Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 February 1886 — WASHINGTON. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON.

Mr. Randall intends making a fight against the further expansion of the pension laws. He has procured from Commissioner Black an interesting array of figures on the subject, which will be presented to the House Appropriations Committee shortly. of the receipts and expenditures of the Fostpffice Department for the quarter ending Sept. 30, 1885, prepared by the Sixth Auditor, shows that while the expenditures have not increased the ordinary revenue have, fallen off over $500,000, the ounce rate for letters and: the reduction in second-class postage having gone into effect July 1, 1885. The expenditures were $12,421,100. The revenues were $10,027,300, leaving a deficiency of $2,393,790... .The Bureau of Statistics has just issued a statement of the imports and exports for the past year. The exports still ran about $100,000,000 more than the imports, the figures for the year being $673,503,120 exported and $587,611,506 imported. Nearly 200,000,000 eggs were imported, at a cost of between $2,000,000 and $3,000,000. We also imported between 1.000,000 fold 2,000,000 bushels of potatoes. The importations of wool were $12,000,000, and of woolen goods $35,000,000. The Agricultural Department insists that we ought to raise all our own sugar. Importations of that article last year were 2,700,000,900 pounds, or about 50 pounds per head, to say nothing of what was made at home. ” A BLOOD-STAINED mail-bag reached the department at Washington last week. It was the bag carried by F. M. Peterson, who was murdered by Apaches between Crittenden and Locliiel, A. T., in July, 1885, and whose bipod stains the receptacle. The mail matter was tom in fragments and scattered to the winds. The House Committee on Public Lands’ has agreed to declare a, forfeiture of the Northern Pacific Railroad laud grant as to all lands lying opposite that part of the-line which was uncoustructed on July 4, 1879. Exeeptedsfrom the operation of the forfeiture act are the right of way of the company to lands necessary to its operation; all lands now within city, town, or village sites, and all lands bought in good faith from the railroad company hf. actual settlers not exceeding 320 acres iu any one case. In cases where a settler’s uurehase exceeded *2O acrcß he will be allowed one year in which to select therefrom a tract of 320 acres and make proof before the local land office. An amendment was incorporated in the bill reducing the price of thd Government lands within the grant to $1.25 an acre. Before l the Naval Committee of the House, last week, Secretary Whitney and Admiral Porter gave their views npon the snbject of naval reconstruction. Secretary Whitney believed the .Government could immediately begin the construction of half a dozen steel cruisers. He thought the work could be done more economically, at private yards,,' but regarded it as necessary that pteviskm be made for equipping the navy yards with modem plants.