An Interesting Case

An interestin g Buit, involviug some o a political history, is soon to be tried a ó Washington. The retrocessiou snit, mvolving the valiility of the act of Congress of 1846, retrocedmg the town and county of Alexandria to Virginia, is on the calendar of the Supreme Court of the United States, and will be reached about the middle of .Tanuary. Phillips, who had paid taxes under protest to 1 ayne, the State Ooilector, sues Payne to receivc back the tax-money on the ground that tlie State of Virginia has no right to collect taxes in Alexandrin. The case was decided, as a matter of form, in the Supreme Court' of the District of Oolumbia, aainst the plaintiff, in order that an appeal might be taken to the Supreme Court of the United States. The grounds on which the plaintiff proceeds are: First, that Congress had no power to make the cession, and, second, that even admitting the power to cede, the act ot retrocession was invalid, for lts operation was made to depend on its acceptance by a majority of the voters of Alexandna, and that Congress had no authonty tiras to delégate its power, and that snch delesation was void. It is undei-stood tliat shoiüd the Supreme Court determine the retrocession uuconstitutional, the formal announcement of the decisión will be postponed until such action is taken m Congress as will avoid all trouble in reoaid to conflicting jurisdictions, and will make valid all acts done in pursuance ot the State law while Alexandria remamed a portion of Virginia.