The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-12-21
AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
4 BILL TO REGULATE THE PRICE or
 BERTHs IN PULLMAN.


 Bench.
 tFrom Our Washington correspondent.I
 Washington, D. C.. Dec. 1s.-From the present outlook 1t now seems ap- parent that congress will do very little business besides the passage of the ap- propriation bills. although no doubt a great part of the session will be taken up in the discussion of the financial conditions of the country and the con- sideration of bills to improve the same.
 A bill which will bring joy to tho hearts of the travelling public, if pass ed, is one introduced by Representative Fielder of New Jersey one day this week to regulate prices of Pullman berths. It provides that passengers shall not be charged more that one-half cent a mile for lower berths and one third of a cent mile for upper berths. The bill provides also that not more than one-half cent 0 mile shall be charged for seat in parlor car, and that sleeping car companies shall pro- vide a safe for the safe keeping of pas sengers' valuables, free of cost. A penalty of S100 Is imposed for every vio- lation of any of the bilrs provisions.
 Outside of the financial discussion among the officials and others, the main topic of the week, and one in which many people are interested, is, what will President Cleveland do with Will liam l.. Wilson when the latter's term as congressman from West Virginia ex- pires March 4? There is considerable talk to the effect that MT. Cleveland will fill the next vacancy on the United States supreme bench by the appoint ment of MT. Wilson.
 MT. Wilson, who Is as we'll known throughout the country as the presi- dent himself is a college professor and Q lawyer of high sanding, as was shown by his tariff fight. It is stated that President Cleveland feels that MT. Will son failed of a reelection to congress because of his action on the tariff, in which he so loyalty stood by the ad- ministration and the principles of tar if reform, and by his party, which should in turn stick by him. The ap- pointment of Mr. Wilson would no doubt be an excellent one. as he has a mind we'll trained for such a position, and his colleagues, both democrats and republicans, would be glad to see him a supreme court justice.
 Probably few people have taken the trouble to read the income tax law care fully, and state, county and municipal officers who have counted on paying the tax will be relieved to learn that so far as their salaries go they are not liable to pay the same, and they are the only class of people With a gross income of over $4,O00 who are exempt from paying the tax, where their sala- ries go to make up their income, 1t not being competent for congress under the constitution of the United States to impose a tax upon the salary of g. judi cial officer of a state, or for a state to impose a tax on the salary of govern ment officer, although the government may impose a tax on its own officers, and does by the income tax law. This question was decided some years ago by the highest courts, when a collector of internal revenue in Massachusetts, acting under acts of congress passed during the civil war, taxing incomes assessed tax upon the salary of a judge of probate, whose salary was fix. ed by law and payable out of the state treasu
 The report of United States Treasurer Daniel N. Morgan of Connecticut, ,whicf was issued short time ago, sets forti in a clear, concise and business-lik' manner the doings of the departmen l for the past year, and contains mucl interesting data outside of the tabulat ed statements necessary in such re port. The report shows that since thu government began the issue of pape money the amount of new pieces pu in circulation during the last fiscal yea has been exceeded in any like perio' but once, in 1892, and the amount re deemed but once, in 1893. Including na tional bank notes, the issues of tn year. however, exceeded the redemp tions by upwards of sixty millions o dollars. In consequence the total pape ciruclation of the country reached a the end of May last the highest poin ever attained, the amount of alb issue then outstanding, exclusive of fraction al currency, being n,175,o54, ,4S0. Sine then there has been a slight contrac ton, caused chiefly by the gradual re demption and retirement of gold certi ficates, the issue of which was sus pended, as required by law, when tn gold reserve fell below $10O, O,00O,000.
 The report also shows that there ha been an increase in the issuance ( spurious money, in comparison with tn preceding year, the total being $9(
 greater, the increase being in silve coins, United States notes and silve certificates.
 The weather bureau have issued @ order providing for a hurricane sfgns after January 1.
 This signal will consist of two re flags with black centers, displayed on above the other, and will be used to an nounce the expected approach of trop cal hurricanes and also of those ez tremely severe and dangerous storm which occasionally move across tn lakes and the Northern Atlantic coos
 The flags will be the same as the on
 now used for the distinctive storm sil
 nal, the pennants being omitted. N
 distinctive night hurricane signal wi
 be displayed, but when the signal is ol
 dered during the day. and is not low