The silver lance., 1898-12-30
NEWS FROM THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL.

| Of 1876, Bruce, register. K0Derts. treas
urer, and apparently printed from pho
to-etched plates on heavy bond paper.
| No attempt has been made to initiate
the silk fibre, and the treasury number
! has been traced with blue writing fluid
which runs when dampened, as does
the red coloring applied TO the seal.
The execution is poor and the work
would deceive only the most careless
handlers.
| Senator Mason has introduced in the
Senate q resolution directing the com
| mittee on agriculture to inquire into
certain legislation pending before the
| German Reichstag calculated to pro
| hibit the importation into Germany of
American sausage and other meat prod
ucts, and directing the committee.
should the legislation become law, to
report Immediately a bill TO require the
inspection of sugars, meat, wines and
other food products which are import
| ed into this country from Germany.
In the House a similar bill has been
| reported from the committee on agri-
| culture.
| The preliminary report of the Nicar-
aguan Canal Commission, consisting of
| General Haines. Admiral Walker and
Professor Haupt, has been completed
| and will be read before the Senate
committee either during the Christmas
recess or Immediately afterward. This
report will give many details of con
struction in regard to the proposed
route and will give a close figure on the
entire cost of the undertaking as far as
human ingenuity can foresee. 1t is
seen from the report that $135, 100000
will be a conservative estimate of the
entire cost of the canal and this almost
agrees with General w. Ludlow's re-
! port of 1896.
| The Cabinet on Wednesday discussed
| the instructions to be sent to General
| Otis at Manila which will be promul-
| gated there as n proclamation by the
| President. The instructions are similar
| in import to those sent to our officers
| at Santiago upon the occupation of that
city by the United States troops. The
Cabinet also decided that existing con
ditions justified a further reduction OF
| the military forces of the United States
and the secretary of war was instruct
ed to arrange for the immediate muster
| out of $4,000 volunteers. The details
| for the execution of this order have
not yet been arranged. Several of the
volunteer orders in the Philippines un-
| roubtediy will be included in the
| number.
A well-informed newspaper man
says: There is no question of the rati-
| fication of the Spanish treaty by the
Senate, although there may be "A good
deal of debate. 1t involves many in
| teresting questions thar have not been
discussed in that great debating socie
| ty and establishes Il number of prece-
dents of Importance. The only Repub-
lican who is certain to oppose it is Mr..
Hale of Maine Mr.. Hoar and Mr..
Morrill,, on general principles, are
against the annexation of territory by
| the United States in the West Indies
| or the Asiatic ocean, but will not antag-
onize the government. At least one
half of the Democratic senator's will
vote for ratification, and probably
more The attempt to organize that
party against the Presidents policy is
a failure, because such movement
could do no earthly good and would
only result in defeat.
The Senate committee on foreign re-
lations has concluded its revision of the
bills providing for n territorial govern
ment for Hawaii, and Senator Cullom
reported the changes TO the Senate.
There were numerous changes, the
most important being as follows: The
section defining citizenship was amend
ed by striking out the word white"
and also the explicit reference TO Por-
tuguese and left to read as follows:
THAT all persons who were citi-
zens Of the republic of Hawaii
on August 81, 1898, are hereby
declared to be citizens of the United
States" The provision in regard to
the qualifications of territorial senators
is changed SO as to require that the sen.
ator shall be male citizen, thirty
years of age, that he shall have resided
in the Hawaiian islands not less than
three years and that he ''shall be quail.
flied to vote for senator's" The explicit
property qualifications being stricken
out.
General Shafter appeared rather un-
expectedly before the War Investigat
ing committee last Tuesday and told
his story of the Santiago expedition.
He was supported by his aide. Colonel
Miley, who was with him in Cuba, and
fanked by a large portmanteau of pa
pers, to which his aide occasionally ap-
piled for reference. General Skaters
story of the operations around Santi
ago was tersely told, but at times quite
vivid in its recital and interesting in
detail. Briefly summed up, his esti
mate of the Santiago expedition was
that it had been a military success, and
cheap at the cost of 500 men lost In
the fight. He considered the expedi
tion to have been as well fitted out as
the time allowed would permit, and
said that on looking back he had nc
criticism of his plans to make and
would not change them if the events
had to be gone through again. lie
said he had no complaints of any sort
to make and would be 10th to intrude
them at this time IL he had.
A decision by the Supreme Cour
some time ago seems to settle the
point raised against the constitutional
ty of Expansion" 1t said: 1.-THE pow.
er of Congress over the territories of
the United States is general and plen.
| ary, arising from and incidental to the
| right to acnuire territory itself and