Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-01
CAPITOL TOPICS.
OF Interest to the Army.


The House military affairs committee has
agreed to offer an amendment to the army
appropriation bill providing that when the
number of majors in the adjutant generals
department is reduced to four 1t shall not
be increased.
Another amendment provides that vacan-
cies in the lowest grades Of the quarter
master general, subsistence, pay and judge
advocate generals offices shall be filled by
appointment from the next lowest grade IN
the army. The effect of this amendment
will be to prevent the filling OF such vacan-
cies from civil life.
Agricultural Appropriation Bill.
The bill making appropriations for the
support of the Department of Agriculture for
the fiscal year 1905 has been completed by
the House committee on agriculture. The
amounts appropriated by the bill have not
yet been footed up, but they will approx
mate a total of s2.45O.OOO as compared with
an appropriation Of $2,59S.0OO for the cur
rent fiscal year.
Conservative reductions in the salaries
of employees and expenses of the depart
ment have been made by the committee
the reduction in the appropriation for the
weather bureau alone amounting to about
$4,000 from last year. For the purchase
and distribution of seeds the bill appropri-
ateS $4,000 as compared with $35,OOO for
the present year.
A new feature of legislation is a provision
appropriating $4,000 to enable the depart
ment to investigate and report upon the
nutritive value of the various articles and
commodities used for human food. with
special suggestion of full. wholesome aud
edible rations less wasteful and more eco
nomical than those in common use.
To Pay a Church for Damages.
Representative Jones Of Virginia has in
troduced bill in the House to pay Shiloh
Methodist Church in Fredericksburg $1,000
for use and destruction of the edifice by
federal forces during the war.
Confirmed by the senate.
The Senate has confirmed the nominations
of James Yeomans to be interstate COM
merce commissioner, and the following Bal
timore appointments: Ormond Hammond
to be assistant treasurer of the United
States; Frank T. Shaw, to be collector of
customs: Barnes Compton, to be naval Of
ficer. and c. Ridgeley Goodwin to be sur
veyor of customs. The injunction of secrecy
was not removed from any of these NOM
nations. Other combinations were:
To be members Of the California debris
commission, Col. George H. Mendell Lieut.
Col w. H. H. Benyaurd and William H.
Heuer.
Charles r. Bisbee, collector of customs
for the district OF st. Johns Fla.
w. H. Turbett, receiver Of public moneys
at Des Moines, Iowa.
Also several postmasters.
Will Meet Opposition.
The present expectation is that Repre-
sentative Dockery will. after the army ap-
preparation bill is disposed of by the House,
call up the report of the joint congressional
commission on proposed changes in ac-
counting methods in the Treasury Depart
ment Involved in these claims are the
abolition Of the office of the second con-
troller and the disposition Of the services
OF large number of clerks and some minor
employees. The report of the commission
has been severely criticised in many quar-
tiers, and the prospects are that when ii Is
called up for consideration IL will give rise
to an interesting and prolonged debate. The
army bill will be disposed OF early in the
present week.