
the case, Justice Bradley being absent
on account of illness. The premature
announcement that the court had decid-
ed the case in favor of Boyd by a vote of
six to three, therefore, cannot be correct
so far as respects the majority by which
the decision is alleged to have been
reached The justices will say nothing
whatever as to the case in advance of the
announcement of the decision from the