Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1888 — WASHINGTON. [ARTICLE]

WASHINGTON.

Senator Chandler’s bill, introduced Monday, to regulate National elections has reference only to elections of members of Congress. It grants to the Circuit and District Courts power by writs of mandamus and prohibition, which may be directed when necefcsary to any officer of a State, to compel an enforcement of the laws with reference to tbe election of Congressmen, and to prevent the issuance of any certificate of election where the election has been conducted illegally, or the apparent result procured by fraud. Whenever the laws of the State require any person to appoint suitable persons to hold Congressional elections, and the persons so appointed can not read nor write, or have at any election, State or National, been guilty of any illegal practices, it is the duty of the court, on the sworn petition of any person setting out these facts to hear the case, and if the allegations are found to be true to issue a prohibition to prevent the appointment of the unsuitable person or persons. It also directs that if after any election sot Representative in Congress, a petition shall be filed in the Circuit Court or District Court alleging a violation of the State election laws, or that the result was procured by fraud or intimidation, it shall be the duty of the court to issue a restraining order to prevent the State authorities from issuing any certificates of election, and the clerk of the House from placing the name of the person claimed to be elected upon the rolls of the House. The case shall then be heard, and if the allegations against the validity of the election are found to bo true, the restraining order shall continue in force until the case is decided by the House of Representatives. Before the investigation of the subject of postal telegraphy is hardly begun, it is safe to say that no bill establishing a government system will become a law in the Fiftieth Congress. There is no enthusiasm for such a bill, and no measure so important or radical will be adopted until there shall be a greater public demand for it. The committee which has the * subject under consideration is, in fact, believed to be rather half-hearted in the matter. Mr. Sawyer, the chairman, is supposed to favor a system of contracting for a telegraph service partly under the control of the government, similar to the present system of carrying the mails by the starroute contractor. Mr. Edmunds and Mr. Cullom, the two Senators who seem to be most in earnest in the advocacy of a postal-telegraph measure, do not have very great confidence that the Senate committee on poetoffices will report a measure which will become a law. A communication was’transmitted to tbe Senate Tuesday from the Commissioner of Internal Revenue showing tbe amount of revenue collected on liquors since the present system of internal revenue taxation went into effect, Sept. 1,1862, do wn to June 3, 1887. During this -perjod there was collected from special taxes on distillers, $25,128 819, brewers, $4 932 383; rectifiers, $7,270,079; capacity tax on distillers under a law leaving a tax of $2 per barrel on distillers having a distillery capacity exceeding a certain fixed amount, $7,882,487. The production of distilled spirits during this time was 1,606,852,194 gallons, and of fermented liquors 969 719,782 barrels. The amount of tax collected on the spirits was $1,099,371,980, and on the Tormented liquors, $249,215,119. Postmaster-general Dickinson Friday promulgated rules and regulations in conformity with the new law just passed by Congress and signed by the President Friday, respecting permissible writing and printing on second, third and fourth-class matter. Under the regulations the restrictions as to writing upon third and fourth-class matter are substantially the same as under the old law, but in general all restrictions as to printing on these two classes of matter are removed, except as to reservation of space necessary for addressing the matter and placing postage stamps on it. In all cases, direction for transit, delivery, forwarding or return are to be deemed part of the address. General Greely, Chief Signal Officer, was before the House Appropriation Committee Saturday to urge that immediate appropriations be made to maintain signal service stations in various places, principally at the West many of which had already been discontinued, and other stations at important points would likewise be forced to discontinuance unless prompt action was taken to provide the means to pay the necessary expenses. <eneral Gree ly stated that the usefulness of the signal service was greatly crippled because the last Congress cut down appropriations to the narrowest limit. He promised the committee that if this matter were given attention the western stations would be pre lei red In re-estab-lishment and maintenance. t The circulars recently sent to the clerks of the Navy Department from the Secretary’s office, asking each one to state what, if any, are his business employments from which he derives a revenue outside of his government work, have brought out some very curious information. It appears that a very large proportion of the clerks are engaged in some sort of pri vate occnp a tion which brings them compensation. skirmish in-fee- opposing lines on the subject of tariff reform took place, Thursday, in the Ways and

Commidee. McKinley moved to take np and consider his bill repealing the tobacco tax. Boms discussion ensued, from which it appeared that the Democratic majority was opposed to considering any specific tax reduction bill at this time, preferring to take up this class of bills in connection with the general tariff reduction bill. By a party vote, 5 to 4, the motion of McKihley was laid aside. Dakota comes to the front this winter with the same quota of admission bills as usual. Already delegations from both ends of the Territory are on the ground trying to work up influence for the passage of some sort of an enabling act this session. As far as any one can judge at the outset it looks as if nothing would be accomplished, and that Dakota wonld go through another Presidential election ai a Territory. Mr. Owen, of Indiana, introduced a bill in the House which permits catalogues of all institutions of learning and annual reports and minutes of all religious and benevolent associations to be transmitted through the mails at newspaper rates, one cent per pound. In regard to the Forty-first Kentucky Volunteers’ claim for back pay, never having been mustered out, it is learned in Washington that the regiment was never mustered in, and therefore, has no legal claim. The committee on appropriations made ready Thursday morning the regular annual pension bill for report to the House. The bill appropriates $80,275,500. Speaker Carlisle is improving. He wib go to Fortress Monroe for a few days. The Senate has ratified a shipping treaty with Guatemala.