Rensselaer Republican, Volume 17, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1884 — WASHINGTOL [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTOL

The Chairman of the House Committee on Public Lands states that the Pacific Bailroads have pooled their issues and plaaed a strong lobby on duty. The Northern Pacific forfeiture bill is likely to be the first one Drought up, and its passage will restore to the public domain a tract for which au English syndicate is said to have offered $350,000,000..... Civil-Service Commissioners Thowan and Gregory de-

clare that there is no intention to jsxtond the soppe of the-', civil-service rules 1 so as to incline a much larger number of ’Government officials than at present Postmaster Gene rap Hatton says that the $266,764 asked by him for special facilities if secured will be spent in fast mail service from Boston south along the Atlantic seaboard.

A Washington telegram says: “It seems to have Bettled down to a certainty that this will be a working session, and that much important matter before the House and in the committees will be disposed of during the winter. Mt. Buckner says the Banking and Currency Committee will try to pass through the House some bill to secure a national-bank system and avert financial depression. He expects to meet with opposition, but says something must be done. Whatever action is taken, however, will have to be before the loth, for after that time it will be too late to get a day assigned/’ ATU conference of Republican politicians in New York, it was decided to send James D. Warren to Washington to learn whether President Arthur desires to make the race for Senator openly or by proxy. The annual report of William E. Chandler, Secretary of the Navy, has been made public. In connection with the statement that three new ships have been successfully launched, the Secretary says it has been shown that American steel jnakers can readily furnish excellent material for shipbuilding in large quantities. The Secretary points out that comparisons of speed between the new cruisers and the great transatlantic racing steamers are unfair lie ause the latter attain their high speed only “by the sacrifice of qualities essential to a ship of war, and adds that the formes could overtake 56 per cent, of the merchant steamers of the world. The report calls attention to the necessity for torpedo harts, and recommends the construction of seven modem cruisers annually for the next ten years. Commenting on the present condition of the navy, Secretary Chandler says that the disproportion between the expenditures therefor, and the results accomplished, is due to the policy of attempting at great cost to rehabilitate worn-out structures under the name of repairs. The report recommends the discontinuance of several navy-yards and workshops and certain improvements in the management of the remainder, among these the exclusion of politics, recites the histoiy of the recent arctic * expeditious, comments at length upon the frauds connected with the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, fixes the ordinary estimates at $17,292,601, and those for increasing the navy at $15,071,592, and, in conclusion, advocates Government encouragement for the development of our merchant marine, either in the shape of bounties upon construction Or payment for carrying the mails. Attorney General Brewster has decided that it is illegal to approve plans foj public buildings where the expenditure required for their erection is clearly greater than the appropriation made by Congress. This decision applies to proposed public buildings at Leavenworth, Minneapolis, and Dodge City.... On Saturday, Dec. 6, the American flag was unfurled from a staff on the top of the Washington Monument as the signal of the completion of the work, which was commenced in 1848. The total weight of the monument is 160,000,000 pounds. The total cost was $1,150,000 It is claimed by Mr. Springer that the Senate will pass, his bill to do away with the fee system of paying United States Marshals and Attorneys when it is revised and put in better shape The internal-reve-nue collections for the first quarter of the fiscal year of 1885 were $38,375,676. Congressman Money says he has reason for believing that the Senate would accept the cheap telegraphic correspondence bill now before the House as a substitute for the postal telegraph bill.