The National tribune., 1898-01-13
WEEK IN WASHINGTON.
Events of General Interest in the National
Capital.

TUESDAY, Jan. 4.--The POstOffice De-
partment notified the House COMMITTEES
on POStoi1iceS and POStrnadS that the
Department had decided to limit the
number of deliveries IN tire residence
sections OF CiicS To four a day. Many
cites, anon. them Baltimore. had been
urging an increase of money for the
carrier service to- provide fOr the rapidly
growing residential districts. The com
mittee determined however. that it
would be better to cut down the number
OF deliveries IN large cities and increase
them IN smaller OueS.--TEe case of
Morris Keim. an hOnorably y-discharged
Union ex soldier who was pat out of
Office by Commissioner of Pensions
Lochren, and brought action in the courts
for back salary and reinstatement, was
passed upon by the Court of Claims.
The questions were involved whether
under the law giving eX-sOdierS and
sailors preference keim had been wrong
fully removed. and whether heads of
Departments had the right 20 make re-
movals In substance the court decided
that the acIs OF the Department Off
clals cannot be inquired into by the Judici-
dry I'm this regard; that the Department
heads must be the Judge of the efficiency
or inefficiency OF their employees; that
the President has the power of removal
thrO gh the Executive Departments. and
that plaintiff cannot recover tor what he
says was ID s Illegal dismissal. The case
Will go to the United States Supreme
Court
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 5.-A meeting Of Re-
publican Representatives interested in
tie modification of the Civil Service law
met to night, to hear the report of the
committee appointed at the conference
last month. Tbs report was in the shape
OF a bill, the work largely OF Mr.. Evans,
Of Kentucky These exempt from the
operations of the Civil Service law all
offices and positions now in the Civil
Service except clerks (lnClUd ng cOpyiStS,
computerS and draughtsnen receiving
not less than $500 nor over 81 500 salery),
railway mail clerks, letter carriers in
cities where more than 10 carriers are
employed. The tenure Of Office IS limited
to five years. The bill, as drafted, was
approved by the conference, without
amendment, and Mr.. Evans was in
structed to introduce it.
Jan. 6.-lt was announced
that the Auditor for the POStOffice Depart
ment Castle had discovered irreguIari-
ties in money-Order accounts which may
possibly result in a loss to the Govern
ment of a large sum. They were brought
to light as the outcome of a new system
OF checking accounts by PoStmaSteTS-
When Auditor Castle took charge Of the
office he discovered defects in the system
which made it POSSIBLE fO- dishonest
PostmaSterS to rob the Government,
and aScertained there were nine possible
ways in which this could be done.
Several cases have already been detected
in which orders were issued for large
SINS, and were reported by the issuing
Postmaster at one or two dollars each
How many such frauds were ptrpetrated
during the three years in which the old
system was IN operation can only be
guessed.
FRIDAY, JAN Tt was officially an
n0unced today that Col. Henry c. Cor
bin, CT New York, will be the next Adju-
tant-Generai, to succeed Gen. Breck.
Col. Marshall L. Ludington will be the
next QiartermaSter-Gen to succeed
Gen. George II. Weeks, and Col. Samuel
+. Cush ng will be Commissary- General,
to succeed To the vacancy created by the
retirement of Gen. VIM. III. Bell. All
these officers are comparatively young to-
hold such high rank, and none will re-
tire under the age clause for a number
Of years Col. COrbin viii have until
Sept 1j 1906 10 serve. Col. LudingtOn
until July /, 1868, and Col Gushing until
Sept. II. 1868 Gen. Breck, the present
ant-General, goes out on Feb. 4,
Gen. Weeks on Feb. 3, and Gen. Bell on
Jan Is.
SATURDAY. JAN. Representative
Howe, of New York. introduced bill in
the House providing that veterans of the
army or navy who served during the war
ot the REBEL on shall have preference
: over others in the Government service.
Under the bill they are not To be removed
except for good cause and on charges
and hearing, and pensioners employed at
a salary of 81 ,2G0 or more are to sur
render pensions while employed.--The
advance figures frOm the November re-
port of the Bureau of Statistics show
that the exports from the United States
in that month aggregated Sl14, ,639, ,664, a
gain of nearly 81 ,O00, ,009 over November,
1896 For the II months ended Nov. 30,
1897 the exports were 1896, ,6T5, ,S14, a gain
oer, IL