The Elbert County tribune., 1899-02-16
CONGRESSIONAL NOTES
AND WASHINGTON GOSSIP.

within xfO.OOO.OOO. The census OF
1880 cost $11.54G. .GG2.J0, but.if is pro
posed to reduce the subjects of in
quiry by omltting vital statistics,
which are furnished now weekly by
boards OF health: debts and mort
gnges, the Indians. which can be re-
ported upon by the Indian bureaui
Alaska. which was covered 10y the
last census: crime. paupcrism and be
nevolence. which are covered by state
boards OF charity; fish and fisheries.
pensions. insurance. transportation.
irrigation. ownership of farms and
homes and education. which are GOV
cred by other branches OF the govern
ment or the several states in annual
Inquiries.
| The promised effort on the part of
| the committee on military affairs to
get immediate consideration of the
army reorganization bill promises to be
the most important feature of the pro
ceedngs OF the Senate during the
present week. Lines are divided very
sharply on this bill, and the contest over
its consideration will unquestlonably
he both fierce and stubborn. The Re
publican members OF the committee
manifest strong determination to
press the bill. regardless OF all other
measures. nnd their first effort Will be
to secure consent from the COMMITTEES
on appropriations TO set the nppropr.a-
tons bills aside until the army reorgan-
lzation bill can be disposed of. The
Democrats. not only on the military
committee but throughout the Senate,
will resist any effort to sc the army bill
through. They say. however. they wiz
not try TO prevent consideration OF the
bill.
A message was received at the Wai
Department Thursday announcing the
dispatch of the First Tennessee rcgi-
ment to Ilollo to reinforce General NIL
lcr but IT Is not certain that 1t will ar
rive nj Its destination In time TO take
part In the attack. II developed to-day
that under the terms OF the instructions
sent to General Miller by General Otis.
the former Is to present an ultin.atun
to the natives, directing that they evac-
untc the town and permit the landing
Of the American forces by . O'Clock
February 10th. or It will be immediate
ly bombarded and forcibly occupied.
General Miller now has between $500
and 5000 men. and the First Tennessee
VIII increase his command by another
thousand. II is not expected that Gen
eral Miller will find any great difficulty
In occupying the port. ns II Is easily np-
preached. Decentralization under the
guns OF the naval vessels can be readily
accomplished. and the men-of-wnr will
materially assist the military in driving
the natives out OF the city
There was an interesting scene In the
library OF the White House the other
day when President Mckinley present
ed TO Mr.. Charles A. Schott gold
medal and prize OF 1000 francs re-
Gently conferred upon him by the In
aat
as the highest scientific authority in
the world. This prize is open TO
scholars of all countries and is con-
ferred annually upon the person who
| is believedto have made the most inn
portant contribution to human know!-
edge during the year in certain
branches of inquiry. The extraordinary
discovery for which he has been
awarded this prize. and which is con
sidered the most important contribu-
tion to human knowledge during the
last year. was n method by which the
variations of the compass may be an
ticlpated. In other words. he had pre-
pared tables similar to those Of the
nautical almanac. by which n naviga-
tor at sea or n surveyor or astronomer
on land may know two or three years
| in advance the variation 'of the mag
netic needle Mt any degree of lntitude
or longitude ON the earth's surface.
There is large delegation here from
| Buffalo, the members of which are
spending their days and nights with
great diligence interviewing members
of Congress and soliciting their sup
port for bill to appropriate $500,000
for government exhibit Mt he Pan
American exposition which is proposed
to be held in Buffalo In 1901. The
manila nf fhpf nff ~ aulgsrihaI
81 100000 In stock and expect to make
the sum S2,0O0.OOO. They have OBJ
taincd a charter from the Legislature
of New York and authority to issue
bonds TO the amount OF S250O.OOO, and
they ask the government to make an
exhibit at the cost of S500.000 so as
to make II S5.0O0,000 affair. When
they get their appropriation they will
invite the other American nations to
| join In an exhibition illustrating the
progress of the American hemisphere
during the nineteenth century. Asur-
ances of acceptance have already been
received from Mexico and several Of
the South American countries. and the
projectors feel very confident of sue
cess. 1t is TO be purely an American
| affair
| Tie commission which has been in
vestigating the conduct of the war
made Its report to President McI<in-
ley at the White House on the 9th.
Recorder Mills then read aloud for
nearly an hour the salient features of
the c., 5,O0O-word document. He was
Interrupted frequently by the Presi-
dent. who questioned the commission
at length upon the various sections as
they were presented. Concerning Sec
retary Alger the members severally
evidences of bureaucracy In the War
Departments conduct of the war, and
that the secretary had failed TO have
| the necessary councils with the heads
| of bureaus In his control. In effect
| they intimated that the secretary was
not fully informed, as lie should have
been. with reference to the practical
operations of his chiefs and OF the
field manipulation of the army. The
President drew out from the commits
| sion unanimously structures upon Cen
eral Miles. 1t was stated to him that
the commission could not touch upon
the matter In detailed report, as 1t in
part concerned strategical operations
with which they We're not supposed to
/, have anything TO do. Nevertheless,
they were firmly of the opinion that
| General Miles has trumped up the beef
| scandal because the War Department
refused to carry out his plans of cam
paign. Several of the commissioners
declared their belief that had General
Miles been permitted to have his own
way the war with Spain would still
| have been wnging. They referred in
contemptuous terms to General Miles
refusal to be sworn. and declared that
he had convicted himself of malice and
negligence in failing to report from
Porto Rico TO the secretary of war
that he had. as has been alleged, found
the meat sent there for the troops TO