Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-05-12
FROM WASHING TON.
Correspondence Of the Alexandria Gazette
WASHINGTON. Nav -,

torney General for an opinion as to
whether he can lawfully retain bis seat
in the Senate while holding commits
sion of major general and serving in
the army ss such, will not be COM
piled with. The Attorney Generals
duties in this direction are restricted
by law to giving his opinion upon any
question when requested by the Presi'
dent or the head of one of the Execu-
tive Departments.
The Senate in executive session to-
day confirmed all the military nomina-
tons on Tuesday, with the exceptions
of Capt. Frank d. Baldwin, Fifth 10"
fantry, to be inspector general with
rank of lieutenant colonel, and Fred
NJ. Alger of Michigan, son of the Sec
rotary of War, to be assistant adjutant
general with rank of captain.
Assistant Secretary Allen, OF the
Navy, has received information from
private sources that number of tor.
pedo boats are now off the New Eng
land coast. The President was inform
ed and Mr.. Allen was instructed to
place the facts before the war board at
once. 1t is not known how accurate is
The information given Mr.. Allen.
The Senate committee on finance met
again to day though the war revenue bill
was practically completed at yesterdays
meeting. The most striking features
are the omission of the provisions for
bonds and time certificates and for q
tonnage tax on foreign shipping which
the bill carried when it passed the
House. These are all stricken out, not
g trace of any of them being left. 1t is
expected, however, that all will be re-
inserted when the bill comes before the
Senate. The issuance of greenbacks,
the coinage of the seiguorage and the
taxation of corporations were inserted
81 the instance of the democrats, with
the assistance of Senator Jones OF Ne
V ada, and an inheritance tax was placed
/, the bill by the joint effort of the
d ,mocra,ic Senators and Senators Jones
o Nevada and Wolcott of Colorado,
Tie seignorage provision authorizes the
> Secretary of the Treasury to coin not to
exceed 100000 of silver. The
greenbscks are are to be redeemable the
same as the greeubacks now in crcula-
ton are. The provision for the taxa.
ton of corporations enumerates rail-
roads, street railroads, sleeping cars,
c,nal boats, steamboats,, express, tele-
graph, telephone and insurance COM
Dauies of all kinds, including life, fire
and accident; gas, electric light power
and Steamboat companies, and also
sugar and petroleum refnerlas. To
these specifications is added 8 general
provision for taxing "all corporations"
The tax on legacies is made on double
sliding scale, the ate increasing with the
amount of the bequest and also being
governed by onsanguinity. NJ legacies
below So 900 are taxed. Those between
$1,000 and $250,000 are taxed at the
rate of Is cents for every 500 in cases
where the beneficiary is lineal des-
cendaut or ancestor or brother or sister
of the testator. The tax on bankers is
leyelled at the rate of 500 year on all
banking institutions which have a
capital stock of $50, 900 aud 50 is added
for each additional thousand dollars OF
stock. Brokers are. assessed at the
rate of $50. The is also a tax on
inst rance agents and on
the properties IF theatres, circuses,
bowling alleys, Sc. The tax on boards
of trade and exchange operations is
made at the rate of l cent for each 800
to be represented by memoranda: and
brokers evading the giving Of these are
liable to be made the subject of crimi-
nal proceedings.
Gen. Miles and his staff and q num-
her of specially designated officers will
leave here tonight for Tampa.
Secretary Alger has sent word to
Major General Joe Wheeler, of the vol
unteer army, to proceed at once to
Tampa, Fla, where ne will report to
the general commanding. Gen. Wheel.
er is to have command of the cavalry
that is to occupy Cuba.
1t is said here that Congressman
of Illinois, democrat, was
defeated for denomination because he
had badly treated Ex-Governor Alt
geld, the favorite of the democrats of
his State. It is also understood at the
Capitol that the boilers will put up
candidates in every congressional dis
tricts in the country next fall in which
they imagine that with republican sup
port they can defeat the regular dem
ocratic nominee.
Governor Tyler of Virginia has gone
home. Up to the time he left he still
hoped that Richmond would be mobi-
IL ition point and that the Virginia
troops would be brigaded together and
that Colonel Halle would be their
The President to day sent to the Sen.
ate large number of minor military
among them that of Rus
sell B. Harrison, of Indiana, to be as
sistant adjutant general.
The prevailing impression at the
Capitol in respect of the suicide of
Downing, the alleged Spanish spy"
is that the man was no spy at ali, as
nothing he could fnd out in Wash
ingLon could possibly help Spain,
and thAt between unrequited love
and fear, for though martial law
has not yet been declared here,
and he was not 10 military service, he
was locked up in a military prison, at
the arsenal, he lost his mind and hang
ed himself near where Mrs. Surratt WAS
hanged
The United States will establish a
government over the Philip.