The times., 1898-01-06


ton of this coinnittee to decide, rs
soon as possible, adj 4he contested seats
before it.
The appropriation bill of the Agricul-
turai Department viii probably be re-
ported Friday a. .NAnday. The com
n1ittee met yesHtd and practically
completed its w8K. 3rhe appropriation
that fer the current year. but not as
much as Secretary Wilson recon-
| mended.
Secretary Gage yesterday sent a let
! ter to the House, inclosing one from
the Secretary of the Interior. submit
| ting estimates for the urgent deficiency
! bill, for the payment or salaries of Of
| ficiais In Alaska Another letter of Il
similar character asked for money. to
repair the Interior and Pension build
| ings.
| 1t is evidently the intention of the
! District Commissioners to complete the
| Western High School if 1t possibly can
| be done. They have entreated the
| House and Senate Committees on the
District Of Columbia to grant them
proyement, and as a further effort they
| sent to the Capitol yesterday petition
| which substantially asked for $33, 900 TO
| finish the building; $4,000 to equip it,
and $4,000 to grade the land, construct
| walks and fences.
Recently the District Commissioners
introduced a central telephone service,
which, il properly conducted will place
police headquarters in close touch with
every man in the department who Is
| on duty. To conduct this system
which is but duplicate of the systems
in nearly every city in the country, the
services of three telephone operators
are required. These men have been
employed. but no provision has been
| made to pay them. Yesterday Con-
gress was asked to appropriate $40
for the services of each of these men
for a year.
The Emperor of Russia some time
ago was stricken with a severe attack
of generosity and before this fever left
him and his condition had become nor
NAL he had presented set of chimes
| to the Orthodox Russian Church of
Bridgeport, Conn. The gift, like the
most OF those from European royalty,
proved to be "a white elephant on the
hands of the congreg alton, for it could
not raise enough money to pay the
customs duty on them as provided t0T
by Mr.. Dingley in his notorious bill reg
ulating tariffs. To escape from the
dilemma the gift and the tariff had
placed the congregation in. an appeal
has been made to Congress for an act
permitting the bills to- enter the coun-
try free of duty, 1t is probable that the
prayer of the petition will be grantrG
and that soon the chimes from the bells
viii awaken at early hours the e ,ntle-
! men who have passed the greater por-
tion of the night at their favorite pleas
ure resorts. and unsuccessfully sought
| recuperation in bed when the day is
dawning.
1t has been a mystery for some time
to the people OF this country for what
purpose the Bureau of American Re-
pubiics was createdt The theories that
have been advanced in this connection
are many and ivarfed, but ii has re-
mained for Secretary Gage and Secre-
tary Sherman TO thoroughly explain
the matter. This was done yesterday
when these two members of the Cabi-
net petitioned Congress to place in the
urgency deficiency bih an appropriation
TO pay the salaries and expenses OF
the bureau II there is any other rea-
son for the existence of this bureau
than to draw a salary there are q
great many persons of pretty good in
tellect in this city who have never as
certained what it is.
Mr. Taylor CRep.. o. has introduced
in the House a bill providing for the
construction of cable between this
country. Hawaii and Japan. The bill
authorizes the Postmaster General to
contract for the payment of sum not
exceeding s160,000 a year for twelve
years for the transmission of messages
of this country from San Francisco to
Honolulu by way of Midway Islands
to Japan. The contract will be let by
advertisement, and the successful bid
der must accept transfer of the con-
cession granted T. S. SpaIding, August
r. 1895. The rates for ordinary mes
sages shall be So cents a word to Ja-
pan.
No meeting OF the Committee on
Banking and Currency viii be held un-
til January y, when, in compliance
with a formal request of the commit
tee the Indianapolis Monetary Com
mission will appear before it and ex-
plain at length their financial views
During the holiday recess the anti
civil service Republicans succeeded in
drafting a bill which suits them if il
does not please others. 1t provides for
the establishment of fiye-year term
of office for employees of the Govern
ment who are brought within the
terms of the bill. Application of the
civil service law is restricted to Wash
ington and other localities where the
number of employees exceeds twenty
five. Commissions of employees are to
be made for five years, with power of
removal for cause. Those in the pub
lie service when the bill becomes a
law will terminate their service at the
expiration of five years from the time
the law begins. The civil service reg
ulationS of the clerks are limited to
those whose compensation ranges from
5000 to 81 800 year and includes clerks,
craftsmen. counters, computers and
copyists. This bill Will be submitted to
the anti-civil service committee as
soon as Chairman Hepburn calls a
meeting.
1t may be said right here that |
the monetary commissions bill is
a dead letter now and the pres
ent Congress will not make it law. |
The legislation which meets with the
greatest approval of the Banking and |
Currency Comfpittee, is the bill pro-
posed by Chairman Walker. OF this |
bill Mr.. Cox of Tennessee, a Democrat |
ic member, saia that If there is to be |
currency legislation he and his COL |
leagues on the Democratic side would |
prefer the bill which Chairman Walker |
hopes the committee will recommend. |
The grave objection to all the plans |