Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-02-23
CONGRESSIONAL NOTES
AND WASHINGTON GOSSIP.

a volunteer commissary on the staff Of
General Miles, will be found guilty. 1t
has been developed by the testimony
already taken that Swift & Co. de-
llvered the beef, valued at $2S, 600. In
good condition, as directed, and that
It had not been chemically treated, but
Major Black allowed 1t to lie upon the
deck until 1t was unfit for use, and
nothing remained hut to throw 1t over
board.
A separate bill approprIating $780,
0OO,OOO for payment to Spain under
the provisions of the treaty of Paris
was passed by the House Monday un-
der suspension of the rules. No amend
ment was In order and an attempt to
secure unanimous consent to Of1er an
amendment declaratOry of our policy
not permanently to annex the Islands,
was objected to. Mr., Wheeler OF
Kentucky, upon whose point Of order
the appropriation went out of the
sundiry civil bin. made the only speech
In open hostility to the measure, but
upon the roll call thlrty-one Democrats,
two Populists and one Silver Republl-
can voted against 1t. The votes Of 213
members were cast for 1t.
A correspondent of a Chicago paper
says: The President will not hesitate
to sign the McEnery resolution IL 1t
passes the House of Representatives
and comes to him in the regular order.
In his present state Of mind he would
not dodge 1t. 1t comes very near ex-
pressing his views, although he thinks
1t unwise for the government to adopt
any fixed policy or bind itself for the
future without obtaining fuller and
more accurate knowledge of the, sltu-
alton, the conditions and the wishes
Of the inhabitants of the Philippines.
He holds that they should be consulted
before we determine their destiny. and
tnat under present conditions they are
not competent to decide for them
selves.
While the House was considering the
sundry civil bill Thursday the para
graph carrying the. appropriation of
$2O,OOOOOO for payment to Spain un-
stricken out upon point Of order
made by Mr.. Wheeler. Kentucky
Democrat, who declared that he OPP
posed the appropriation on principle
and would resort to any technicality
to defeat 1t. A strong intimation was
given by Mr.. Cannon that way
would be found within the rules to
make the appropriation before the nd-
journment Of Congress. He referred.
undoubtedly. to the probability that
the appropriation would be placed In
the bill by the Senate.
The Court of Inquiry to Investigate
the allegations of the major general Of
the army In respect to the quality Of
the beef furnished the army during the
war with Spain. met on the 18th ut
the rooms formerly occupied by the
War Investigation Committee in the
Lemon building. A full mem-
bership was presnet and the
court went into secret session to
discuss the preliminaries Of the pro-
ceeding and to endeavor to sketch out
the line Of inquiry to be pursued.
The court has practically determined
to visit the packing houses In Western
cities from which beef was furnished.
The pilgrimage will take in Chicago.
South Omaha, Kansas City and per-
haps st. Louis.
The House committee on ventilation
and acoustics has ordered the prepara-
tion of favorable report upon a
plan for the rearrangement Of the hall
Of representatives. The report will be
made Monday. The plan decided upon
involves the elimination Of the desks.
which at present spread out like
fan from the speakers rostrum, the
contraction of the size Of the hall and
the substitution therein of benches ar
ranged like those In the House of Com
mons. The size Of the hnll proper
would be reduced from 03 by 1870 feet
to 60 by 20 feet. The outer gallery
walls would be so by 93. The space
SO cut of would be converted into
reading, writing. smoking, retiring
rooms and l0bbies.
A telegram has been received Mt the
treasury from New Orleans stating
that there was n surplus of gold there
and an insufficient supply of paper cur
rency, and asking that an exchange be
made. Treasurer Roberts. In speaking
OF the situation, said: I'VE have in the
in gold and $23.OOO,OOO In paper. We
are giving out what paper we can and
distributing 1t ns well rs we can
among our nine sub.treasurics. We
have received lately similar appeals
from New York, Cincinnati, Chicago
and Kansas City, asking for paper In
return for deposits OF gold In the sub
treasury ut New York. We have in
formed applicants that they would
have to pay bankers rates for trans
pOrtatlOn In such exchanges, and while
the difference between bankers and
government rates are slight. 1t seems
to be enough to prevent calls for the
money"
The Americana Canadian joint high
commission adjourned on the Goth to
meet at Quebec. August 2nd. unless
the chairman of the respective COM
missions agree upon another date.
There were several reasons which
prompted the action taken to-day.
From statement made public, with
the sanction of the two commissions,
1t appears there were serious differ
ences of opinion between them regard
ing the important matter of the delim-
itntion of the Alaskan boundary, the