Year: 1871

"
poses taxes and arrs there Is work to be dona .ha
| Is looked upon as we'll and luckily DONE Ii tn,
| claquers are even In small majority. But IN tht
case OF Dawes his friends explain that there were
certain special objections to be overcome OF
| pushed aside before he could induce himself
to accede to Mr. Baine's propositions respecting
the committees. He wants to bo Speaker OF the
House. and could be II Blaine were out or the way.
Blaine wants to be President OF the Senate and may
DC II vice President COlfax's proclaimed desire 10
retire into the privacy OF weekly literature Is graft.
NED at the next convention. The Pttsneid district
Is nigh tariff and knows the outside world In no
other relation than as tributaries to the profits OF
pro'ecuon; hence. unless Dawes consistently adj
heres to high tariff In his national relations OF
every KIND, he cannot hope for reelection to the
House and election to the Speakership except he
resorts to cooni1ing himself like Butler in an out
side congressional district, but the future temper OF
the House so uncertain that Mr.. Dawes not
that he could run the Ways and Means Committee
hero exclusively on a New England basis without
losing enough votes in the House to insure his de-
feat as Candidate for Speaker by some non-parIy
comDination This, 1t Is said by parties qualified to
know, is the secret cause OF his daance with the
place ne mas now agreed TO accept He wanted time
to fortfy the weak places and he desired gain the
impetus OF holding back for the leap. Now that
these points have been won and that the
first committee or Congress has been ascer.
tanned, Dawes accepts the place to which the
HERALD dispatches assigned him few weeks ago.
The inferior committees will be constituted pretty
nearly as the HERALD has already indicated. On
the democratic side OF the House. Mr. Beck. OF Ken
tucky, favorte OF all parties will have the leading
places on the committees.


Cabinct Meeting.


At che Cabinet meeting to-day all were present
excepting Messrs. Delano, BelKnap and Boutwell,,
who are absent from the city. Secretary Belknap Is
expected to return either this evening or tomorrow
morning


The Southern Claims Commission.


The commissioners OF Southern Claims expect to
present their report to Congress about the 18TH or
December or time enough before the Christmas ad-
journment to get 1t printed for the House Com
mission on Claims Their decisions on the six hun.
dred claims, more or less, that they expect to SUBJ
NIT for UonKressionai approval afe 6riehy stated
with the ground OF their conclusions IN
each case. Claims to about million dollars
and half are embraced In this first list
but the aggregate allowances will very little
exceed half million dollars, and may even fau
below that sum. This reduction has not been
effected in purely arbitrary manner, but in part
by the natural results Of investigation into the 10y
atty Of the claimants to the United States through
the war and the evidence adduced to sustain
reasonable degree OF military necessity for taking
private property and Its probable actual use by
the army, as an equivalent for supplies that the
government would otherwise have to furnish IN the
more customary manner. The greater portion of the
allowances made are for the two items Of luel and
forage. The barns and sheds, and often the frame
dwellings, as well as the timber lands and the count
less miles Of fencing in the theatre Of war for four
years afforded the Union troops their means Of shel.
ter warmth and culinary comfort; and the face of
nature was transformed by the ravages OF the
gigantic army worm upon the wooded treasures
OF the South. The same liberal use was made Of the
growing and harvested crops OF grain and hay for the
army horses, mules and CATTLE Another con-
siderable reduction Is attained by the difference
between the average scale OF prices adopted by the
Commission and those generally charged by the
claimants. Taking the coming report OF the Com
missiOners as fair exhibit Of those to follow In
successive sessions of Congress 1t Is thought that
fair settlement can be made with the loyal people
OF South for such of their property really went
into beneficial public use, at cost not exceeding
ten or fifteen millions of dollars instead Of hun
dred millions, as many profess to believe.


The Lifcboat Service the COnst of the At


Iantic.


Captain W. W. Ware Of the United States revenue
marine and SuperlntendenE OF the life-savfng sta
tions on the New Jersey coast, has arrived Wash
ington for conference with the Secretary OF the
Treasury and other officials Of the department re-
spectIng the promotion or the efficiency Of the life
boat service the Atlantic coast OF which Captain
John Faunce OF the revenue marine, is the general
superintendent. During the war the Officers and
vessels OF the revenue marine were chiefly en-
plOyed In naval duties, and the efficiency and
discipline OF the lifesaving stations were 0usy
affected by their unavoidable neglect by the gov
ernment The return Of peace, however, has now
enabled the Treasury Department to bestow some
attention upon the subject and q gradual improve
ment has been going on along the coast. An apprO-
pration OF 5000. 900 was granted by the last Con-
gress for the stations OF the New Jersey line,
but the wants OF those on Long Island were so
pressing that without an increase OF the
grant, authority was obtained to use the
sum appropriated for those stations as WELL The
money has been partly spent FOR a new and i'm
proved lre-saving apparatus and partly In pr0vld-
ing better quarters for the lifeD0at men, through
which means their discipline and scrviceable dis
position have been greatly enhanced On the 18th
OF November the brig Canada. OF Portland was
driven ashore on Squam Beach, and though an un-
usually heavy surf rendered the OF any boat im
possible the entire crew or eight men and one female
passenger were rescued in half nour by the


lie car which was attached to the mortar and snot
over on line while the vessel was actually gong
to pieces. Again, on November 25, schooner was
totally wrecked on Absecom beach, near Atlantic
City, and by the superhuman efforts OF the men Of
station No. 10, its exhausted crew clinging to the
rigging Of their sunken vessel were saved from the
apparent certainty OF death. It Is now the
ambition OF the revenue marine officers this
special service to strip the approaches to New
York OF their terrors so far as human power
can effect that result, and with the certain
aid OF secretary Boutwell, and the desired assistance
OF the large marilime interest In New York.
They expect to inauce Congress to grant further
appropriation this winter ana follow 1t by smaller
grants az required One or the leading propositions
OF the superntendents IS to erect signal stafr at
each nfe.savlng station from which signal lights,
may be seen by endangered vessels at considerable
astancas fhrourh ihe fnus that 40 freanentlY nanu