The silver lance., 1899-05-19
WASHINGTON GOSSIP
AND DEPARTMENT NEWS.


While there is no doubt that American
beef is somewhat better than that of
Australia, but at present there are no
facilities for transporting and handling
beef from this country. The beef sup
piled to the army in the Philippines is
taken there in the navy refrigerator
supply ships and is kept in the ship
until such time as it is required. In
return the army furnishes the navy
supplies out of the commissary stores.
Until the proposed refrigerator plants
on board the army transports are COM
pleted, it is probable that the beef sup
DIV for the Philippines will come from
Australia.
1t is stated that the plan the govern
ment of the United States is willing.:o
establish in the Philippines, after the
surrender of the insurgents, has been
cabled to President Schurman of the
Philippines commission by Secretary
Hay at the direction of the President.
The proposed government is to be
more civil than military. The head of
the government is to be governor,
and there is to be an advisory council.
composed of natives of the Philippines.
whose business it shall be to confer
with the governor on official matters
and suggest changes in the manner OF
exercising authority. All local govern
ments will be entirely in the hands of
the natives. subject to certain super
vision by the Americans. The plan
proposed amounts practically to an au-
tonomous system, and it is believed
here that it will be acceptable to tl.~
natives. The proposed government is
to continue only until the Congress of
the United States shall decide upon the
form Of government for the Islands.
The Industrial commission on Thurs
day heard the first witness to be called
in connection with its inquiry into the
operation of trusts. The witness was
Hon. James w. Lee of Pittsburg, at
torney for several pipe lines and oil
companies and formerly a state sena-
tor of Pennsylvania. Mr.. Lees testi-
mony was directed especially against
the Standard Oil Company. He said
that when the Pure Oil Company, in
which the witness is interested, went
into the field in New York in 1896 they
found the Standard selling oil at 912
cents gallon. The price was almost
Immediately reduced to 512 cents. and
had remained there since, the object
being to drive out the rival. The first
price was inordinately high, but the
latter was ruinously low, and while the
independent company had met the re
ductiOn it had done so at loss. He
thought the competition had resulted
in saving of fully S3,OO0OOO to the
people of Greater New York. The same
condition of affairs existed at competi-
tive points. Mr. Lee expressed the
opinion that the Standard Company
was still getting rebates from the rail-
road companies despite the law, and
he thought this was accomplished by
| TO nj rlvian I +
ing OIL He estimated that the Stand
ard Company had within the last TWEEN
ty years absorbed about 100 independ-
ent companies, but that the companies
with which he was connected had re
fused to sell at an advance of 121a per
cent. in cost when they were about TO
be closed by the sheriff. This refusal
had been directed largely by sentiment.
Now, however. the independent com
panies We're doing a profitable bust
ness. He knew of several refineries
which had been purchased at high
prices by the Standard company and
then had been shut down. He had also
heard that men had received bonus
to remain idle, but he had no personal
information on this subject.
The United States and Great Britain
will stand together in the advocacy of
the adoption of scheme for the settle
ment of international disputes by ar
bitration which will be presented to
the disarmament conference at its
meeting at The Hague on the 18th Of
the present month. The American
delegates. headed by Ambassador
White, are equipped with fairly we'll
digested plan for the execution of
this long-cherished project, while the
British delegates are prepared with
plan which is almost identical with the
American project. The details cannot
be procured for publication in advance
of the presentation of the projects to
the conference. The American dele
gates go committed to this arbitration
project much more strongly than to
anything likely to figure before the
conference. Regarding disarmament,
their instructions are to tell the con-
ference that the present armament of
the United States and any within the
possibilities of the future. are so far be-
low the present minimum armaments
with which any of the great powers of
Europe are likely to be content that
there is really no reason why the
United States should be called into
the agreement. Other points upon
which the delegates have been instruct
ed are correctly referred to in the cable
dispatches this morning. namely the
exemption from seizure of individual
property and the extension of the Red
Cross rules to warlike operations at
sea. Another point in the instruc-
tions is that relating to the ameliora-
ton of the horrors of war, and with
this, too, the American delegates are
deeply concerned. 1t was because of
the Presidents interest in this subject,
as much as for any reason, that the two
technical experts, Captain Mahan and
Captain CroZier. were included in the
American delegation, and the State De
partment encourages hope that some