Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1894-03-30
WASHINGTON LETTER
ESPECIAL CoRRRsPoNDESCx. |

visions reviying the rank of Lieuten-
ant-Geners1, reducing the number oil
Major Generals from three to one,
J giving the next Chief of the Signal
Service the rank of Colonel and re-
ducing greatly the number of army
surgeons
The BRHRING SEA MATTERS -Beh-
ing Sea matters, which were believed TO
be in fair way of settlement by the
passage by the British Parliament and
the congress of acts carrying into effect
the findings of the Court of Arbitrs-
tion, are again in tangle The diff
ferences between the two governments
are so important that all hope of ad-
! lusting them in time for the sealing
season has been abandoned, and nego-
| tiatiOns are now on foot for renewal
of the modus vivendi. Cablegrams
/ have passed between Secretary Ores
ham and Ambassador Bayard, and be-
tween Sir Julian Pauncefote and the
British foreign office, having for their
object an agreement upon a modified
modus to go into immediate effect,
unless Great Britain should put through
| parliament within few days the
necessary legislation to carry out the
findings of the court. Some of these
facts were brought out at hearing
given to Secretary Gresham by the
house foreign committee; others by a
careful inquiry at the state depart
ment
HAWAIIAN NAVAL STATION. - When
Rear Admiral Walker takes charge OF
the Pacific station, his immediate
command will be narrowed down to
one vessel. Orders have been issued
directing Commander Thomas Nelson,
of the Adams, now at Honolulu, to
/ leave that station Immediately upon
the receipt of orders and proceed to
! Puget Sound. There he will take on
coal and other supplies and make
preparations to join the Behring Sea
fleet when it starts north on May to
protect the seals. Rear Admiral
Walker will, therefore, have only the
Philadelphia in the immediate vicini-
ty of Hawaii. This fact, together
with the foul condition of the Phila-
delphias bottom, which will make
her return to the United States i'm
perative at an early day, has caused
revival of the talk of the New York
being sent to Honolulu. This vessel
is expected to stop at Bahia on her
way north from Rio, and a cable de-
| spstch may be sent to her upon her
arrival at that port, directing her to
go around the Horn and report to
Rear Admiral Walker, who by the
time of her arrival will be in command
of the Pacific station.
KEPT Or OF THE NAvY.-Mr. En-
loe's second amendment aimed at the
Coast and Geodetic Survey, providing
for the investigation of that bureau,
and determination of the advisability
of its transfer to the navy and interior
departments, was defeated in the House
by majority of 23 votes. No amend
ments at all to this paragraph were
adopted except one changing the ver-
biage, the clause requiring the secre-
tary of the treasury to reduce the Office
force of the bureau to bring it within
Sl25, 900, so as to prevent the para
graph from interfering with the civil
service law in 80 far Ms it applied to
the Coast and Geodetic Survey.
CANNOT Pass AT THIS SESSION.
Chairman Springer, of the house
committee on banking and cur
rency, does not believe any bill to re-
peal the 10 per cent. state bank tax
can pass through this congress- He
says: "Our committee would have
reported adversely on the bill to re-
peal the tax. But the friends of the
bill did not want it reported ad-
versely. ! have been instructed to
report favorably on the Brawley
bill exempting from the state
bank tax the script issued in
the southern states which served
the purpose of currency during the
financial stringency. When the bill
is reported the advocates of the re-
peal of the state bank tax will move to
amend it by relieving all state bank
currency from the tax In this way
they hope to secure u vote on the re-
peal of the tax. 1t will not carry,
however. Nearly every northern
democrat is opposed to it. The only
demand for the repeal of the bill
comes from the southern states
Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama and
Texas. have tried to clear up the
mystery of how that plank got into
Chicago platform, but have failed. 1t
will ever remain AZ one of the unex-
planned acts of political conven-
ton"
THE ARMoR PLATE FRAUDS. Sec
retary Herbert's reply to the House
resolution calling for information
about the armor plate frauds will sure
ly be sent to Congress. Strict Sec
recy is still maintained about what is
contained in the secretary's report. l
am told that the secretary finished
what he had to say in reply to the res
olution week ago. Then he went
over it with Commodore Sampson,
chief of ordnance. 1t was finally sub
mitted to the president. Just what
happened to the report then nobody
knows, except the secretary and the
president, and there is no way of in.
ducing them to tell, but it is widely
rumored that there were several lively
conferences about the document, and
that the president used his blue pencil
in cutting down and revising the origi
nal draft, with vivacity and emphasis,
until the secretary protested vehement
ly against many of the excisions and
alterations. 1 am told that the report
! as at last agreed upon, is far from sat
isfactory to Secretary Herbert, hui