Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-17
DAVE MERCER COMES HOME
Hustling Congressman of the Second District
Returns to Omaha,
TALKS OF WORK OF THE LAST SESSION
Nebraska Fortunate in Securing So
Many Appropriations for Public
BuiIdinRs-Dcwcy May Yet
visit the Gate city.
tLKS OF WORK OF THE LAST SESSION

]
been detained there several weeks after the
adjournment of the house by business of
political nature necessitating his attention
| The many months labor in the nations halls
I of legislation evidently agreed with him, for
! he enjoys the best of health and is as ge-
! nial and cordial as ever. MIR Mercer spent
/ the evening chatting with old friends. He
! told of Nebraska's good fortune in the mat
! ter of congressional appropriations and COM
| mented upon many subjects of lively general
| interest.
Several plums fell in Nebraskas lap
! when the appropriation plum tree was
| shaken" Mr. Mercer remarked. II think
! we received our share of the distribution.
Omaha was given half million with which
/ to complete the new postoftce and Blair got
$4,000 for the erection Of public building.
Hastings and Norfolk were given $4,000
each for the purchase of sites.
busy session.
This last session of the house was a
busy one, more appropriations having been
made than at any previous time at single
sitting. Seventy public buildings in differ
ent parts of the United States were author
| lied, and in this distribution thirty
states We're represented, some of them for
! the first time in the history of legislation.
Thirtyfour cities were given money for
public buildings, the total appropriation be-
ing $14,OOO.OOO.
THE neghboring states were well taken
care of, Iowa having received four appro-
priations Kansas two, Colorado one and
! South Dakota one.
"On the committee on public buildings and
| grounds many of the members were from
the east and south. AS was chairman
they gave me almost exclusive charge of the
| appropriations, an opportunity to look out
| for individual interests.
among the buildings authorized was a
! custom house for New York to cost
| SO 900, 900. also one for Baltimore to cost
| 81 500 OO0 in place of the structure that has
| been occupied by the customs officers since
| 1916 indianapolis received $l,500.OO0 and
| Cleveland, o., which has received nothing
since 1856, was given. $2,5OO000. There
were four capital cities without buildings
and these were provided for.
That Spanish Cannon.
THE Spanish cannon which will be
| placed in one of the city parks will soon
| be sent, as arrangements are being made
to have it shipped without the usual neces-
sary red tape. The cannon is of bronze and
it has stood on MORO castle at Havana for
| 100 years. 1t is "A valuable relic for his
torica reasons and it will make a hand
some trophy and armament. The cannon
| will be mounted on masonry instead of
| rotary carriage. There were only fifteen or
| twenty of these implements of war and
there were 500 applications FOR them.
| Omaha was fortunate in being in time to
secure one.
Admiral Schley intended to visit Omaha
and would have come before this had it
not been for Mrs. Schley's accident Mrs.
| Schley injured her foot, necessitating a
NH.
are warm friends of General and Mrs. Man
derson and when they come they will likely
stay at the home of the general and his
| wife.
The prospect of receiving a visit from
| Dewey some time before the close of the
| exposition is good. Admiral Dewey plans
| to return by the Suez canal He will start
in about two weeks and it will take about
| four months to reach New York. The ad
miral is a quiet man, he does not desirs
ostentatOn or display Perhaps this has
something to do with his returning by the
! slower canal route, but then he needs a rest
and the climate he will pass through will be
beneficial and it may be for health consid-
| eTations that he wishes to travel slowly
| Dewey and the Exposition.
| 81 will suggest to the management of the
Greater America Exposition that a visit
!
cured if he is written to at once request
| should be sent to the secretary of the navy
| also. Chicago people are making elaborate
preparations to secure a visit by the admiral
| the day the cornerstone Of the new post
office is laid, October ., and he may probably
| be induced to come little father west 1t
might be a good plan for the exposition
management to be the early bird.
| Rural Mail Delivery.
Before leaving Washington / secured an
order from the assistant postmaster general
for the establishment of two rural delivery
| routes in Douglas county. ] tried to have
routes of this kind tried in Sarpy and Wash
! ington counties also, but the government
surveyors who located the routes reported
last fall that the plan had better be tried
first in this county. because OF the gool
roads and few bridges. The centers of distri-
! button for these routes will be Elk City and
| Benson From each town 200 miles of terri
| tory will be covered.
| This system has been tried in other states
| with great success. There Is no reason why
farmers should not have as good mail de-
| livery service as business men. ! have been
! working for the proposition for more than
a year, but there have been no available
| funds before, When the appropriation is in
creased the system will be extended to
neghboring counties.
| No Extra Session.
There is no prospect of an extra session
OF congress because the president is opposed
| to such a move. With respect to the
speakership everything is in the dark No
one has definite information from Mr.. Reed
| that he intends to withdraw from the race
! for the speakership or from membership in
the house The only hint on the subject
| from an official source is one dropped by
! Mr., Reeds private secretary, Mr.. Allen, and
that hint is indefinite. II Mr. Reed desires
! to be speaker he will be elected by common
consent, as all republicans realize that
| Thomas Bracket Reed is the greatest
! speaker in the history OF congress.
| II know that Mr.. Reed has been desrous
| for long time Of being in a position to
| make more money. | would not be surprised
| If he decided to engage in the practice of law
as rumor has it. If he has made such a de-
| ci5ion the contest for his vacant chair Will
| be the most complicated and the most in
! teresting one that has taken place for a good
| many years, for neither the east nor the
west is united upon man for his success
sor"
Banquet 10 Minnesota IeEisIatOrs