The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1898-02-24

| first OF very important series of articles
upon the States of the Middle West which
appear each week in Harpers Weekly
| They are the outcome of an extended
tour of the investigation, undertaken at
the request of the Weekly by Franklin
Matthews, a newspaper man of long ex-
perience, whose judgment is as well
recognized as his honesty. The purpose
of his mission was not to puff or condemn
the districts he visited, but to record act
ual facts. That his verdict upon what he
studied is very favorable may be gathered
from the title under which he sums up
his investigations. ''Bright Skies in the
West The following are the titles of
the various articles: ''Kansas Debts and
Debt payers; ''The Enemy's Country,
Gov. Leedy Interviewed) Sunshine in
Kansas and Nebraska debts paid off
Prosperity Stories);' ''New Farming
Methods (What Hard Times Taught the
Farmers|' 1.-THE Transformed Cattle In
dustly of the Vest; The Unexpected
in Kansas (Salt, Coal, Lead, and Other
Minerals);" ''Drouth- resisting Crops CAL
falfa, katir CorD)''; 'Irrigaton in Kansas
and Nebraska Experiments with Wind
and Pumps)'; MEN of o-day in Kansas
| (White Breidenthal, Chief Judge Doster,
Edward G. Little, etc.);' 'Political
Machines in Kansas ''Populist Legisla-
| ton in Kansas and Nebraska''; ''Kansas
War on Insurance Companies "Emerg-
| ing from the Wreck of the Boom Sioux
City, lowa);'' 'Intelligent Labor Laws of
Minnesota "What Becomes of the
! Wheat Scientific Side of Flour mallingC':
''Wonderful Factory Methods of Dayton
Ohio Country store Methods in Kansas
and Nebraska''; Beet sugar from the
of
a Great American University (Chicago)."
WAsnINGroN WHIsPERlNGs. The con-
test which has been waged in the House
I Committee on invalid pensions ever since
the assembling of Congress, over the
question of barring from the pension rolls
the widows and children of soldiers who
marry hereafter, came to an end Feb 10th,
in the defeat of the proposition. A
| measure with this emo in view was in
I troduced by Representative Samuel Smith
of Michigan, and had the Endorsement of
| Commissioner of Pensions Evans. The
vote disclosed five members of the COM
mittee in favor of it and seven against it,
the division not being on party lines.
.....T The House has adopted the resolu-
ton calling for the correspondence be-
tween Germany and the United States
relative to the exclusion of our fruits
and horses; and also the Williams resolu-
ton calling for information regarding the
| situation in Cuba. 49,. Congressman Quigg
has introduced resolution on behalf of
the foreign affairs committee calling on the
secretary of state to transmit to the
house if not Incompatible with public IN
terests the condition of Cubans since
Blanco took charge, whether inhabitants
are starving and whether their property is
protected by military. Senator Morgan
Feb. 18th reported from the committee
on foreign relations the amendment offered
by Senator Allen of Nebraska, recogniZ-
ing the belligerency of Cuba. The report
was against making it part OF the diplo-
matte and consular appropriation bill but
the report, which was quite long, stated
that the senate had already acted on this
matter, and was still of the same opinion
and would be glad to have the house CO.
operate in securing a recognition of bel~
ligerency ....T The state department Feb.
14th, officially denied reports alleging
that General Fitizhugh Lee, consul
general to Cuba, had rendered his resigna-
ton 1t can be stated also that, while de-
tails are not obtainable, matters regard
ing the De LONE incident have assumed
such shape that an early AMI entirely
satisfactory adjustment of the affairs be-
tween the United States and Spain is con-
fidently expected by the state de 0artment.
..... The Republican majority in the House
was increased Feb. 9th from 40 to so
when the House by vote of AS 112 I'M
seated Mr.. Plowman, Democrat of Ala
bama, and gave the seat to MI. Aldrich,
Republican. This was the first contested
election case tried by the present House
to be decided against the sitting member.