New-York tribune., 1895-12-12
IN AND OUT OF CONGRESS-.
THE NATIONAL CIVIL SERVICE REFORM
ASSOCIATION TO MEET TO-DAY.
PROPOSITION TO PENSION SOLDIERS AND
SAILORS WHO WERE CONFINED IN CoNFED-
ERATE PRIsONs-sTEPHEN BoNsALS
CAsE-NAVAL MATTERS-HOUSE
APPOINTMENTS.


APPOINTMENTS.
Washington Dec. 1.-THE National Civil Service
Reform League will hold its fifteenth annual meet
Ing in Washington tomorrow and the following
day. Carl Schurz will deliver the presidents annual
address at a public meeting tomorrow evening, ana
during the sessions papers will be read by num-
Der of prominent members. among them being the
following "Superannuaton in the Civil Service
by William Dudley Fouke OF Indiana; The Reign
and Overthrow OF an Office Holding Oigarchy." by
Charles j. Bonapare. OF BALTIMORE; me Necessny Ni
Service, by Jonathan A. Lane, president OF the
Boston Merchants Association The Appointment
and Tenure of Postmasters," by Richard Henry
Dana. OF Cambridge Mass. and The Interests Oh
Workingmen in Civil Service Reform" by Herbert
Welsh. Of Philadelphia
Mr.. Hainer Rep.. Neb) has introduced bill in
the House suggesting something in the way OF
pension legislation The measure proposes TO pro-
vide for those soldiers and sailors who were con-
fined In Confederate prisons by granting them
pension OF 81 for each day confined in SUCH prisons
and in addition pension OF sl2 month for the re-
mander OF their lives. The monthly pensions are to
date from the passage of the act A preamble 20
the bill says that officers. soldiers ana sailors
and marines Of the Federal Army and Navy were
confined in Confederate prisons for a great length
OF time. suffering unusual hardships ana contract
Ing diseases and disabilities dcu 10 prove ulo
proposed for the purpose OF doing justice 10 a spe
cially deserving class OF surviving veterans OF the
war.
ton offered in the House yesterday directing an
investigation OF the condition and the construction
OF the batteship Texas, said that IT was reported
that there grave defects in the vessel. he
thought that the public, our shipbuilders and es-
pecaiiy our naval constructors should know me me
fective the defects shown car be avoided IN me me
tmr COMMITTEE e ON n'f9aS &aya 10 Ass to which Which it
ferred and 4 possible TO bring out all @ tne ps IaCDs
concerning the vesse-how and where her pans
were obtained their cost and full history OF rhe
ship.
Stephen Bonsal. of Maryland transferred during
the recess Of Congress from the place Of Secretary
OF Legation at Madrid to that OF Second Secretary
of Legation at Toxic. Japan. appears 10 have run
afou OF snag in the Committee on Foreign Re
lations OF the Senate. Mr. BOnsal was indorsed by
Senator German. among others. for Foreign nS-
sion his preference being the Secrearysh.p OF the
Legation Rome. He received that at MADRID
but last summer was transferred to Toxic and II.
Clay Armstrong sent 10 Madrid in MS place:
ms n0in'naeon; E,n Erigr Relations this morning
when the statement was made that the value or the
services OF Mr. Bonsal at Madrid had become nm M
t;overnmenf had found it necessary make the
transfer TO japan No particulars were given ana
OF the report. 1t decided that no act on should
be taken until the committee was acqna,iIefd ,If "tn m
all the facts. and the state Deparmen; VIII pe p,,t re-
auesed 10 lay them before the committee, VIM
out knowing whether there had Decn f. is
understood. took the genera ground that tmnabiy IL tbi
f the place at Madrid those reasons woud dohntI ii
less apply at Toxic. The case was there,ore' "e''
up until information is given the committee
The War Department: has issued instructions to
officers in command OF headquarters In the large
cities that magazines and periodicals sent to en-
listed men at the various forts and posts. wnich
have been contributed by certain societies. clubs,
etc for the benefit of soldiers, cannot be sent un-
less regular postage is paid. For some time past
religious organizations and clubs which SUBSCRIBE
for these magazines have. after reading mem, mem
cities to be sent TO- enlisted men roF has heen FOR
warded to them under me pei.ay ,i nr;ovides
avoiding postage. whereas the law srctIy proNiues
he sent this way Free postage on this class OF
matter in this case has been in vogue under half
Wilson recently discovered the violation Of the pos T.
tai laws and informed the War Department OF II
with the result already stated. Postoffce Depart.
ment officials cannot see under the provisions oI
the law that free postage should be accorded tne
than IL should be granted to publishers
vo damage was done to the gunboat Concord
through her recent grounding in the Yang-tse-K Kang
River according to a report received az the Navy
Department from her commander The accident oc-
Cured near Han-Kow. The Concord ran on a
mud bank on the evening OF October 3d. ana was
10 get off the next morning without the assistance
Of the Monocacy. which was near by; native
pilot was on board at the time and as there was no
Indication of careessness no action in the matter
will be taken by the Department.
In accordance with arrangement made last
week Secretary Herbert to-day gave a hearing 10
representatives of the Cramp shipbuIldng Com
pany OF Philadelphia; the Union Iron Works, Oh
San Francisco and the Newport News Shipbuidns
and Drydock Company. of Newport News. Va. with
reference TO bids recently submitted for the con-
struction OF batte-ships Nos. and 8. one OF Whch
IS to be called the Kearsarge. The occasion for the
hearing was the great diversity in plans submitted.
inh nf aYa1
TO construct for the amount appropriated by Con-
gress-SS 600 10-two ships with armor and another
ship in addition without armor. thus giving one
more vessel than the appropriation provided TOT NJ
the price intended for two. The Newport News
Company was the lowest bidder the plans pre-
pared by the Department. the Union Iron Works
coming next in this class and the Cramp Company
third pans OF their own submitted by the San
Francisco and Philadelphia firms differ materially
from the Department plans. and the question which
Secretary Herbert IS endeavoring 20 decide Is
whether the Government would be the gamer in the
adoption OF any OF these In preference TO the De-
partment specifications Those present at the hear
Ing were President G. B. Orcutt. OF the Newport
News Company Charles and Edward Cramp. Philip
Nixon Of the Crescent Shipbuilding Company. Cam
den. * j.; Henry scott OF the Union Iron Works;
Chief Constructor Hichborn. Ensineer Chief Mel
vile Captain Sampson, Chief OF the Bureau OF ord
nance; Constructor Taylor and Chief Engineer
Perry The OF the Gramp era CGmpahy
other Interested parties stating that they would sub
nit the matter without argument. tramp asked
for a few days time, which given, 10 present
further argument In writing
The official report on the fire on board the United
States cruiser Olympia. during her recent voyage
from San Francisco 10 Yokohoma has been received
the Navy Department. II shows that after leav
ing Honolulu hre broke less than four dif
ferent times in the coal bunkers of the vessel
Fortunately the automatic temperature indicators
I'm the bunkers worked perfectly, and each fire
quickly suppressed by taking out as much OF the
coal as possible and then sending streams of steam
upon the rest II is stated in the report that the
fires were caused by spontaneous combustion, In
duced by the quality OF the coal with which the