The Springfield herald., 1899-05-26
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
AND DEPARTMENT NEWS.

directed that the vessel which was
captured off San Juan, Porto Rico, on
the 18th of July last, and has been
held since by this government, shall be
returned to its owners on the ground
that 1t was not proved that the steam
er's officers intended to enter the block
AIDED port. The court held incidentally
that the blockade of San Juan was eff
fective Justice Mckenna dissented
from the opinion,
1t Is understood that the House Re
publican caucus committee, appointed
to frame a scheme of currency reform,
has agreed upon n measure along the
following lines: The redemption of all
obligations OF the government in gold
on demand. Grcenbacks, when once
redeemed for gold, to be reissued only
for gold. Permitting national banks TO
Issue notes to the par value of their
government bonds deposited in the
treasury, instead OF 90 per cent, as at
present. Permitting the minimum cap
ital of national banks to be $4,000. in
stead of S50,0O0. rs Mt present. This
plan is much less comprehensive than
ardent advocates of general currency
revision have urged. but was adopted
because harmonious agreement on il
was possible. which was not the cnse
when more radical measures We're sug-
gested.
"a ray of light has come at last to
brighten. at least in some respects, the
black horizon of Cuba" said DR.. j. |.
Rodriguez, n native Cuban of promin-
ence, who is in Washington. .The or
ganization Of the Supreme court of
the island and the fortunate selection
by General Brooke of men for the
bench of that court-all Of them learn
ed jurists and persons of high standing
socially and othcrwise-is promising of
happy results for the people of the is
land. The administration of justice
in the hands of such men rs have been
selected with peculiar tact and fore
sight by the American general who
now controls the island is perfectly
safe. DIR. Don Antonio Gonzalez de
Mendoza, the new chief justice. has
been for many years the foremost bar
rister of Cuba. He is native of Ha-
vana and fine specimen of the old
fashioned, highly cultivated and re-
fined Caucasian class of Cubans."
+. A. Vanderlip, assistant secretary
of the treasury; Charles II. Allen, as
sistant secretary of the navy; Perry S.
Heath, assistant postmaster general;
Brigadier General Corbin and Ellis H.
have been appointed national COM
mittee to take charge Of the funds with
which to purchase n home for Admiral
Dewey in Washington. The committee
will serve any newspaper organization
or Individual wishing to make n con-
tribution for the purpose in view.
Treasurer Roberts is now prepared to
receive contributions of any amount.
A handsomely designed receipt will be
got out Immediately by the engravers
at the Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing and all contributors will receive
such a receipt. A formal address to
the public will soon be issued. The
first subscription to the fund, $3.50,
was received from General Felix Ag,
nus, of the Baltimore American, and
he will receive receipt No. /.
Rear-Admiral Hichborn, chief con-
structor of the navy, has prepared n
statement showing the degree of COM
pletion of the various warships under
construction for the United States
navy. The hulls and machinery of the
vessels shown In this statement cost
about S33, 100000, and an expenditure
of S2O,OOO,0O0 will still have to be made
for armOr, armament, equipment and
stores. The battleship Kearsage will
have Its speed trial early next month,
and 1t will be followed almost immedi-
ntely by the Alabama, and then the
Kentucky. The statement issued
shows that of the battleships the ILL
nois is 65 per cent. completed, the
Kearsage 90 per cent. Kentucky ss
per cent, Alabama 80 per cent, Wis
consin 81 per cent, Maine 4 per cent,
Missouri l per cent, and the Ohio, al
though contracted for. has not yet been
started. The crusier Alabama, which
is building in England, is so per cent.
finished.
General John McNulta, receiver Of
the Distilling and Cattle Feeding Com
pany. was witness before the indus
trial commission Monday. In giving
some of the details regarding his re-
ceivership for the whisky trust, he
said it was found that one distillery at
Nebraska City, Nebraska, had been
sold for $4,000 at Il private sale, and
later was bought by the Distilling and
Cattle Feeding Company for $4,000.
There was another case In which one
who was later an officer Of the com.
pany had purchased a distillery and
sold it to the company for S2So,ooO
more than he gave for 1t. These and
other things resulted In the witness
filing bill against number of indi-
viduals, including some officers, to re-
cover SS0O.0OO. General McNulta, In
the course of his testimony, showed
that the collapse of the trust was due
to the extreme advance of prices for
the products and that the speculation
of officers of the trust In Its shares on
the stock market demoralized the or
ganization.
War Department officials expect that
within two months the Pacific trans
port fleet will be on its way home from
Manila, with the last of the volunteer
regiments. The entire Pacific fleet is
now being overhauled and provisioned
for the YnNnrn to Mnnila and return