People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 March 1896 — SHOWS A DECREASE. [ARTICLE]

SHOWS A DECREASE.

MONTHLY STATEMENT OF THE PUBLIC DEBT. Tfc* United State* Owe* 815,978.764 Lees Than at tha Beginning of the Preceding Month —Silver Cap for the Battleship Indiana—Washington Note*. Washington, March 3. —The monthly statement of the public debt issued at the treasury Monday shows the public debt at the close of the business on February 29, less cash in the treasury, to have been $937,067,473, a decrease for the month of $15,978,764. The inter-est-bearing bonded debt, however, has been increased during the month by $75,252,350. This seeming inconsistency is explained by the fact that the payments on account of bond purchase during the month are about $16,000,000 in excess of the bonds delivered. The increase in the cash last month was $91,115,228. The debt is classified as follows: Interest-bearing debt, $822,615,170; debt on which interest has ceased since maturity, $1,667,630; debt bearing no interest, $375,491,679; total, $1,199,774,479. This amount, however, does not include $558,551,273 in certificates and treasury notes outstanding which are offset by an*equal amount of cash in the treasury.

ERROR OF THE CLERK. Action In the Cuban Matter May Be Delayed. Washington, March 3.—The next steps likely in congress on the Cuban resolutions depend upon whether or not the house will correct the error made by its clerk in transmitting the resolutions to the senate. If the resolutions are not recalled the senate committee on foreign relations will probably to-morrow take up the house resolutions and amend them by reporting those already agreed to in the senate as a substitute. This will necessitate consideration in the senate, with possible motions to concur in the house resolutions or to amend them. The senate committee has shown a disposition to avoid discussion and get the resolution into conference by waiting for the house to correct its error. Senator Sherman cajled the attention of the senate to the discrepancy in the journals of the two houses as to the action of the house on the Cuban resolutions adopted by that body. He said the house resolutions had been reported as a substitute for the senate resolutions, but they had, through the house clerk, been reported to the senate as independent resolutions. He asked to have the senate journal corrected to correspond with the action of the house. Senator Lodge supported the request of Senator Sherman, calling attention to the record of the house proceedings to show the intention of that body'. Messrs. Platt, Chandler, Gorman and others took the position that the discrepancy was due to the action of the clerk of the house, that the mistake was made by the house and should be corrected by its clerk. The incident was temporarily closed by a request from Senator Sherman to lay the matter aside until the house should officially advise the senate of its action.

Belva Lockwood Vindicated. Washington, March 3.—Commissioner of Pensions Lochren has informed Mrs. Belva A. Lockwood that her appeal from the action of the pension office in requiring her to refund $25 in a certain jclaim has been allowed and the money will be returned to her. Mrs. Lockwood had paid back the $25 and then took the appeal, it was for the retaining of this fee, asserted to have been illegally paid to her, that the report was circulated that she would be disbarred from practice before the pension office, but the action of the commissioners shows there was nothing of an illegal character about the transaction.

Will Buy Seeds Rea y Packed. Washington, March 3—Secretary Morton announces that in no event will the government be put to the expense of hiring unskilled labor to pack seeds when the latter can be bought already put up by skilled labor at a much less price. A number of senators and members of congress have been making requests for positions in the seed division. Secretary Morton says: “The law may be amended so as to compel the promiscuous and gratuitous distribution of seeds by the government during the next fiscal year. If it is so amended proposals to furnish seeds already put up in packages and labeled will be advertised for.”